I need help!!!

[Berke]

Okay so, how can I start this...

I take a lot of photos of cars, that's pretty much it. I usually schedule my photoshoots at sunset, I'm not sure how to work in direct sunlight. Does anyone have any tips for not blowing out the background? I never learned how to shoot in direct sunlight, I always use weird shutter speeds and it's just catching up to me.

Also, how can I improve my shots at night with out a tripod? I have my exposure up all the way, ISO at about 800 and VR on and some of my photos are still too dark.

[ralff]

Do you shoot moving cars? No examples of your work so I don't know. If you are not shooting moving cars, why not a tri-pod? If shooting in direct sunlight you are going to have problems with blown highlights unless you can move the cars into a shaded area or do some kind of HDR. Maybe someone else can help with this problem.

[PhotosGuy]

how can I improve my shots at night with out a tripod? 1. Get a tripod for cars that aren't moving.
Malibu in the snow. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=620283)

More: Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123)

A few Car Lighting Tips - Updated (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=70290)

2. For cars that are moving:
Panning Question (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=589433)

The official Dream Cruise - Saturday (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=554646)

3. For sunset, it depends on how early you shoot & how bright it is.
Not bright: Just MOVE YOUR FEET! (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=536323)
Bright: Try two exposures, one for the car & one for the sunset. You can select an object & only apply changes to the selected area:
Selecting areas in PS. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39994)
Using masks to hide parts of the image: Need to remove a background from something? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=82876)