Nice write up and all of it is true. Most of it is common knowledge really, like the reflection. Put a bright spotlight facing the mirror and let's see if you see yourself, doubt it.. All you'll see is a bright shiney light. Dim down the light and you will see yourself. Taking pictures of swirls has to be done at a certain angle or you'll never see, just like in person..
I think most of the people who post pictures of their reflections here are just happy with what they've achieved or think they've achieved. Sure some products will do it better and faster, and will last longer but in the end they're really pretty much all the same. It's just a matter of taste and preference and how much work you're willing to do... Brand names and Price when it comes to Car Detailing is really just a placebo of some sort. Oh and as we all know Car Detailing is all about Surface Preparation...
And as to taking pictures with same angle and same lighting, it's feasible but quite hard really especially if you don't have a garage of your own and GREAT static lighting inside. Plan on using the sun? Well you better be able to detail that car in less than 2 hours, cause if you take any longer than that then the sun already has move several degrees. And it's no longer the same. Huge difference between a 9am Sun Light and a 12pm one.. And that's only 3 hours, some of us are just getting done with Compounding..
