FDL (Focused Diffused Lighting) is a lighting technique we developed by Sarel van Staden and Maryna Cotton to photograph cars on location with minimum equipment and often in confined spaces. We use flash as our primary light source to overpower ambient light, then soften it through two layers of diffusion. By directing this refined light onto small sections of a vehicle, we build its shape, detail, and character into the image. In darker environments, we extend the technique by using a constant light source that enables us to illuminate larger areas of the car while keeping the FDL effect.