Car photography plays a big role in attracting buyers, especially if you're uploading pictures for dealership websites or online marketplaces. Good photos make your car stand out and create trust, but small mistakes can ruin even the best-looking cars. Don’t worry! You don’t need fancy equipment or professional training to get it right. Here are the top 10 mistakes to avoid and tips to take professional-looking car photos.

1. Poor or Uneven Lighting

• The Mistake: Taking photos in harsh sunlight, under shady trees, or in dark garages. Uneven lighting can make one side of the car too bright and the other side too dark, or cause colors like white to appear gray.

• The Fix: Shoot during the golden hour (early morning or late afternoon) for soft, even lighting. Avoid harsh midday sunlight, which creates glare and shadows. Ensure light falls evenly across the car. If needed, use reflectors to bounce light into shaded areas.

• HelloRamp Tip: The app adjusts brightness and exposure automatically, ensuring even and balanced lighting for every shot.

  
  

Poor lighting, shadows and reflections can make your car color look different

2. Ignoring Shadows and Reflections

• The Mistake: Trees, buildings, or people reflecting on the car’s glossy surface or casting distracting shadows.

• The Fix: Choose a clean, open location like an empty parking lot. Use a polarizing filter (if available) to reduce reflections on the windshield and paint.

3. Distracting Backgrounds

• The Mistake: Taking photos in messy locations with garbage, other cars, or cluttered environments.

• The Fix: Pick neutral, clean backgrounds that don’t distract from the car, such as blank walls, empty roads, or scenic spots.

• HelloRamp Tip: Use its background removal feature to clean up cluttered or messy surroundings.

  
  

An unclean car or a messy background will detract buyers from click on the picture

4. Forgetting to Clean the Car

• The Mistake: Dust, fingerprints, and smudges showing up in the photos.

• The Fix: Always wash the car, clean the windows, and wipe down glossy surfaces before the shoot. Clean cars look more professional and appealing.

5. Forgetting Close-Up Details

• The Mistake: Missing important close-ups of the car’s key features, like headlights, wheels, or the dashboard.

• The Fix: Take detailed shots of:

  • Headlights and taillights

  • Wheels and tire threads

  • Dashboard, seats, and upholstery

  • VIN for transparency

• Pro Tip: For a complete view of the interiors, use a 360-degree camera like Ricoh Theta to capture the cabin in one seamless image. This is especially useful for online buyers.

• HelloRamp Tip: The app provides a step-by-step guide for capturing essential shots, including close-ups.

  
  

Take 360 degree interior shots to showcase the car features

6. Wrong Orientation (Landscape vs. Portrait)

• The Mistake: Using the wrong camera orientation for the shot, leading to awkward cropping or mismatched images.

• The Fix: Use landscape orientation for wide exterior shots to showcase the entire car and portrait orientation for close-ups or vertical spaces like interiors. Decide the orientation based on the feature you’re highlighting.

Select the right camera orientation for your car picture

7. Taking Blurry or Crooked Photos

• The Mistake: Shaky hands or tilted angles make the car look unprofessional.

• The Fix: Use a tripod or stabilize your hands against a surface to avoid blurry photos. Turn on gridlines in your camera settings to ensure straight, well-aligned shots.

• HelloRamp Tip: The auto tilt adjustment feature ensures all photos are perfectly aligned.

A titled or blurry image will look unprofessional. 

8. Not Capturing Key Angles

• The Mistake: Taking too few photos or missing essential angles like the rear or side view.

• The Fix: Include a variety of shots:

  • Diagonal View

  • Rear View

  • Side Profile

  • Interior Details

  • Trunk and Engine Bay
    Taking more angles gives buyers a better understanding of the car’s condition and features.

Remember to capture the car from all angles - both front and rear, exterior and interior

9. Staying Transparent

• The Mistake: Hiding imperfections like scratches, dents, or wear. This can lead to disappointed buyers when they see the car in person.

• The Fix: Be honest about the car’s condition. Include clear photos of imperfections like scratches, tire wear, or upholstery damage. Transparency builds trust and makes buyers feel confident in your listing.

Contrary to popular belief, showing imperfections builds trust with the seller/dealer. 

10. Overediting or Skipping Editing

• The Mistake: Over editing photos with heavy filters or skipping editing altogether, leaving raw, unpolished images.

• The Fix: Keep edits simple and natural. Adjust brightness, contrast, and sharpness lightly to ensure the car looks realistic. Avoid filters that distort the car’s color.

• HelloRamp Tip: The app automates post-processing, balancing brightness, color, and contrast for a polished yet natural look.

Bonus Tip: Disorganized Photo Workflow

• The Mistake: Mixing up photos from different cars, such as uploading the interior of one car with the exterior of another. This confuses buyers and damages trust.

• The Fix: When uploading photos to online listings, organize them into clear folders to avoid confusion. Use tools like HelloRamp.ai to streamline the process, from capturing to uploading.

• HelloRamp Tip: The app provides a step-by-step guide that helps photographers stay organized, ensuring every photo matches the correct car.

Avoiding these common mistakes can elevate your car photography and make your listings more professional and attractive. With the right lighting, key angles, steady shots, and organized workflow, you can showcase cars in a way that builds trust and engages buyers. Tools like HelloRamp.ai simplify the process, guiding you step-by-step, automating edits, and helping you create polished photos that sell cars faster. Take your time, plan your shots, and let your photos do the selling!