In an age where we all own smartphones, have 24/7 access to Instagram and cars are all the rage thanks to the proliferation of YouTube stars such as LivingLifeFast, Shmee and Harry Metcalfe, petrolheads of all ages love to get creative and take their own car photos to share online. But how to you get that perfect shot of your or someone else's pride and joy?
There are a huge range of things to consider when try to create the perfect automotive art. First of all, make sure you have the right photography equipment. Modern smartphones have incredible picture taking capabilities, but there is always room for improvement; you could invest in a dedicated camera and other such equipment as a camera tripod.
Once you have the right photographic equipment, the second thing to consider is what is the purpose of your car photoshoot? Are you looking to sell your car, celebrate your pride and joy with other enthusiasts, or are you simply trying to upskill and become a better photographer? Once you have determined the overarching objective of your desire to take car photography, the next step it to set the scene.
The best art has a story behind it. In any good artwork, first of all the location is of paramount importance, and the time of day. Do you have a place nearby that means something deep to you or a loved one, or that has significant historical significance? Perhaps near your favourite driving road, or somewhere you used to visit as a child?
Once you have established your location, then determine how you set up your location for lighting purposes. Let's say you choose a forest and some mountains as your backdrop. If you want the car to be centre of attention, make sure your back is to the sun and the sun is on the car, but ensure lighting is not reflecting off the car into your camera lense. Do you want the car to be the focal point, or to fit in with the scenery? Depth of field is also very important, so make sure your camera is focused on the right part of your lense view.
A popular car photography method is to try long exposure, panning to capture speed with lowest ISO settings on your camera. This approach, combined with enhanced editing from Adobe Creative Cloud can help you get the perfect shot.
The most important thing is to get out there and experiment. You don't need to wait until you see a rare supercar in the centre of London, the main thing is that you take a high quality photo that you are pleased with. If others like it and it gains traction on social media then that's of course a huge bonus.
The above tips are the basics, but to really stand out you need to be different with your approach. Get low, take pictures from inside your car, and of unique angles. Consider using backlighting. Don't always make your car centre of attention, celebrate the scenery and shoot your car in the bottom half of the view. Where safe, get your friends to help out and get some shots out on the open road.
About Limited100 - bespoke automotive art that supports and celebrates independent automotive photographers
At Limited100 our mission is to become and be recognised as the world’s number one destination for exclusive automotive wall art. We want to offer car enthusiasts limitless choice on limited runs and the widest variety of retro supercar, classic racecar, hot hatch and modern hypercar photography in their perfect print format. Cars are an extension of a petrolhead's personality and Limited100 gives the avid petrolhead a way to get their hands on something collectable, and that will look brilliant in their home, office, garage or man cave for decades.