Photography is an enormous hobby around the globe, there are so many different areas to get yourself involved in, but if you’re looking to start your own Instagram page without travelling around for scenic locations, car photography is much more accessible to get into and you don’t necessarily have to own your own car. (Though it does make it more convenient)
So, to help you get started or build upon what you already know – we’ve gathered 7 of the best tips to help you take great pictures of your car.
Lighting, Lighting, Lighting
Lighting is the number one most important aspect of photography in general, but with cars you’re working with multiple angles and body lines, so taking your pictures at the right time of day or under well placed lighting conditions can make a world of difference. Lighting is also going to make editing your photo much easier, as you can fiddle with the highlights and shadows to enhance your picture or hide unflattering elements.
Don’t Shoot At Eye Level
Taking a photo with your phone/camera directly in front of your face is the natural go-to when taking a photo but be sure to take advantage of different angles – get low down to the ground and angle the camera upwards, touching the floor. Equally, you could do the opposite and raise the camera above your head for a high angle shot – or if you’re really eager, you could go for a birds-eye view if you happen to have a drone. Whichever you choose, angles out of the ordinary will stand out twice as much.
Depth Of Field
One really easy way to make a car stand out is to change your depth of field. If you have one of the higher end iPhones like the X, you can do this easily by using portrait mode on your camera. By having a slight blur around the edges of the car, your eyes really lock-on to the car being featured.
Don’t Just Shoot The Outside
A huge reason people buy cars is the interior – whether its comfy leather seats or sporty looking carbon fibre effects around the cabin. You can take advantage of this by making them the focus of your shot. Equally, you could also position your car to have a great view out of the windshield and take a photo from the driver’s seat.
Choose The Right Car
There’s no set rule on what type of cars people want to see in your photos but it’s likely that sports cars, supercars or bulky German cars will perform better – they simply have the status and more importantly the angles about them. There was a survey recently conducted by a car leasing company in the UK – All Car Leasing which found that the Ford Fiesta was one of the most popular Instagrammed cars over in the UK and that Audi owners in general also like to take pictures of their car and post them on their social media.
Take Your Pictures Vertically
If the end goal is to upload to Instagram, you’ll be doing yourself a favour by taking pictures vertically. Due to Instagram’s small, square photo size it will be much easier to see how your photo is going to look before you come to edit and upload.
Invest In A Tripod
This is probably the most underrated tip we’re going to mention, but by investing in a tripod you eliminate the chance of minor blurring occurring in your photos which can really stand out when you look at the car’s paintwork. Another thing is that with a tripod you can line up the right shot, set your camera to a timer and allow yourself to move out of frame – if you’ve polished your car there’s a very high chance you’re going to be seen in the reflection otherwise, which can ruin a great photo.
