Automotive Photography, it's about the thought process.

I have been shooting lots of cars recently. I really enjoy it. As with all photography, when you are specialising in an area, it takes time, research and thought to make an impact. My clients are seeing the benefits, which I have written about at the end of the blog. Below I have run through my thought process before I pick up my camera.

Starting with the car itself, before it even reaches the public, the design goes through many stages. Who is the customer? Why would they buy opposed to another brand? What lifestyle does it allude to? What does it have to do? What emotions are stirred? All these thoughts run through my head as I try and capture these emotions in my shoot.

Look at new cars launches recently, for example the Audi Q5 Hybrid and the Land Rover Defender, brands and micro-brands are now creating stories to immerse potential buyers and to reassure existing customers they made the right choice. Stories are an imaginative way to bring the viewer in. It takes time, creativity, thoughts, feelings and emotions to bring this all together. Interestingly, sometimes the car won’t feature in a few photographs, the car has taken you to a particular location or activity, the surrounding elements can be captured.

In order to capture a car in all is glory, there are several areas where I focus (excuse the pun!). The total design of the car, any unique elements and quirks.

Angles:

Shooting at normal (standing) level doesn’t show the car off in its best way. Next time you see a sports car, crouch down, it makes it more assertive or even aggressive. If you come across a Lamborghini, definitely crouch. Do you shoot straight on, or angled? When angled, not all angles look the same. 30 degrees to one car may look worst on another. Always keep the horizon straight, unconsciously, people notice and it distracts.

Lighting

Studio is lovely, perfectly setup lights, big spaces, limited reflections. Day to day is outside or even in a showroom. Outside is always lovely, natural light, early mornings and evenings are great, soft warm light. During the day is harder as the light is much harsher, which you can use to your advantage depending on the car. Which leads well into location…

Location

Research your surroundings, modern car, modern offices? Classic car, country lanes? Always think about the potential customer, who are they, where would they imagine driving the car? Or use abstract, colours, angles, and details. Or use contrast, a classic car in a modern setting.

Colour

Or black and white? See my other post on black and white. Colour is vital. You need keep the original colour of the car, brands need it to be accurate. Using the time of day can add warmth, or a cold harshness. Bear in mind the ‘colour wheel’ and what are you trying to achieve. Colour has a profound physiological effect. Think Green. Think Orange. Think White. All different effects.

Detail

When you look at a car, what do you see? Once you have captured the overall, then it’s about the detail. The lines of the car, the gearstick, flappy paddles, seats, switches, steering wheel, options etc. Capture the details, and you bring your audience into the car with you.

After all that, I pick up my camera.

So, what is the benefit of running through this process, part from getting a great photo? We did some testing with customers. Cars photographed well using the techniques above, sold quicker and at a higher value than previously, helping to reduce stock days and increasing the profit per car. In addition, as we add more detail the cars are being sold online, reducing cost of sale.

1966 Mercedes 220SE