Best Car Photo Tips for Social Media

Taking the perfect photo of your vehicle for that killer Instagram post takes a bit of time and practice. You’re going to need to be sure of your purpose: is this a personal post or a branded image, what are you trying to show off, who are you catering towards, etc. This will really dictate what you need to capture with your camera. So, if you’re a budding car photographer, take our advice on shooting the best pictures of your car with these tips. 

First, Consider Your Car’s Condition

A.k.a., how good does your car actually look? You might need to take it along to an auto body technician before you post pictures of it anywhere, simply because that scratched bodywork and those hood dents just won’t cut it on the ‘gram. Similarly, if your car has a real shine to it, you might want to get it repainted or even wrapped, in order to give it more of a ‘matte’ look, so it can better absorb light for higher definition in camera shots. 

Make Sure Your Car Takes Center Stage

Your car needs to be the focus of any picture you take, if you’re planning to show off its features or use it to cater to a new audience. Don’t take center stage yourself; you could be behind the wheel or sitting on the car, but your vehicle’s main features still need to be clear to the audience. Similarly, make sure the location you’re in isn’t noisy or distracting either. 

Location is Everything! 

Of course, your car is going to need a good backdrop to be photographed against, in order to get its best angles. If you’re trying to cater to a specific audience, or you’re trying to highlight a certain feature on behalf of the car brand, make sure you’re in the right location. Most of all, your background needs to make sense–for example, if you’ve got a family vehicle to advertise, it’s no good taking shots near or on a racetrack. 

Some Tricks for Capturing a Good Angle

Capturing a good angle is hard, isn’t it? But if you keep some general rules in mind when you’re trying to get the perfect shot of your car, your images will come out great every single time. 

First of all, get the brand’s logo in the shot; not only does this prove what kind of car you’ve got, but it’ll help with that sponsored post you need to make, or even help you to attract a sponsor from that company. 

Then, make sure the sun is in the right position. Look out for ‘Golden Hour’, which happens twice a day: after sunrise, and before sunset. This is a soft but illuminating light that helps keep harsh angles and colors out of your picture, and will help to really set the mood in your photos. 

If you’ve got a social media account that’s in desperate need of some car pics, you’ll want to shoot it right.