Oh NOW you tell me that black cars suck for photography in your piece in the latest GRM. 
I am totally screwed...
but then I saw the part where ugly beige shows up great in photos. So I went and added some of that.....
And you're right. It stands out better 
Actually lol
This shot is mine.
If you want to shoot a black car, and make it look good, find a wide open space, and wait until dusk on a cloudless day.
I knew there was a reason I never washed a car.
Drives one guy nuts at work that the FRS has never had a wash (black car) and now I have a good response!
Haven't seen the article, but I've been bestowing this bit of Challenge wisdom upon concours whiners for a while now (courtesy of david...and coming from a one-time concours whiner.) They never listen. I think petty blue and bright ass yellow are pretty eye catching colors that stand out on a magazine rack. But what the berkeley would I know?
Would I paint my DD hot pink? No.
Would I paint a car that I hope to get on the cover of a mag flat black? No.
I just like black because it's understated, doesn't stand out in traffic (I drive fast but haven't had a ticket in a decade, even driving a WRX), and really it's just "my" color.... I wear a lot of black....my furniture is mostly antique black, etc. The e30 is just black because that's what color it was. I didn't really care about color with that, as it will change it's "style" time and time again as I toy with it and get bored.
In retrospect, I wish we had gotten the 4Runner in the dark blue or maroon, because those just look sexy.
If I respray the WRX someday (distinct possibility thanks to this lousy paint), it will get the sapphire blue color seen on late model BMWs :)
Will wrote: This shot is mine.
Ba-doioioioioing! 
More info on that? Pretty please?
Will wrote: This shot is mine.
great shot!
I picked the ones above specifically because they make black look terrible, haha....
Black cars are the best for winter pics though...simply because of the contrast.
irish44j wrote: Oh NOW you tell me that black cars suck for photography in your piece in the latest GRM.
LOL...we have all white cars at our place . I just re-sealed our driveway so I had the cars out front.
(race Spridget is green and we have a red MG Midget at our summer house).
You can shoot black cars, you just need the right backdrop.
Those are great photos of black cars, but even with great photography a black car is a dark, featureless blob in a photo.
When I shoot black cars, I try to get color into it from the background. This usually ends up making it look not-really-black, which is great for photos but terrible if you want it to look like a black car.
Tom Suddard wrote: Those are great photos of black cars, but even with great photography a black car is a dark, featureless blob in a photo. When I shoot black cars, I try to get color into it from the background. This usually ends up making it look not-really-black, which is great for photos but terrible if you want it to look like a black car.
like dirt and stickers and grass and clouds :)
extra points if anyone can find all three GRM stickers that are visible in this pic.
Helps if the car itself isn't a shapeless blob. (Warning, pic spam ahead as my black car fetish is out in full force...)
Javelin wrote:Will wrote:Ba-doioioioioing!
Not my car. I shot it for a magazine about 4 years back. The owner is local and has autocrossed it with our SCCA chapter. The highlights:
-home built -DSE coilover front suspension -ZE forged wheels 17x9/18x10 -12 bolt rear -built 358 small block/435 hp -700R4 trans -Ractive front buckets, rear seat delete
The whole package is exceptionally well done.
My Civic was black. I read such a blurb about better promo with bright colors, so I went about as far in that direction as I could and duplicated the Kawasaki green and blue that I lusted for as a kid. IIRC, in about 10 years with the car, it got a total of about 2 square inches of magazine space. The Mustang is probably staying black.
In reply to Jay:
Too bad you then picked about the most shapeless blob ever of a car...
There are exceptions to every rule but i think the point about black stands.
In a lot of the pics posted, you can draw attention to certain parts of the body where light is reflecting off, but you cant really illuminate the whole thing without a whole lot of lighting and then trying not to get those lights reflecting so that the lights are actually in your shot.
Like that camaro. Good thing there's nothing interesting below the beltline on the body (hey-o) because you wouldnt see it if there were. Or the starion pic.. theres a LOT going on on the side of that body, but none of it is showing in that pic.
I think black cars can look great. But they are pita to keep clean, show minor damage more than other colors, and are hard to convey in print.
Javelin wrote: In reply to Jay: Too bad you then picked about the most shapeless blob ever of a car...
o rly?
I have to admit, the Targa Miata got at least one magazine article (not in GRM) based on the paint job alone. And it's been shown on random websites such as TheThrottle because of it.
Sorry for the delay in replying--somehow this one got past me.
For race cars, yes, nine times out of 10 black doesn't work so wonderfully. Races are often held during the peak of the day, right when the light is harshest. Add in black wheels (I'm looking at a particular Mazda as an example), and you often get a blob. Black cars can look awesome, though, but if you want to tip the odds for exposure in your favor, a different color might work better. That's all.
Oh, and PS: Rules were made to be broken. There's a black car with black wheels featured in our next issue. Fortunately Alan nailed the photography.
Tom Suddard wrote: Those are great photos of black cars, but a black car is a dark, featureless blob even in real life.
FTFY. And this trend towards black wheels just makes it even worse.
Keith Tanner wrote: You can shoot black cars, you just need the right backdrop.
My wife shot this one about 2 years ago. And it made it into GRM. 
One of the problems with Black is that it absorbs light, making contours hard to define in pictures. As David said, it can be done, but it takes the right conditions, the right timing, and is more of a PITA than other colors. When taking photos of cars for the magazine, especially on track......perfect conditions are hard to find.
I've always liked black on cars. They are harder to keep clean, and they are like an oven when it's hot------ but they sure do look nice. (IMHO)
Attached--- obligatory image of black car:
You'll need to log in to post.
