Congratulations on winning the car of your dreams! Barrett-Jackson knows how exciting that is and that you can’t wait to drive it along the coast during your next beach vacation or through winding roads hugging the mountainside on your next road trip. A new car is always something exciting and it’s something everyone loves sharing. What better way to show how much you love your new collector vehicle then by capturing beautiful photos of it while on your adventures and sharing the images with your friends and family?
Thankfully, today’s smartphones have incredible cameras, they conveniently fit in your pocket and – let’s be real – you are probably carrying one around with you wherever you go, anyway.
Here are some useful tips and tricks for capturing clean, clear and well-lit images of your collector vehicle on those summer drives:
TAKE YOUR TIME. We know you are excited to capture your car with the sunset in the background, but it can be challenging to find the right spot with the proper lighting. Finding the right location will likely be the most time-consuming part of the photo-taking process. If possible, check out the site first to ensure it will work for you to avoid putting any unnecessary miles on your collector car. In low-light situations, today’s smart phones will automatically adjust for a slower shutter speed, meaning it may take up to 10 seconds of holding the phone still for the photo to turn out right. Rushing the photo will result in blurry or incorrectly exposed images.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Feel free to snap multiple photos or practice by photographing your daily driver before you take your collector vehicle out for a cruise. This can be helpful if you are unfamiliar with how your phone’s camera works or don’t use it much. Practice will boost your confidence, make photographing your collectible vehicle more successful and will allow you to take fewer photos during your quest to get the perfect image.
LOCATION. Find a location that appeals to you, whether it be the beach, the woods, a park or the countryside. You will want to be aware of any parking lines that could become distracting in the photo, debris, light poles, fences or trashcans. Aim for a relatively “blank canvas” that won’t be too busy or distracting to create your artistic masterpiece. Remember, as beautiful as the background may be, the focus still needs to be your collector car.
REFLECTIONS. Be aware of unwanted reflections. Keep an eye out for reflections of yourself, parking lines, poles and other cars. Finding a minimal or zero-reflection scenario might be difficult, depending on your vehicle’s body lines.
LIGHT. For a truly spectacular photo, wait for the “magic hour” just before sunset or get up early the next day to catch the sunrise. Position yourself and your vehicle so that the sun works to light up the vehicle. If you are unable to take the photo during that magic hour, shade is best for even lighting and reflection reduction. Even lighting is also crucial for photos of the engine and interior. Do not use flash and avoid shooting indoors or in low-light scenarios where blurriness and loss of detail can occur.
IDEAL IMAGES. To capture your vehicle’s best “stance,” hold your phone/camera at a lower angle, 2 to 3 feet off the ground. A front 3/4 image is always flattering and refers to the angle showing the front and side of the vehicle simultaneously, not just three-quarters of the car. Similarly, a rear 3/4 image refers to the opposite side, showing the rear and side of the vehicle simultaneously. Pro Tip: If your phone has multiple lenses and your location allows for it, try using the telephoto lens and getting farther away from your vehicle for a few shots.
TAKING THE PHOTOS. Most importantly, make sure your phone’s camera lens is clean. It won’t matter how much preparation you put into your photos if you have a huge smudge on the lens. Also, be sure to hold your phone in landscape (horizontal) mode. Ensure there is plenty of room around your vehicle when you capture the image – do not cut off any parts of the car. It is better to have plenty of space above, below and to the sides of the vehicle in your image. Enabling the gridlines under composition in the camera settings will also help you make sure you are capturing a level image, as it puts faint gridlines over what you are viewing on the screen to help guide you and prevent a crooked image. (Don’t worry, the gridlines won’t be applied to the final image.) If you want to capture an image you can use for your phone background, feel free to take a vertical shot. Be sure to be far enough away that you can get the entire vehicle in the vertical shot without cutting off part of the car. You can of course focus on a specific area of the vehicle, like the headlights or taillights for a super-detailed photo to use as your phone’s background. While shooting, make sure to take multiple photos at different angles – sometimes a step or two over can make or break your shot, and it’s better to have too many photos to choose from than not enough.
Once you have captured your images, share your favorites with Barrett-Jackson by tagging us on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #BarrettJackson and #BJAC.
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