My First Car Photography Strobe Test: Godox AD200 and XPLOR 600 in a Parking Garage
After more than 20 years behind a camera, I finally took a serious step into off-camera flash photography. My goal is to grow into automotive photography, shoot in parking garages and low-light locations, and eventually create stronger images at night. For this first outing, I brought two lights I had just picked up: the Godox AD200 Pro II and the Flashpoint XPLOR 600, Adorama’s version of the Godox 600 Ws system.
This was not a polished “everything went perfectly” shoot. It was my first real attempt at using both strobes together in a parking garage, photographing cars in difficult light. I wanted to see what each light could do, where I made mistakes, and whether I could turn those mistakes into usable lessons.
The AD200 surprised me. It is compact enough to hold close to the camera or move into tight spaces, which made it useful for lighting engine bays, interior details, badges, and small sections of a vehicle. I experimented with the Fresnel attachment, which gave me a more focused beam but also taught me quickly that it can become too harsh if the power and direction are not controlled. I have also added a round head to my kit because the AD200 system gives me room to build and experiment as I learn.
The XPLOR 600 brought the power I needed for larger scenes. With its Bowens mount and a projection-style modifier, I could move it around the garage on a small cart and test different angles without carrying it by hand all day. At first, I pointed it directly at the cars, which worked in spots but created uneven light and reflections. The biggest breakthrough came when I pointed the light toward the white garage ceiling. The ceiling became a giant soft reflector, spreading light back down across the vehicle and helping me light larger sections of a car more naturally.
That one lesson changed the results. Rather than fighting every reflection on the paint and chrome, I started using the garage itself as part of the lighting setup. A black Mustang, several classic cars, a Corvette, a Lotus, and a GT40 replica all gave me different challenges: dark paint, chrome engine parts, strong sunlight outside the garage, and reflections that revealed both the flash and me. Some images worked well, others did not, but every one gave me a better understanding of where to position the light and how much power I actually needed.
I also used DxO PhotoLab to work with the RAW files. DxO helped me clean up noise, recover the overall look of an image, reduce the visual impact of bright areas, and guide attention back toward the vehicle. Editing helped, but it also made the lesson clear: getting the direction, distance, and power of the flash right in-camera matters far more than trying to fix every problem afterward.
For the next shoot, I will keep my ISO lower, spend more time dialing in aperture and shutter speed, pull the XPLOR 600 farther back when I need broader coverage, and use the AD200 more deliberately for details and controlled accents. I will also pay closer attention to chrome, glass, and body panels—because cars are basically rolling mirrors.
This is the start of a new part of my photography journey. I am not trying to show only perfect images. I want to show the misses, the improvements, the successful shots, and the real process of learning automotive lighting as it happens. If you are learning off-camera flash, considering the Godox AD200 or XPLOR 600, or working toward better car photography yourself, I hope these lessons help you get started.
You can watch the full video below to see the setup, the first images, the mistakes, and the edits.
