TR6

No financial interest whatsoever nor do I know the seller. Just passing this along for those interested since OEM RS America spoilers don't come up for sale very often. Although, this auction may win the award for the most useless photos since they are so dark its hard to see any detail (apologies in advance if it is someone on this forum)...

GG Allin

At $799 I'd be surprised if he gets any bids, especially with damage.

Manny Alban

Hey, don't be slammin' my $99 digital camera Actually, I'm selling it for a friend of mine. I own a C2, but he's got an RS America. This year he changed over to a MA Shaw 3.8 wing like I have on my car. Any suggestions for taking a detailed photo on a black painted spoiler would be appreciated. I tried doing it without the flash and it was really dark. The flash made it appear that there were lots of white speckles on the paint, which there isn't.

I'm not responsible for the price, so don't send emails trying to negotiate :O

TR6

I had the same problem taking photos of a glossy black guitar I was selling once. It just drank up the light or worse yet, when I used the flash, it just bounced the flash back. Best I was able to do finally was to use natural light (no, not the beer) against a light colored background. Still wasn't perfect but was much better.

Good luck with the sale. I guess the market will determine whether or not the price is right. OEM RSA wings rarely come up for sale, so you may get some interest.

deep_uv

When I shoot my black car, I use a seperate flash unit and aim the flash upwards at 45 degrees when outside. I point it up and bounce it off the ceiling when inside. I usually also take several shots with the flash at varying angles to make sure I get at least one good one. I rarely ever get a good shot with the flash aimed straight on.


Steve

Mark in Baltimore

I'll give you $798...

I might be able to answer the photography question. The easiest way to "light" something like this is to take it outside and let sunlight do its work for you. Your black spoiler is just eating up any light you may have from existing interior light sources. Pump up the volume by taking it outside. Generally, I like to shoot things when its overcast or in the shadows of a building. An overcast days might seem a bit gloomy but it is the world's biggest softbox, a type of light source that produces smoother shadows, lower contrast and a softer, silkier look. Look at car photography in magazines and you'll see evidence of the light source(s) and the lack of light based on where the photographer has placed dark cards. All cars, like your spoiler, are just highly reflective objects that mirror the light and objects around.

Direct sunlight might be okay but can often lead to deep shadows, overblown highlights and excess detail imperfections that one wouldn't normally see. Because the flash is directly on the camera, it will cause glare that will not be too flattering, as Greg and Steve have experienced (imagine putting a mirror on the surface. If you can see the camera and flash in the mirror, this is indicative of where you'll see glare. This is a trick that I used in my prior career).

I'm also available for photography consultation for a modest, hourly fee...