Useful tips on how to photograph your car before selling it
With social media becoming the most popular space to share imagery about your personal life or showcase your business offerings, you can also use it as a channel to sell your car.
If you do consider selling your car privately, do it online.
It’s important to note that along with this process, a picture can really make or break your sale.
Even if the asking price is affordable and well worth every penny, a photo can change everything. When you take poor quality photos, you’re making the vehicle look less appealing to a potential buyer. It’s also going to slow down the selling process for you, so try to make an effort and go out of your way to show the online world exactly why your car is the perfect buy.
With the right lighting, a high-quality mobile or professional camera and some useful insight into taking the best photos, everyone can be a pro when capturing photos of pre-owned cars in South Africa.
Here are some tips on how to take the ultimate car photos for your profile:
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Make sure you photograph your vehicle at the right time
Sounds like a selfie right? Well, the lighting certainly plays a big role when wanting to take a good-looking photo. A popular time to shoot photos of your vehicle is half an hour after or before sunrise. If you are planning to take a photo of your car in the sunlight, make sure that you wash the body and remove any dirt that may reflect in the photo. Any dirt could result in a harsh-looking image, devaluing your vehicle.
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Shoot your car from a variety of different angles
To ensure that someone buys your car, you need to offer potential customers all the information they need to help them make their decision. Shoot every angle of the vehicle, outside and inside, as well as at the engine section. Make sure that you take enough images to ensure that at least a handful of them will look professional and do your vehicle justice. Also, try to make sure that the engine looks presentable.
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Watch the shadows in the background
The background of where your vehicle is standing can impact the quality of the photo in the sense that it will start to look cluttered. If the pictures look amateur or horrible, move your car and try something new. The other option is to use a photo editing program to help you ‘clean up’ the background. Be sure not to change anything else on your vehicle, because the buyer will inevitably inspect the car before purchasing it. And if it’s nothing like the pictures you’ve advertised, the chances of you selling your car are slim.
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Focus on internal features
People want to see the details in the picture. For example, the electronic features and all the cool-looking gadgets you have. Be sure to provide close-up images of your vehicle, highlighting any areas that could be of additional value to a potential customer. Make sure that you clean your car inside before you take these photos, as the outside is not the only section that is going to play a role in the purchase.
If you need to send your car to be serviced because of a gadget or feature inside, make sure to do so. You do not want to over capitalise on your spend, but many people will decline an offer when they know that they’re going to have to spend a large amount of money fixing a certain element. Do as much as you can to make the vehicle as new, clean and visually appealing as possible.
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The interior can speak a million words
You will need to send your vehicle for a valet or perform one yourself. Dirty interiors are an immediate turn-off, and many potential buyers will immediately assume that if you do not take pride in cleaning your vehicle, you probably haven’t maintained or serviced your car in quite some time.
Final words
When it comes to photographing second-hand cars, be honest. Used cars for sale are going to have some imperfections, but try to dress it up as best you can. This does not mean photoshopping your car online, it just means taking pride in your photos and trying to adhere to the above-mentioned tips to help make it look desirable. Remember, when photos look too good to be true, it also steers people away because it looks fake or suspicious. Focus on the unique selling points and hope for the best.