It doesn’t take fancy equipment to optimize vehicle photos for online listings, but it could take some preparation and work on your part.
Most car dealerships pay professionals to take great photos of their vehicles for listings, but if you have a single car that you want to sell, you need to take the pictures yourself. It can be maddening to see examples of poor photography, especially when the subject matter is easy to capture.
Here are a few tips to help you optimize vehicle photos to ensure your online listings look as professional as those taken for car dealers.
A clean car looks amazing
If you’re trying to sell your car, you need to show the next owner that you care a bout the car and have cared about it during your time of ownership. This means cleaning the car by washing, vacuuming, and giving it a general detailing with a microfiber cloth. Getting your car clean is pretty easy and you can enjoy some fantastic images that make the car look like it did when it was new.
Step back and zoom in
This might sound counterintuitive, but if you want to capture the right position of your vehicle, you’ve got to step back at least ten paces from the car. Once you are in this position, you can zoom in a little. Taking a picture from this location flattens the vehicle and makes it look much better. This is one of the most important ways to optimize vehicle photos. There’s only so much you can do once you get to the editing portion of your pictures. If you want to take the right shot the first time, step back and zoom in.
Get the hero shots
Have you ever watched photographers take pictures of cars? They often bend down or squat to get lower and at a very specific angle. The hero images are those taken from the driver’s side front corner and passenger’s side rear corner. The camera is to be about level with the headlight or side mirror to capture this image correctly. These hero shots are some of the most common images used in car photography because they capture the vehicle’s best sides.
Keep the sun at your back
It can be difficult to ensure the sun is in the right position when taking photos at car events or shows, but if you’re only taking pictures of your car for sale, the right time and sunlight can be easy. To optimize vehicle photos, ensure the sun is at your back and take the pictures either early in the day or late in the day to avoid shadows around the car and the car being in the dark.
Pay attention to the wheels
When positioning the car for your pictures, turn the wheels all the way to the passenger’s side when taking pictures of the front driver’s side. This allows the wheel and hub to be shown, and it makes the car look great. When taking the rear hero shot, turn the wheels to the same side that you’re taking the photo from. Showing off the wheels can be one of the details that most people miss when positioning their cars for some great images that look professional in your car listing.
Exterior shots – from where?
It might get a little uncomfortable, but you should take all of the exterior shots of your car from the same height as the hero shots. This allows viewers to see the vehicle and its exterior details from a consistent height and angle. When you want to optimize vehicle photos for your online posting, these positions make a huge difference in how your car is seen by viewers who might consider buying it. If you want professional-looking photos, a little discomfort is worth it.
Capture the inside
Taking pictures inside your car can be tricky. You need to move the car to a shady area to avoid shadows and lighting issues. Turn on the interior dashboard lights, center the steering wheel, turn the climate control vents in the same direction, and set the touchscreen to its home screen. These are just a few of the preparation tips to get the interior images right when you want to take the right car pictures for your vehicle from the interior area.
If you want to optimize vehicle photos for your online listings, you’ve got to take pictures from the right angles and positions. You can’t go back and change the entire look of a picture after it’s been taken. Use these tips to help you get the most impressive pictures of your vehicle.
