Are you selling your used car online? It can be more complex than expected. It would be best if you made your car stand out from the rest and catch the attention and interest of buyers. One time-tested way of achieving this is by taking great photographs. According to industry reports, around 62% of buyers are directly influenced by images when they buy anything, and cars are no exception. Clicking great photos of your used cars is an often overlooked yet vital part of increasing sales for your dealership. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to capture compelling images, but you need to get the fundamentals right to help your photos grab the attention of possible buyers. And we’re here to tell you how you can boost your sales simply by taking better photos!
What is Used Car Photography?
Used car photography or automobile photography captures pictures of pre-owned cars to showcase their condition and features and appeal to potential buyers. This kind of photography is crucial for car dealerships looking to attract buyers for their fleet of cars. It involves capturing all the details about the car, including its exterior, interiors, seats, dash, doors, engine, boot, and other possible details to give a full picture of the vehicle.
While clicking pictures of a car, dealerships should prioritize the car’s features and basic look and feel by ensuring proper lighting, clutter-free background, camera settings, etc., to build a solid first impression among potential buyers.
What is the Importance of Used Car Photography
In today’s digital age, auto photography plays a critical role in selling your car online. Since most car buyers have started searching for vehicles online, photos have become the perfect way to give buyers a look and feel of what they are buying. According to reports, 90% of vehicle shoppers prefer to start the buying process online. Here are some reasons why used vehicle photography is so crucial in today’s age:
1) Establish Trust: A good-quality image not only shows the fine details of the car to the potential buyer but also builds trust with the dealer/seller. Displaying every angle, feature, and aspect of the car maintains transparency, which is highly valued among car buyers.
2) Sets the First Impression: They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and rightly so. Buyers form a quick opinion based on the first images they see. Hence, high-quality, well-lit car photoshoots set a positive first impression, encouraging buyers to explore the vehicle further.
3) Displays Condition: Buyers are often concerned about a used car’s wear and tear, and a high-resolution photograph helps them gauge the condition effectively. Hence, for car listing photography, it’s advised to capture everything from minor scratches to tire condition, dents, etc.
4) Setting Expectations: By maintaining transparency and providing as many details as possible about the dashboard, engine, bumper, tires, and engine, you can set realistic expectations among interested buyers and minimize post-sale disputes.
5) Accelerate Sales: Pictures, along with providing details, also work by building an emotional connection. Buyers often envision themselves in the car, helping dealerships close deals faster.
Pro Tips for used car photography
There’s a difference between a good picture and a great one that piques a buyer’s interest and compels them to buy the car. The difference lies in the detail. Everyone is bored with the same old used car photos. It would be best if you innovated and made your photo game stand out. While you don’t need to be a professional and buy a ton of gear to get started, you will need these five pro tips that will take your second-hand car photos to the next level:
Preparation
The car is the hero of your photographs, and it needs to appear like it. Make sure your car is neat and clean inside out. Wash, wax, and dry it to make it look fresh for your buyer. If you can dry clean your interior, floor mats, and roof, it will give your car a brand-new look, perfect for taking pictures.
Location Matters
Location is everything! You need to find a well-lit spot with a great backdrop that will make your photographs stand out. Avoid crowded locations that would distract the buyer from the car.
Time & Light
Lighting is the key to good pictures. Dealerships should avoid taking pictures in broad daylight, as it causes a lot of reflection and might change the feel of the car in the picture. The ideal time to click a picture of your car is just after sunrise or before sunset, which is known as the golden hour. This gives a warmer and softer impression.
Camera Setting
You don’t need to become a professional, but having a few tricks up your sleeve can help you land many sales. Here are a few camera settings that will elevate your used car photography game:
1) Focal Length: Using a “normal” focal length around that of a 50mm lens (on a full-frame camera) is often considered safe. Smartphone cameras are often installed with wide-angle lenses, which distorts the car’s shape. So, try to stand farther away and zoom in slightly to reduce this effect.
2) Aperture: Using a moderate aperture (like f/5.6 or f/8) will enable you to keep most of the car in focus. Use the setting to get the best front, rear and side picture of your car with a slight blur in the background.
3) Reflections: Reflections can be a bane of any car photo. Hence you should always remove any bright sharp objects from the background to keep the focus on your car.
How to Take Better Photos for Your Used-Car Listing
After you have prepared your car, found the location for the shoot, and checked the camera settings, it is time to shoot. To get things going, you need the best used car photography ideas.
You should ideally start by capturing the car’s exterior from different angles. Cover straight-on shots from the front and full-length pictures from the sides. After taking the essential front, rear, and side shots, you can be creative with the angles and height of the camera. However, one should remember that capturing the car’s features is non-negotiable. It’s often effective to kneel to get level shots of the car. It’s also helpful to snap a good under-hood photo.
Coming to the interior, it will be beneficial to park the car in a share to avoid any uneven lighting and reflection. Capture the interior one door at a time, from the driver’s seat, shotgun, back seat, and cargo area. Remember to capture door panels as well. To click the front seat and dash pictures, use the camera from the back seat and vice versa to get the backseat images. A close-up second hand car photo of the odometer should be noticed as well.
You need to capture photos that focus on the condition of the car as buyers put more emphasis on that. Including shots of the undercarriage, wheels, and tyres is a great way to give a holistic view of your second-hand car. Any damages, like dents, dings, scratches, and rust, should also be captured and labeled with the relative size of the damage because being upfront is the first step towards building trust and providing more chances of conversion.
What Automotive Inventory Photography Can Do For Your Business
Used car photography is not limited to a single car sale or region. It’s an essential tool that keeps customers coming to your dealership. Dealerships should capitalize on this tool extensively to showcase their fleet of cars on their digital platforms to gain maximum exposure and eyeballs. Here are some benefits of automotive inventory photography for your business:
Helps showcase your inventory: You can invest in 100 used cars and still not get any sales online. You need to extensively cover your fleet and use more photos to attract people.
Professional car photoshoot helps sell more cars: Visuals sell– that’s true for everything and it certainly applies to used cars as well.
Allow customers to see a car in full detail: Photos allow customers to see cars with maximum detail. They might get an option to view different cars from your fleet and buy the one for maximum value.
Helps you stand out from other dealerships: While other dealers are busy fixing their “For Sale” signs and waiting for customers to come to their dealership, you with a high-quality car photoshoot can circulate all the pictures online and bring the cars to your customers virtually.
Mistakes You Can Avoid in Used Car Photography
When using auto dealership photography, you must avoid common mistakes when clicking pictures to get the desired results. Want to know what they are? Here are some used car photography missed that one needs to avoid:
Poor Angles: Some auto dealerships often go overboard with crazy angles that might look aesthetically pleasing but usually miss the subject and features of the car.
Wrong Camera Settings: This can make all the difference. Additionally, wrong camera settings can result in blurry or poorly lit pictures. Hence, dealership photographers should ensure proper setting of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed for different conditions.
Messing with Shutter Speed: Have you ever seen shaky images with bad lights? It’s because of the wrong shutter speed setting. For still cars, it is advised to use speed between 1/200s and 1/500s, and for moving cars, use 1/100s to freeze action.
Relying Too Much on Photoshop: Every photo shoot needs post-production with a car photography studio, but it’s only used for touch-ups. Ultimately the quality of your shoot will make the ultimate difference. Replying too much on editing and auto photo studio can result in an artificial image which loses authenticity.
Poor Lighting: Poor lighting can make your photos dark and also blurry and often hide the necessary details about the car.
Conclusion
In the end, we would like to highlight that auto dealer photography is a critical aspect for any car dealership. Additionally, it helps them build a presence in the digital marketplace and position their cars in a more profound manner. Tips and strategies from this article and a professional used car photography app will set up a strong foundation for your used car photography and also maximize your sales.
