How to shoot cars
How taking photos of your favourite vehicle can be as much fun as driving it

We don't realise it, but the appeal of muscle cars is as much about their image as it is about them themselves. There's a whole branch of advertising, photography and science devoted to how to make cars look good enough for you to want them. Automobile photography can be incredible complicated, and expensive, involving large format equipment and studios and lighting set ups gargantuan enough to accommodate cars. But it can also be very simple, involving a car you admire in a place you can drive to. This can also be very easy, given that the car is good looking before you even pick up your camera.

Light over metal
The key to good outdoor photographic lighting is recognising what is already freely available. Of course, on a large commercial scale you could have generators and enough light to illuminate a film set, but at the heart of your efforts is natural light. The best time, as with any other type of photography, is when the light is in those brief transition periods just before sunrise and just after sunset.

Photographers are so in love with this illumination that some call it the 'sweet light,' and many speak of ‘the magic hour.’ This kind of early or late light makes your photograph atmospheric. In the middle of the day the light doesn't compliment the car at all – it is too white and too flat. Another option would be to shoot your car on a cloudy day, but the light will not be as beautiful, not to mention you might not have the luxury to wait that long.

A good, simple location
Try and find an open area without reflections of trees and telephone poles or houses, something like an open field or a park where reflections can be kept at a minimum. You want the background to be subtle and unobtrusive to the car so it will not distract attention away from it, while still adding to the overall effect.

Most car shots involve open country roads, with idyllic surroundings. The sun is out, flowers occasionally garnish the curves and there’s a slight blur of the grass as the wind passes through – either natural or vehicle induced. The image is of a city slicker successful enough to be able to escape the mediocrity of traffic jams – you'll usually see him (it’s almost always a male), typically with his wife, sometimes with the kids.

More modern promotions might even feature the car against a more complex, urban setting, sometimes even against one of industrial character and proportions. Such shots generally promote the idea of the vehicle as a created work of art, a high performance machine as much about form as it is about function.

Traditionally, you would shoot a city car in the city and a 4WD in the outdoors. Or you could put your car in a contrasting environment, like a Land Rover Defender in an urban jungle. It all depends on what you want to say, and show.

Lenses and angles
The classic angle for a complimentary car shot is called a 3/4 front, where the car is seen half from its front and half from its side as well. This standard shot will show as much of the car that matters in a single frame. You will need shots of it from other angles as well, and in addition, you could try focusing on the details. This could include the logo, like the Mercedes-Benz three pointed star, the grill and other distinguishing features that would be lost in more expansive photographs. As with any product, staying away from very wide angle lenses is safer, unless you specifically want distortion. Moving in close with your wide angle will make closer parts of the car appear larger, and can be used quite dramatically if you’re adventurous enough.

Beginning your exploration from eye level is a good starting point, from where you could move higher or lower. Don’t blindly begin by shooting your subject from your eye level – cars, like children, deserve to be shot at their eye level.

Show action in the picture
Cars look pretty sitting still, but if you want to drive a great car you want to see it being driven. There are two ways of showing speed and motion in a car shot. The easier possibility is called panning, where the camera is on a tripod, the car is moving past and the camera moves along with the car to create a blurred background. Since the camera is following the car in motion, the vehicle itself is in sharp focus The other option is where you are in a car yourself that is going at the same speed as the car you are photographing.

Models shouldn't distract from the car. A model should only be used if the person is either driving or otherwise fits in naturally with the car and surroundings and has a reason to be there. If they just stand there they usually look awkward.

Preparing to shoot
Make sure that your car is extremely clean. A little bit of dust can ruin an otherwise beautiful picture. Just clean your car with water before the shoot and try to make the tyres look an even dark black, but don't make them shiny.

Check the reflections in the car. This is very important when you are not used to shooting cars to always look into the reflections on your car. What does the car reflect? If it is reflecting a big tree that interferes with the light on the side of the car, then you will have to move the car in order to avoid the undesirable reflection.

Composition
Composing your picture is significant and to have the car right in the middle of your frame is not always the best choice. A lot of composition choices depend on if you want to show the car as the main point of focus or if you want to say something about the car within a certain scenery. If you are photographing to sell your car cropping really comes down to personal preference.