I don't claim to be a pro, there are tons of auto photographers who are better than me at shooting car shows, but I figured I would give some tips.

Indoor and outdoor car shows are two very different shows. Indoor is far harder to shoot than outdoors for many reasons:

1. Cars & people are packed in. It's hard to get a whole car in a shot and you got people to contend with in the shot or backing into. Back up too far you got people walking in the shot, too close and you can't get the car in the shot. Cars are packed in tightly to get the most bang for the buck, which limits your angles you can shoot a car at.

2. Lighting, lighting is horrible, so get a steady hand.

3. Open hoods & doors. Now you will get this at outdoor shows as well but it seems more prominent at indoor shows, and at most indoor shows owners aren't allowed by their car during the show, so no owner to close it up for a shot.

Now don't write off indoor shows all together. I live in the state of Rydell's Foose built cars, but the only time I get to see them is at a indoor show. During the summer they are out on the road making it to big shows.

All that being said heres some tips I have:

PATIENCE: No matter what show you got to there is gonna be people to contend with. Have patience. While people are standing around oogling a car walk around behind the crowd and pick out your angles, meter your camera and be ready to shoot when the opportunity arises.

WALK AROUND: If the crowd isn't clearing up don't waste too much time waiting, walk around and find your next shot. Especially with a indoor show there seems to be a bottle neck wherever some people stop to talk and that means tons of people. I don't find that a really popular car necessarily is hard to shoot, I can always find a opening eventually, I just make a few rounds before I catch it. I usually end up going around a show 10-20 times to catch the cars and angles I want.

GET LOW: If the shot is worth it don't be afraid to look strange getting at the angle you want. I don't lay down at indoor shows but I will get on my knees and get as low as I can. Outdoor shows I have no problem with the strange looks I get laying down to get a shot.

TALK: Most owners like having their photo taken, of their car that is. So if you see a car you'd like to photograph closed up if the owner is around ask them if they could close the doors and the hood for you. If not don't pressure and just let it go.

LIGHT: Indoor shows it's hard to use a flash. I haven't had a chance to try any light diffusers with a flash and there really isn't any way to bounce the light, plus you're close to the car so you get lots of glare. Outdoors though while I haven't been able to use my 430EX yet, cars under trees won't hinder me from taking shots of them now as I can stand back, zoom in, and use my flash as a fill light to eliminate shadows.

SHOOT: If you're shooting digital there is no reason not to take lots of photos. When you can't control the activity in the background lots of shots are helpful. Take a few exposures, metered on, a stop below, a stop above, get lots of angles. You may have your ideal shot in your head but if you take a few shots you may find more you like once you see it on the screen.

PHOTO SHOOT: See a car you really like, talk to the owner. Outdoor shows you can usually find a place with a clean backdrop and away from the crowds that you can do a shoot. Outdoor shows you can usually drive your car around so ask the owners if you could do a shoot with their car. Even if they don't want to during the show you can arrange something for another time.

So get out there and find a show you want to go to and start shooting. The Transportation section is going downhill from when I first joined. We need more actual photographers submitting to that section and not people posting video game screenshots and pictures of models.