Beginner Helloo =]

[HLG]

Hello, I'm new to the forum, still trying to figure out where everything is on the forum =]
The camera I have is a Sony DSLR-A290, I've had it for about two years now, & i'm finally wanting to learn how to use it to its full potential, my main subject for photography is cars, i'm a massive car enthusiast , I own a modified R53 cooper S & Mk2 Polo Breadvan, so I take ALOT of photos of them, & I attend a fair few car shows, so really want to get good ! =]
Here's what I would consider my better shots....




Then I there is this which I really want some advise one...


I really want to learn how to get night time/ dusk shots, now i'm assuming I will need to purchase some lighting?

All advise/comments will be much appreciated =]

 

[grove39]

Maybe a small speedlite inside the car for the night shots. Not sure how you would light it from the outside though without spending quite a bit.

 

[Klaynos]

If it was slightly further towards you, more under the street light it might help. The problem is you need the illumination to be quite high.

 

[psybear]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm certainly no expert on car photography, but looking at the that third shot, it definitely could be improved. Looks like you've intentionally situated it under a street light for lighting but the composition isn't great (lots of dead space in the foreground and a cluttered uninteresting background), the car is centred, and the sky is too dark and is an unnatural shade of blue.

Without spending anything on lighting equipment you could go back to the same spot and improve things by framing the subject (car) tighter, having facing to the left (trust me, it works better), position the car on a 'third' with more space on the left of the frame (for the car to 'drive' into), and aim for a lighter sky (either through post processing to just take it earlier in the evening). A reduced depth of field would blur the background nicely too.

 

[Matt_B]

Agree with Klaynos, I would consider using the street lighting more.