Photography Guide for Sellers

How to best represent your vehicle when listing it for sale online.

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Whether you have a smartphone or a DSLR camera, are an amateur or a professional, this short guide will walk you through some basic automotive photography standards for listing your car online. Remember, photos sell the vehicle! The more information you can give the buyer through photos, the less questions you'll have to answer and the more confident the buyer will be in the transaction. 

You can not upload too many photos. The best listings have 100+ photos, including every angle of the car. If you are not able or willing to take that many photos, this guide will help outline the essential photos recommended to sell your car online.

Basic requirements and tips

• Make sure the car is clean and free of any debris. We highly recommend getting it detailed before taking photos if possible. 
• If using a smartphone, turn the phone horizontally; all photos would ideally be in landscape mode.
• Show the flaws! This is not the time to hide a scratch, dent, or rip in the upholstery. You want to be as honest with the buyer as possible and purposefully take up-close photos of any flaws or issues with the car. This will save you a lot of headaches in the process, and help the buyer trust you as a seller.
• Technical recommendations:
  • Save the files in format jpg, jpeg, or png
  • Save the files with a minimum resolution of 2400 x 1600 px 
  • No file should be larger than 10MB
    
    

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Step 1: Choose a location

• Try and find a location without background distractions
  • Parks
  • Countryside
  • Urban setting, against a building or wall
  • Driveways are OK, but remember to avoid distracting features in the background.
  • Large parking lots. 
  • Avoid taking photos of the vehicle on the grass

• Seek out good natural lighting. Dusk can be a good time to shoot.
• Avoid shadows 

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Step 2: Exterior photos

• Stand about 10-15 feet away from the car
• The vehicle should take up 75% of the frame 
• If shooting a convertible, take photos with the top down first and then repeat with the top up
• Take photos of the exterior car at multiple angles, below is an example of the best angles to take:
  
  

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Step 3: Interior photos

• Open the driver's door and place your right shoulder as close to the driver's seat as possible.
• Shoot across the interior, filling the frame with the steering wheel on the left side and the dash on the far right.

• Next, take a photo the same way from the other side

• From the passenger side, take a photo across the interior facing the rear.

• Next, take a photo of the driving gauges. Be careful not to get too much glare, and be sure the odometer is visible. 

• If your car has a rear seat and/or rear space behind the back seat (as you might find in a wagon), be sure to capture that photo as well.

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Step 4: Engine, Underbody and VIN

• At least one photo of the engine is recommended. A straight shot of the engine bay that fills 80% of the frame is best.
  
• A photo or two of the underside of the vehicle is a great way to demonstrate transparency to buyers. Most cars have at least some surface rust in this area, so don't be shy about showing it.
  
• Lastly, a clear picture of the VIN is essential to most car buyers. The photo below is where most VINs starting in 1981 can be found, but some classic car VINs are in different locations. If you need help, follow our guide on Finding your VIN.
  
  

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Recommended photos to improve your listing

 

Additional interior photos

• Close-up shots of door handles
• Shifter
• Armrests
• Carpets
• Knobs and controls
• Headliner
• Trunk (pull up carpet if possible and take a picture)

 

Additional exterior photos

• Door handles
• Lights (If retractable, put them up)
• Wheels (Dates codes on tires are great)
• Roof of the vehicle
• Close-up shots of the front and rear bumpers
• Door jams and hinges
• Close-up of the front grille

 

Engine photos

• Be sure to clean the engine bay as best as possible. Dirt and debris make the vehicle look like it hasn't been taken care of. 
• The first engine picture should be a straight shot of the engine taking up 85% of the frame. If the engine is not accessible for a straight shot, then a side angle will work. 
• Additional photos should be taken of essential parts like the carburetor (take the air filter off if possible to better display the engine), battery, and even ID plates. 
  
  

 

Underside photos

• Putting the car on a lift is ideal, but is not expected. 
• Photograph under the engine, transmission, rockers, suspension, wheels, tires, brakes

 

 

Extras

• This is a chance to capture anything that may be included with the car, examples: window sticker, extra keys, manuals, extra parts, tool kits and any labels close-ups of the VIN or stickers on the vehicle.
• For service records, lay them out like a fan and take one shot from above. If they have personal contact information that can be seen, be sure to block it out before taking the photo.
  
  

 

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Example listings

For your reference, here are a few example listings with full photo galleries on CLASSIC.COM:

• 1974 BMW 2002, Taken at a storage facility
• 1956 Jaguar D-Type, Taken outside on a country road
• 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser, Taken on a beach
• 1974 Alfa Romeo, Taken at a storage facility