The need or opportunity to photograph a new car in any detail probably won’t come up too often. But shooting a new car can be fun and allow you to explore a subject from every angle. It is a great exercise in seeing. So should the chance come along, here are 5 tips to help you get started photographing a car.
1) Pay Attention to the Light – Although lighting is key when shooting any subject, the lighting you use to shoot an automobile can play an exceptionally important role. With very few exceptions, a new car is very shiny. That means the wrong lighting can reek havoc on your subject. Get the lighting wrong and you can have all kinds of issues; glare, reflections, over exposed in one area and under in another, the list can go on and on. Since most of us cannot set up an indoor studio large enough to accommodate a whole car we have to resort to natural outdoor lighting. But do not fret, there is a magic solution, of sorts. You have two chances each day to find the ideal lighting situation for car photography. The magic hour , as it is known, will give you natural light without harsh shadows or overly bright highlights. This limits you to only an hour of shooting, give or take, but the end results will be well worth it.
2) Explore – You will want to take the basic shots; one from all four sides. But do not stop there. Explore the car in detail as you would any subject. Get down low – even if that means laying on the ground, get up high – bring a ladder along, get up close, follow the natural lines of the car, check under the hood, in the trunk and don’t miss the interior. And don’t forget the details that make each car unique. Most cars today have some amazing lines and curves that when composed well make great images.
3) Don’t Let the Minor Details Ruin the Image – When shooting any subject even the most minor thing can distract from the overall image. Think of that one hair that is out of place and how it becomes the focus of a portrait. The same is true when photographing a car. Keep a sharp eye out for these minor flaws that can ruin the otherwise perfect shot such as dust, scratches, window smudges and the like. Of particular importance is reflections. Again, being a shiny object it sees all. Make sure you are not taking an unintentional self-portrait or that other objects nearby are not stealing center stage.
4) Chose Your Location Carefully – When 
deciding where to photograph the car you want to pick a location that compliments the car and doesn’t steal all the glory. Or worse, one that is just a distraction with too much background busyness. A parking lot may seem like a natural choice for a car, but make sure it is one without 17 other cars making yours look like “just another car.” There should be no doubt that the car is the subject of the photo and not the building, people, city scape or whatever else is in the background. That having been said, an appropriate urban, rural or scenic setting can often compliment the car and help tell its story. Just keep the car as the main character.
5) Post Processing – Post processing, editing images in a software program such as PhotoShop, can be your best friend. In case you miss one of the above tips, and it will happen, there is not much you can’t fix after the fact if your post processing skills are up to it. You obviously want to get as close to the perfect shot the first time right out of the camera. But perfection rarely happens the first time around. So when you have the perfect setting but there is a no parking sign in your shot or you overlook your own smiling face in the chrome, don’t hesitate to save the image with a little magic wand and spot healing.
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