Eight tips for taking good pictures of your car
Taking photos of your car for sale? Now is not the time to get ‘creative’ in an attempt to stand out in the 200,000+ cars for sale on carsales.com.au.With a smartphone in hand, here are some simple tips for taking good pictures of your car (the car you’re hoping someone else will fall in love with) ahead of uploading your ad to carsales.
Those angles
Take your photos from headlight height for all externals (yes, crouch down). This gives a good perspective, highlighting the car’s silhouette and design elements.
It’s recommended that you have the following photos of your car for your ad:
- ¾ Front of car
- Full front of car
- ¾ Rear of car
- Full rear of car
- Side shot of car
- Interior - front dashboard
- Interior – steering wheel
- Interior – rear seats
- Interior – boot space
- The engine
We also suggest taking photos of any features or accessories your car may have including the sunroof, infotainment system/stereo, and wireless phone charger.
Frame it
Always shoot the frame horizontally (say no to portraits) with even space around the vehicle. If in doubt, take the shot a little wider and crop it later.
Wheels ahead
Keep the wheels of your vehicle pointing straight ahead. You want to see the rims, not the rubber. Better still, turn the wheel a little so you can see the entire rim.
Avoid filters
Designed to enhance an image you don't love, for the purposes of selling a car, we actually want the ‘untouched’ pic, thanks.
Flash or no flash?
Using a smartphone? The answer is no flash. Unless you’re experienced, avoid the harshness of a flash.
Backgrounds
A clean background allows the buyer to focus on the car. A contrasting background can also be good to allow your vehicle to stand out. Avoid places where?cars, light poles, bins, graffiti and other objects are part of the background. Not only do objects in the background distract the buyer from focusing on your car, but they can also obscure its lines?and even reflect in the paintwork.
Clean it!
Sounds simple enough, but you’d be surprised. A dirty and dull paint job will look even worse in a photo. Interiors, too; treat and polish to enhance the natural finish inside. Remove any unnecessary items and rubbish that may be inside or surrounding the car too.
Natural Lighting
A sunny day will let your paint colour pop and show the car in its best light. However, an overcast day can be just as good, delivering a nice even light. Shoot with the sun behind you.
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