Our Passion for Photos of Our Beloved Car

We often receive messages and comments on the blog saying, “The car photos you post are beautiful.” Most of the photos on the blog are taken by my husband, who always says,

“Photos are super important for running a website. They don’t just shape the site’s image but also influence whether people want to read the articles.”

At one point, he was really focused on “capturing beautiful shots of the car with night views,” and he spent many nights photographing the Panamera with night scenery, Boxster with night views, and GT3 with night views. Also, when we go touring, he brings so much camera gear that you’d think he’s a professional crew (laughs).

Thanks to that effort, twice now, Porsche Japan has shared photos taken by him on their Twitter account.

紹介ありがとうございます😊 https://t.co/a4fOkTpUxp

— Hiro@ポルシェがわが家にやってきた (@boxster_gts) December 26, 2020

ご紹介頂き、ありがとうございます！ https://t.co/nMF3irQ2m2

— Hiro@ポルシェがわが家にやってきた (@boxster_gts) May 21, 2021

Recently, my husband’s sister bought her very first car, and when she sent photos of it with joy, he said this:

What on earth is she trying to photograph? (laughs) Every photo she sent cuts off part of the car, and there isn’t a single shot that shows the whole car properly. Nowadays, iPhones have great image quality, so she could take nice photos, but it’s such a waste. Of course, a good camera can take even better pictures, but I think composition is more important than the camera quality.

He then shared some tips on how even amateurs can take cool, beautiful photos with just a smartphone, (putting aside lens and compression effects for now), so today I’d like to share those tips here.

Tips for Taking Beautiful Photos of Your Car

According to my husband, “If you just shoot without thinking, parts get cut off. So it’s important to always think about ‘what you want to capture‘ before taking the photo.” With that in mind, here are some key points.

Make Sure the Entire Car Fits in the Frame

First, it’s essential to check that “the whole car fits in the photo and nothing is cut off.” Of course, sometimes you might intentionally take partial shots or cropped photos, but those are more challenging, so it’s best to start by simply capturing the entire car.

Recently, Twitter allows vertical photos, but if you’re not used to photographing cars yet, it’s easier to get a nice shot by holding your camera horizontally to match the car’s wide silhouette.

Looking back at some photos I took before thinking about composition at all…

Parts are cut off… (-_-)

I didn’t care at all back then, but I realized that if you just shoot without thinking, this happens quite often.

Don’t Overdo the Blur for Style

On iPhones, using the Portrait mode creates stylish blurred backgrounds, but if you focus too much on blur, the whole image can become too soft, and it becomes unclear what the focus is or what you wanted to capture.

So before trying to blur or make it look cool, it’s important to first focus on capturing a clear, orthodox full view of the car.

Use Negative Space Effectively

In car photography, how you use the negative space around the car is a key point. Using the space well can add a sense of “depth” or “motion” to a still photo.

For example, when taking a side shot of the car, placing the car in the center is fine, but leaving plenty of space in front of the car’s direction of travel or to one side creates a different, more artistic feel.

Also, including a lot of the road ahead in the shot can create a sense of depth in the photo.

Makes sense!

Turn the Steering Wheel When Parking

Parking the car with the steering wheel turned so the tires are angled adds a dynamic feel to the car.

This is a common technique seen in automotive magazines and media articles.

Also, by adjusting the steering angle depending on the scene or road, you can create a feeling of “about to take off” or “drifting.”

Tilt the Camera When Shooting

Even casual snapshots look cooler if you tilt the camera a bit. Shooting with the camera level produces a still photo like this:

But just tilting the camera adds a sense of motion, making the car feel alive and the photo more stylish.

When Shooting the Driver’s Seat, Include the B-Pillar at the Edge

When photographing the driver’s seat, placing the B-pillar at the edge of the frame creates a photo with depth, as if you’re peeking inside the car’s interior. If you focus on the steering wheel, the B-pillar naturally blurs, but be careful not to accidentally focus on the B-pillar.

About this, my husband said, “A Porsche owner I know is really good at this technique. Also, if you check out his Instagram, all his photo compositions are beautiful — it’s amazing.”

Indeed, they are incredibly beautiful.

Refer to Photos in Automotive Magazines

My husband says,

I’m not a professional photographer, so I can’t speak arrogantly, and there are many times I don’t get the photos I want. I’m still learning. But I think it’s good to refer to photos in car magazines and automotive media to improve your photo quality. Professionals take amazing photos, and it’s very educational.

I haven’t been too particular about photos myself and usually just take shots of the whole car, but now that I’ve shared these tips, I think I’ll try to be a bit more creative from now on.