I photographed the Ferrari 812 Competizione for Ferrari Dallas in a studio at redcreative.studios in Dallas, TX in August 2026. The client needed high quality images of a four million dollar super car. We built the lighting around Cheetah Stand umbrellas and a rolling boom, with @livinglikebrian_ on crew.

What did Ferrari Dallas need from the Ferrari 812 Competizione shoot?

Ferrari Dallas needed high quality studio photos of their Ferrari 812 Competizione, a four million dollar car, to showcase it to buyers and enthusiasts. We shot the exterior, the engine bay and the interior details on a clean white background in Dallas, TX.

Dealerships selling cars at this level cannot afford average pictures. Most buyers meet a super car on a screen long before they meet it in a showroom, so the photos do the first walk around. I’m David Loi, and as a Dallas commercial photographer at David Loi Studios, I treat that first impression as the whole job. The Ferrari 812 Competizione earns the effort, because everything from the nose to the carbon diffuser was drawn to be looked at.

That is why the shot list started with the whole Ferrari 812 Competizione and worked inward. We began with the front three quarter and the rear three quarter, then moved to the engine bay, the cockpit and the small details that enthusiasts zoom in on. The plate frame on the back reads Official Ferrari Dealer, so the client’s name rides along in every rear angle.

Why shoot a super car in a studio instead of outside?

A studio gives you control over reflections, background and schedule. A glossy red super car picks up everything around it, so a controlled white space keeps the paint honest and the shape clean. It also means weather and passing traffic never decide how the day goes.

Our space was redcreative.studios, a Dallas studio with a clean white backdrop. That backdrop is the whole look in the hero images, with the red body, black wheels and carbon trim floating on white and nothing competing for attention. It is also where the trouble starts. Red paint this saturated clips easily, and every shiny panel on the car is a mirror waiting to show you the lights, the stands and the photographer.

There was a second problem sitting right next to the first. The Ferrari 812 Competizione pairs bright red paint with black wheels and black carbon pieces, which is a huge range of brightness for one frame. If you expose for the paint, the carbon turns to a hole, and if you open up for the carbon, the red burns. We solved it with big soft sources and a lot of patient placement, moving lights a few inches at a time until the body line read from nose to tail.

I will take an hour of fighting reflections in a studio over chasing weather and traffic outside. A large umbrella gives you one long clean highlight along a fender instead of a hot spot, and that is what makes a car look expensive. It is slow work, and it is the difference between a car that looks like a catalog entry and one that looks ready to leave the floor.

The lighting kit behind the Ferrari 812 Competizione images

Here is what we used on this Ferrari shoot and what each piece was there to do.

• Cheetah Stand 65 inch umbrellas: broad, soft light that wraps the body panels and keeps reflections smooth.
• Cheetah Stand Mobile Pistol Station: lights that roll and reposition fast between setups.
• Cheetah Stand C12: solid support where a light needed to stay exactly where we put it.
• Cheetah Stand Rolling Boom: overhead placement without a stand in the way of the roofline.

I have strong opinions about gear that rolls. In a studio with a four million dollar car, nobody wants to drag a stand across the floor near the paint, and wheels let us make small changes without drama. The boom matters just as much, since an overhead light is what gives the roof and hood their long, clean shine. Good support gear is boring, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

The detail shots that finish the story

Hero angles sell the shape, but buyers also want to see what they are paying for. Under the hood, the red intake covers carry the Ferrari name in raised lettering, and the engine bay is dense with hoses, clamps and wiring that deserve a tight frame. We lit it to hold the texture of the red finish while keeping the black plastics from turning to mud.

The interior of the Ferrari 812 Competizione is nearly all red leather and suede, with carbon fiber running through the console and the steering wheel. Red on red is tricky, because the colors blend together unless the light gives each surface its own edge. Shooting through the open door gave us the full cockpit in one frame, with the carbon wheel, the metal pedals and the Ferrari shield at the center.

Then we went closer. The carbon weave on the center console, with its polished metal selector and switchgear, catches light in a way a wide shot never could. Carbon fiber is a headache for glare and moire, so angle and light position decided everything. The reward is a frame where you can see every square of the weave and the red leather glowing behind it.

The Ferrari script set into a carbon tray, with a honeycomb pattern behind it and red stitching framing the whole thing, is the kind of image a brand team drops into a brochure spread or a social post. The last detail was the steering wheel, where the red Engine Start Stop button sits in the carbon spoke beside the headlight controls. It is a small thing, and it is the thing every enthusiast wants to see up close.

Thanks to the crew, and what this means for DFW dealerships

Thank you to @livinglikebrian_ for crewing this shoot. A car like this needs a second set of eyes on reflections and a second set of hands on the lights, and I was glad to have both. Thanks also to redcreative.studios for the space, and to the team at Ferrari Dallas for trusting us with the Ferrari 812 Competizione.

This is the behind the scenes of how dealership work gets made, and it applies well beyond one car. If you are looking for an automotive photographer in Texas, start with our automotive photography services in Dallas or read how we approach an automotive dealer photographer in Dallas project. We also work across DFW commercial photography, including automotive photography in Fort Worth. For more on how I think about light and curves on a car, read Chasing the Curve.

If you’re working on automotive, dealership, aviation, aerospace, airport, or industrial visual content in Dallas and beyond, reach out. This is exactly what we do. davidloistudios.com

Frequently asked questions

Who photographed the Ferrari 812 Competizione for Ferrari Dallas?

David Loi of David Loi Studios photographed the car in August 2026 at redcreative.studios in Dallas, TX. @livinglikebrian_ was on crew for the shoot.

Why shoot a Ferrari in a studio instead of on location?

A studio lets you control reflections, the background and the schedule. A glossy red super car mirrors everything around it, so a clean white space keeps the paint and body lines accurate. Weather and traffic never get a vote.

What lighting gear works for photographing a glossy super car?

For the Ferrari 812 Competizione we used Cheetah Stand 65 inch umbrellas, a Mobile Pistol Station, a C12 and a Rolling Boom. Large soft sources keep highlights smooth on curved paint, and rolling support gear makes small adjustments safe around an expensive car.

Do you photograph interiors and detail shots for car dealerships?

Yes. On this shoot we photographed the engine bay, the full cockpit, the carbon console, the badge details and the steering wheel controls. Detail images give buyers a closer look at what sets a car apart and work well on dealer websites and social channels.

Do you shoot automotive work in Fort Worth and across DFW?

Yes. David Loi Studios is based in Dallas and works across DFW, including Fort Worth. We shoot in studios, on location and at dealerships depending on what the project needs.