Car For Sale Photography Tips

As in anything else, there's no one way to take a good looking shot of a car. Some people like grungy garage pics. Others like it in what looks more like a landscape shot or a showroom advertisement. Neither are "wrong" if you get the results that you want.

This article is mostly dedicated to using the right light to make the car itself look as good as possible. Results like these aren't all that difficult. Here's how to get them.

car photo

Wait for the late light, walk around the car and look at what the light is doing. Look at what is reflecting in the body! Trees, people, other cars, buildings...And you chose the best position to shoot from. The advantage is that the car will look it's best. But note, that the perfect light may only last for 5 minutes, and usually comes after you've put the camera away. So keep shooting! The good light may only last for 10-15 minutes.

Shoting in the sunlight: Cars in sunlight don't have to look terrible, but it helps if you can move it to promote the reflections that you want to see in it. Sometimes you don't have a choice, and here you can see that some angles work better than others.

My personal favorite is just after sunset with a clear, blue sky, as I like the warm, low contrast quality of the light. Just before sunset works best if there are some low laying clouds or haze to filter the direct sunlight. It works well without the "cloud filter" too, but the highlights in the body are stronger. Sometimes a distant low building will give the same effect of filtering/blocking the hot sun, but still keeping the brighter sky to reflect in the body.

Preferably, you'll have a big, uncluttered area like a big parking lot behind you to minimize side reflecting into the car.

Try a few shots with the cars lights on for part of the exposure. Use a tripod & don’t be afraid of long exposures. It makes it easier to get the proper partial exposure of the lights.

As usual, you're always welcome to participate in our photo contest!

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