Usually, such instructions are posted on automotive sites, but since photographing a car is my element, I will tell you about it for those who still decide to shoot a car for sale on their own. I’ll make a reservation right away – the instruction is only for conscientious sellers who have nothing to hide. Only in this case, good photos will help you sell: attract more potential buyers, dispel their doubts and reduce the number of questions you will be asked. And those for whom your option does not suit will be able to verify this even from the ad, without wasting their and your time on inspection.
So let’s go down the list:
Wash the car, but do not wash the engine compartment. The body should be as clean as possible, but if you wash the engine compartment, questions may arise about the presence of oil leaks and other liquids. But this does not apply to cars under three years old – they can wash everything.
Do you need a camera for this shoot?
No, modern smartphones shoot pretty well in good lighting conditions, just remember to wipe the camera lens before a photo session (this is the main secret of good photos on a smartphone).
Try to free the car from personal belongings. It is clear that this will not work completely, but at least a little to put things in order will not hurt.
SELECTING A PLACE FOR SHOOTING
Everything is quite simple here – you need a spacious area that looks decent (no garbage cans, shabby houses, garages, dirt) and where you can shoot a car from all sides from convenient angles. Ideal free parking mall or business center, or just a clean street. Watch out for shadows: the car should be either completely in the light or completely in the shade.
Times of Day
Do not take pictures at night and at dusk, it is undesirable to shoot in the rain. Ideal – cloudy weather, sunset or sunrise.
WHAT ANGLES NEED? WHAT TO REMOVE?
Outside, 8-10 photos are enough: from 4 sides and from 4 corners. Take a picture of the engine compartment (dirty, remember, right?), Open trunk. It is better to remove all the shortcomings in close-up separately. As well as the benefits. For example, if your car has lenses, and most of the configurations do not have them, pay attention to this in a separate frame. For almost new cars – you can take a close-up of the bolts in the factory paint to show that the car has never been taken apart.
INTERIOR PHOTO
Be sure to remove the tidy with mileage. The steering wheel and the driver’s seat must also be removed near – this will allow you to assess the real wear and tear of the interior and the car as a whole. Well, a few general plans for the cabin – that will be enough. In total, you can get up to 20 photos. More than that would be overkill. But feel free to click more so you have plenty to choose from.
Do I need to cover up the license plate on the photo?
No, now there is no need for this, all popular auto sales sites do this automatically.
Well, perhaps that’s all! It turned out more text than I expected – in the process of writing, I remembered many nuances. The main thing to remember is that the goal of such a photo session is not beautiful pictures, but the most informative ones. But if your car is quite expensive, it may be more efficient to apply for a car photography service to a professional photographer. With a high price for a car, the cost of photography will be fully paid off by the opportunity to sell it for a little more with high-quality, attractive photos.
