Sarel van Staden

Profile

Join date: Feb 2, 2022

About

South African based commercial and automotive photographer, Sarel van Staden, developed the FDL technique from 2014. He perfected the technique by shooting and creating hundreds car fine art images. Each work of art consist of as many as 30 exposures layered in a post-production workflow, which can take as long as 3 hours to complete.

Sarel has also developed custom built equipment to make the lighting setups smaller and more effective.

Sarel has taught photography locally in South Africa and internationally for close to 2 decades.

Posts (6)

May 7, 2026 ∙ 1 min

Automotive Photography for Walls

Automotive photography is often thought of as simply capturing car images, but a well-crafted automotive fine art image can completely transform a space. Whether displayed in a man cave, office, or showroom, such artwork can add atmosphere, personality, and a sense of identity to an interior. Over the years, I’ve discovered that some images naturally work better as wall art than others. Symmetrical front shots create balance and a bold centrepiece for modern interiors. Strong side-profile...

Mar 22, 2026 ∙ 2 min

Our Signature Collection Photo Books:

The idea for the automotive photo books (#signaturecollection) originated with a simple question: could automotive photography become a complete human experience – not just something to see but something to feel? And what if the book itself became part of the story? What if it shared the same DNA as the car it represents? That is where this concept (#signaturecollection) was born. I started to design each of my photo books with the purpose to extend the experience far beyond the image. I...

Oct 14, 2025 ∙ 3 min

Finding the bucket list cars:

Finding truly special cars to photograph remains one of the greatest challenges in my journey as a car fine art photographer. On location photography and lighting can all be mastered with time and dedication — but getting access to the cars themselves requires patience, persistence, and above all, trust. Many of the most fascinating cars ever built are hidden away in private collections. Their owners are understandably protective — these machines aren’t just valuable; they’re personal...