Taking good photos of your car can help you earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars when selling it – and help attract better buyers who don’t want to waste your time.
In fact, the photos you use in your ad are very important. A beautiful, clear, great set of photos will instill confidence and trust in potential buyers – which means that if you’ve taken care of that, you’ve also taken care of the car’s care (of course…)
If you want to sell your car, click This and get a quick quote.
On the other hand, there is a special place in purgatory for car salesmen whose photos look like they were taken with a potato. In a world where everyone has a great camera in their pocket – and where websites allow for virtually unlimited high-resolution photo uploads – such a sin in the context of car sales is simply unacceptable.
We’re assuming that if you’re reading this, you’ve avoided all of those pitfalls. This comprehensive guide will ensure you’re a car sales angel – and make the process of selling a car a little easier, and hopefully more efficient.
1. Make sure it‘clean.
This may be the most obvious first step, but it’s probably the most important. A clean car is a cared for car – and cared for cars are worth more. Take your car to a cleaner or do it yourself, but it makes a huge difference.
2. Make sure you have a good camera.
And by that, we mean any smartphone that’s just a few years old. Modern smartphone cameras are incredible—and all you need to take photos of your car.
By all means, if you want to use a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera with enough megapixels to fill a billboard, go for it. It will only make your photos look better. If you don’t own one, you can always borrow one.
If you are using a phone, rotate it and take photos in landscape mode as well as portrait mode if you want to use it on some social media channels.
3. Choose a simple background.
Look for a place with a background that is as minimalistic and simple as possible – the idea is to focus all the attention on the shiny four-wheeled product you’re selling.
An open park with a green backdrop can be a good idea; and the roof of a multi-storey car park is always effective. Industrial parks with new, modern office buildings as a backdrop can look great – especially after hours, when there is no one around.
If you’re in the bush, a driveway is ideal; or one of those country roads that barely gets any traffic. Boat ramps can also look cool. Unless, of course, your handbrake is loose.
Avoid busy backgrounds that create a lot of reflections. Avoid parking on grass – concrete, asphalt, or even gravel are always the best options. Grass can look cheap and rough.
Of course, if you only have time for one street parking spot, that’s fine too. Just make sure you have enough space to take photos from all angles.
4. Ensure uniform lighting.
No matter if it’s sunny, rainy or overcast – just make sure that whatever light sources you have are consistent across your vehicle and the backdrop you choose.
That means no half-sun, half-shade parking; no shade under trees; no shade under utility poles or signs. And be careful of your own shadow. Shadows are bad—unless the entire car and setting are in shadow, like a giant building.
Of course, if you want to be a true Annie Liebovitz, and it’s a fairly clear evening, try taking photos of your car at dusk or twilight in the beautiful, soft fading light. It will make your car look twice as appealing as taking photos in the middle of the day in harsh daylight.
Dubbed the “golden hour,” shooting just after sunset has been a tip for professional auto photographers for decades.
The most important thing is, no matter what lighting you use, you want it to be even and consistent.
4. Take pictures of everything.
Your car is shiny, you found a nice backdrop in a quiet place where no one will bother or hit you, and the lighting looks nice and even.
You’ve made sure all the windows are closed, the wheels are pointed straight or at a nice angle for a side shot, and the headlights are off (another little tip, it looks a little nicer. The daytime running lights – bright LEDs on the front of the car that can’t be turned off – are fine, of course).
Remember if you are using a smartphone, rotate it to landscape mode and turn off the flash – natural mode is best.
You want to get the following angles and that means moving the car around:
Three-quarter front. Park your car in front of your chosen backdrop at a 45-degree angle. Make sure your car is centered in the frame, filling the frame with a little space around it. Move closer or farther away if needed.
Rear three-quarter view. Same as above, but rear at a 45 degree angle.
Side angle. Take a photo of both sides of the car, showing the whole car. You may have to backtrack a bit.
All four wheels. Squat down and make sure the center of the wheel is in the center of your swing.
Front seats and dashboard. Make sure the front seats are level (move the seats forward and back, and adjust the backrest if necessary).
Back seat. Self explanatory. Just a shot through the open back door is enough.
The trunk. That makes sense. If possible, lift the floor and take a picture of the spare tire or puncture repair kit. Take a picture of the bed if it’s a pickup, of course.
Engine bay. Open the hood and take photos of the engine from at least two angles. This angle is optional – if the engine bay is dirty, it’s best to skip it.
Paperwork. Take your owner’s manual and service logbook out of the glove box – if you have one – and place them on the passenger seat along with any keys and remote keys you have for the car. This is a valuable and confidence-inspiring touch.
Any damage to the exterior or interior. Just take nice, clear photos – no need to be artwork.
Anything else you think is important. There is no harm in taking too many pictures and too many things. Potential buyers may ask for more pictures before viewing the car and it can be annoying to have them taken. It is best to take them all at once.
5. Upload them in logical order.
Just upload the photos in the order above as this is how people like to see a car in real life.
Upload photos of the damage. It’s best to be honest in your advertising, rather than surprising people who come to view the car. It’s a waste of your time and the buyer’s time to not detail the damage.
And there you have it. You’re an auto photography genius – and hopefully you’ll make a few hundred dollars, maybe even thousands, for it.
If you want to sell your car, click This and get a quick quote.
10 Additional Car Photography Tips
- Check your photos as you go. Make sure the lighting looks good, there are no shadows on the car, and the background is not cluttered. Delete any photos you won’t be using right away, this will save you time later.
- Get close-ups of the cool stuff on your car. Rear spoilers are cool, as are fancy headlights and sports seats – and winches and front bumpers. Make sure you get close-ups and include them in your listing.
- Sometimes lower looks better. If you’re shooting sports cars, squat down to take exterior shots – especially the front three-quarter and rear three-quarter shots.
- Be mindful of your reflection in photos. No one wants to see you in shorts and bare feet.
- Be careful of the poles behind your car. Sometimes they look like they are growing out of the car, like a beard.
- Rotate the front wheel slightly. For the front three-quarter and rear three-quarter angles, we mean allowing more of the rim (not more of the tire) to be visible. This can look cool and sporty.
- Avoid using filters. Unless you know what you are doing.
- Don’t photoshop the photo. You may be tempted to copy that scratch or dent. That’s a bad idea. Be honest.
- Remove the P plate before taking the photo.
- Cover your license plate – or remove it altogether for safety reasons.
