MOVE YOUR FEET! A <rant> of sorts.

for some reason the car looks faded, not as black as it should be... and is almost blending in too much

You're right. I was trying to keep the actual car at the same exposure throughout the first posts so (1) the only changes to the images were from moving, & in post #30 (2) the influence of the darker background could be seen.
The darker background in this last shot tends to make the car look even lighter. Take a look at POST #30 near the bottom: The gray bar at the center is the same density all the way across.
A few Car Lighting Tips

I don't understand. What's blending into what?

removed

gb

That does look like it's been painted on. But while some of the things mentioned can be applied at car shows, this thread is more about when you can actually choose a location & move the car to get clean reflections in it.
Outdoor car show suggestion.

Good info

I know only too well what you mean.

I do a lot of outdoor vintage vehicle photography at outdoor shows....generally at outdoor shopping mall lots.

My nemesis is the light pole....people around cars....lot's of obstacles and I haven't found the perfect solution.

I do a lot of tight cropping through the viewfinder and also find using a zoom wide angle helps considerably...so I can crop with the lens.

Best lens I find for this purpose...the Pentax 12-24...which is also highly regarded for quality shots.

I believe Tokina makes a version of this Pentax lens...for those with a Canon mount camera.

^ Canon also makes a version of the lens you speak of. It's called the 10-22.

Also, good job bumping a 6-year-old thread, samsen.

6 year old good info is still good info.....

samsen wrote in post #17005083
Good info

Thanks for the <bump>! ; )

Lesmore wrote in post #17005323
My nemesis is the light pole....people around cars....lot's of obstacles and I haven't found the perfect solution.

Generally at a show, I'll find the angle I want & just stand there until people clear away. Sometimes just staring at them will pass on the message. Sometimes not. ; D

As for the poles, one option is to just remove the entire background. Look at the "Selecting areas in PS" link in Need to remove a background from something?

'70 Mustang Fastback