Hi! My name is Darren and I run a professional detailing garage in Malaysia called AutoDetailer. Click here if you would like to drop by for a visit! We specialize in perfecting automotive paintwork for car shows, car launches, pre-photography detailing for car magazines and private garages. In the detailing forums I go with my nickname "macdude" and yes that means i Mac and I dig it!

You can also check out my thoughts and musings on an urban detailer's blog

Since I'm always working on cars and I'm usually found in my workshop 6 days a week, I figured it'd be the best way to practise my photography techniques (at work) during my breaks with a strictly on-location shooting (it ain't my car!) policy. It does make for some very limited creativity but as a detailer it always puts a smile to my face every time I get to browse through some of my finished work at the end of the day!

 

N.B. I'll update the photos as time allows since there is a very short time gap between me finishing a client's car at the end of a whole day's work, shooting it if weather permits (being outdoor shots) and the client picking up his/her car immediately. Not many cars are left over extended periods so I work under very tight circumstances! Enjoy!

 

Equipment:

Here's a list of my lenses and equipment that I currently use...

1) Sony Alpha A900 DSLR with VG-C90AM

2) Sony Alpha A700 DSLR with VG-C70AM

3) Sony SAL 85F14CZ Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4

4) Sony SAL 2470Z Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70 F2.8 ZA SSM

5) Sony SAL 1635Z Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35 F2.8 ZA SSM

6) Sony SAL 1680Z Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 F3.5-4.5

7) Sony SAL 70200G F2.8 SSM

8 ) Sony SAL 70300G F4.5-5.6 SSM

9) Sony SAL 70400G F4-5.6 SSM

10) Sony SAL 16mm F2.8 Fisheye

11) Sony SAL 50mm F1.4

12) Minolta 50mm F1.4

13) Minolta 24mm F2.8 RS

14) Minolta 28-135 F4-4.5

15) Minolta 135 F2.8

16) Minolta 70-210 F4 "Beercan"

17) Sigma 12-24 F4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG

18) Sigma 24 F1.8 EX DG Macro

19) Sigma 2470 F2.8 EX DG Macro

20) Sigma 300 F4 APO Macro

21) Sigma 105 F2.8 EX Macro

22) Vivitar 100mm F3.2 Macro

23) Tamron 1.4X Teleconvertor

24) Tamron 2X Teleconvertor

25) Sony SAL F58AM

26) Sony SAL F20AM

27) Sony HV RLAM Ring Flash

28) Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS, Asymetrical 1100 W/S

29) Vivitar 285HV Flash Strobe

30) Sunpak 383 Flash Strobe (3 units)

31) Elinchrom Skyports Tx & Rx (6 units)

32) Cactus V2 Wireless Flash Triggers (4 units)

33) Elinchrom Octa Light Bank 74"

34) Silver Brolly with Black Back (2 units)

35) Silver Brolly with Silver Back (1 unit)

36) White-through Brolly (3 units)

37) 500W Studio Strobes (4 units)

38) Manfrotto 001B Portable Stand w Brolly Adaptor (3 units)

39) Manfrotto Super Clamps (3 units)

40) Assorted Brolly/Strobe Stands (5 units)

41) Manfrotto 190PROB Tripod Limited Edition + 410 Three-Way Gearhead

42) Manfrotto 680B "Phallic Symbol"

43) Manfrotto Automobile Rig System

44) Manfrotto 420B Boom Stand

45) iMac 24" 3.06 Ghz CTO

46) iMac 17" 2.0 Ghz

47) MacBook Pro 2.66 Ghz

48) Dell Mini 9 running OS X

49) Lowepro Rolling Computrekker Plus AW

50) Lowepro Off-Trail 2 + LC3(2x)

51) Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home

52) Crumpler The Customary Barge

53) Kata DC-445

54) Kata H-16

55) Kata DPS 3N1-30

56) Kata DR-467i

 

Quick Tips before shooting your car!

 

Here's some preparation tips that you can do before you shoot your car. My job is primarily to detail cars for car show displays, car launches, magazine photoshoots and the like so there's always a few finishing touches that matter. I'd normally detail a car first which means there's compounding, polishing and waxing involved prior to any photoshoot. It may seem more than necessary but it's in the finer details that you'll notice the difference. If your car has scratches it will affect your finish to a certain degree in terms of optical clarity so detailing will take care of that. Also once a car's paintwork has been perfected, two or more coats of wax/sealants will bring out the depth and richness of the paintwork and give it another level of gloss. If you're taking close-ups of the badges/decals they will need to be cleaned up with a microfibre towel and some Q-tips. The next thing is to have dressing for the trim(i.e. plastic/rubber panels and parts). There's a variety of dressings available(from satin to glossy finishes) so get one that suits your needs. Have a spray-on bottle of tyre dressing on hand so that you can give the tyres a freshen-up and add more character to your car. When you repark the car you will need to re-touch the tyre dressings so try to keep that till the last moment. Have a terry cloth ready to remove brake dust from the wheels and calipers. And finally ready a bottle of quick detailer/booster wax with a microfibre to gently wipe of fingerprints and smears.

 

Multi-layered waxes/sealants for a rich paintwork gloss and depth:

 

Dust-free and squeeky clean interiors:

 

Leather & upholstery spotless:

 

Tyres with dressing applied evenly:

 

Clean & dressed engine bay :

 

Clean wheels & brake calipers:

 

Spiffy clean badges/decals/nomenclatures:

 

Have fun shooting!