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Learning from Paul...
Without doubt, our very own Skiddo does fabulous sheet-metal photography; simply the best I've ever seen.
What can we learn from his art?
Obviously, his composition is superb; largely following the Golden Ratio. I believe studying the works of the masters in painting and sculpture is valuable; rarely does, "dead center Pete," composition have the power of 1.6:1.
A big smooth sky is an incredible light source because it fills in the contours of cars, but Paul Cliff takes this a step further by finding a condition that adds a strong bit of directional light. On this side of the pond, we find these conditions at Magic Hour, just before sunset. Same goes for dawn, but you have to set up in the dark, not to mention rising very early.
Wet streets add a great deal to car shots; easy in the UK! Here we often have to hire a water truck to wet the road. In the southern heat, we get just a few passes before we have to wet the road again.
I am even more impressed with Paul's ability to find urban settings where the open space between buildings creates a natural "softbox" of open sky that puts the light where he wants it to fall on the car just as we do in a studio with a giant Chimera light box.
Technically, Paul's ability to produce very rich contrast really makes his shots pop. He's never afraid of deep shadow areas.
I certainly don't mean to imply that these techniques are "tricks" that we can emulate to produce work of his equal, but we can certainly learn from him.
Again, Paul, my hat's off to you; you are the master of light!
Best regards to all,
Leo
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