The front side angle shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

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The front side angle shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips



Behind the scenes when I'm getting cars for classes and projects here I'm talking with people, or messaging or e-mailing them and I always ask them to send me a side shot of the car. Not just any old picture but a shot like this,


1: From the front at an angle so I see the front and the side of the car.

2: Entire car is IN the picture, the front isn't cut-off, the back isn't cut-off the top and tires are not cut-off.

3: Hopefully in good lighting.​



Because it's sometimes hard to explain to people what I'm looking for (and it's important to me to have GREAT pictures), I've created this thread so now I can simply e-mail them the link to it so when I tell someone I need a GOOD side shot they will understand what I mean.



These are front side angle shots


Side_Shot_01.jpg



Side_Shot_02.jpg



Side_Shot_03.jpg





:Picture:
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

Nice tip Mike!
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

Interesting...because I have taken several pictures of my vehicles as well as my RV, and they always look better this way...side shot from the front as opposed to side from the back. Mike, is there a particular reason you say from the front as opposed to from the back? Is it simply to get a view of the grill and lights and hood?
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

luvmyrv said:
Mike, is there a particular reason you say from the front as opposed to from the back?

Is it simply to get a view of the grill and lights and hood?
Click to expand...


Yes. A shot from this angle in a single picture give me the best overall "idea" of what a vehicle looks like.


Sure other pictures of the car are great to have but if I can have only ONE picture and I'm using it for me and to show others "what the car is", then I like it from this angle.


Can't count how many times people have sent me weird, wacky photos... and due to the amount of write-ups I do for all kinds of projects, I need lots of pictures of cars.


:laughing:
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

When I'm finished with a vehicle, I send a text to the owner to let them know. Included in the text is a reminder of the total due and a pic of their freshly completed vehicle taken exactly like that. It shows the vehicle nicely as it includes lots of surface area, i.e., front, hood, 1/3 or more of the roof, the entire side and the tires/wheels.
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

Coach Steve said:
When I'm finished with a vehicle, I send a text to the owner to let them know. Included in the text is a reminder of the total due and a pic of their freshly completed vehicle taken exactly like that. It shows the vehicle nicely as it includes lots of surface area, i.e., front, hood, 1/3 or more of the roof, the entire side and the tires/wheels.
Click to expand...

While I agree that taking the picture horizontally is ideal and captures the whole vehicle...

Edlopics_01.jpg




I instead make sure to send the customer a picture taken vertically.

Edlopics_02.jpg




Why? Because people [by default] hold their phones vertically and a vertical pic will be full size on their screen without them having to do anything.

Sure you can hope they’re aware enough to turn their phone sideways and make a horizontal pic full size, but most people don’t think about it and fail to do so, which prevents them from seeing the picture in all it’s glory. I’d rather not leave it to chance and show them a full screen pic of their completed vehicle.

Edlopics_03.jpg




FUNX650 said:
A full-screen picture of only one-half of my vehicle would hardly excite me.

Where’s the beef?

Bob
Click to expand...

I send them horizontal pics too. But they’re preceded by full screen vertical pics.

Edlopics_04.jpg


Edlopics_05.jpg



:)
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

Eldorado2k said:
While I agree that taking the picture horizontally is ideal and captures the whole vehicle...


I instead make sure to send the customer a picture taken vertically.


Why? Because people [by default] hold their phones vertically and a vertical pic will be full size on their screen without them having to do anything.

Sure you can hope they’re aware enough to turn their phone sideways and make a horizontal pic full size, but most people don’t think about it and fail to do so, which prevents them from seeing the picture in all it’s glory. I’d rather not leave it to chance and show them a full screen pic of their completed vehicle.
Click to expand...


That's a good tip and a great explanation as to "why" to take both styles.


Thanks for adding to the discussion.


:dblthumb2:
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

A full-screen picture of only
one-half of my vehicle would
hardly excite me.

Where’s the beef?


Bob
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

So here's what I wrote above, note the part in red bold text.


Mike Phillips said:
Behind the scenes when I'm getting cars for classes and projects here I'm talking with people, or messaging or e-mailing them and I always ask them to send me a side shot of the car. Not just any old picture but a shot like this,


1: From the front at an angle so I see the front and the side of the car.

2: Entire car is IN the picture, the front isn't cut-off, the back isn't cut-off the top and tires are not cut-off.

3: Hopefully in good lighting.​



Because it's sometimes hard to explain to people what I'm looking for (and it's important to me to have GREAT pictures), I've created this thread so now I can simply e-mail them the link to it so when I tell someone I need a GOOD side shot they will understand what I mean.
Click to expand...


Had a guy offer me his car for the upcoming September Class. For our 3-day classes here, because anyone attending gets to use ALL the major tool types on the market, I need at least 10 cool cars to let everyone use all the tools for a 5-Star experience.

I ask him if he can either text me or e-mail me a picture of the car and he sent about 15 pictures and the only picture that actually shows the "car" was this one,


1955_Crown_Vic_01.jpg



This is the normal type picture people send me and even post on Facebook and even sometimes on this forum.


I'm not even a "photographer" by trade but even I know how to "frame-up" a show that shows the entire car.


For those reading this into the future, when taking a picture of your car to share with others, in all the pictures you take, try to take at least one shot that shows the entire car from end to end and top to bottom. It shows people what the entire car looks like.


:)
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

Looking back through my pics, this angle was the one I always made sure to get.
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

***Bump***



I know it can seem like a simple thing but anyone sending me pictures of cars, it helps to have the entire car in the picture. Don't chop off the front or the back.

To do this the easy way for most cameras and for camera phones, use the technique shared in this article.


Thank you!


:)
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

:dunno:


Incredible how many people e-mail me or text me pictures of their cars and it's just a part of the car!


I don't need a picture that shows a PART of the car. I need a pictures that shows the ENTIRE CAR. There's no value in a picture of a part of a car.

It's so weird. No one ever taught me how to take pictures. No one ever taught me how a picture tells a thousand words. I figure all this is common sense?



This is called

THE FRONT SIDE ANGLE SHOT


Auburn_112.JPG



See how it enables our eyeballs to see the ENTIRE car?

The above is the picture I need. Thank you.



:)
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

If you want to get a little 'fancier", turn the steering wheel so the wheels turn to the right (assuming the picture you take is from the left) :xyxthumbs:
This shows more of the wheel and tire.
 
Re: This is a front angle side shot - Photography for the car detailing world by Mike Phillips

From the pictures I get sent, I can only come to the conclusion, no one knows how to take a picture that actually includes their entire car IN the picture.


:laughing:
 
atgonzales said:
How is this one
Click to expand...

Nice car, nice shot but not what I'm looking for when I want to share a car on the Internet to show people what a car looks like.

I want the GRILL because it's one of the FEW ways to identify what the heck the car is and I don't want anything cut off, like the front, back, top or bottom of the car.


If you read the first post, I wrote this because when I'm getting cars lined up for a class, I ask people to send me a picture of the car. If I don't share this article with them I get the crappiest pictures.

It's actually hard for me to believe in the year 2019 that I have to teach people how to take a picture of their car so the ENTIRE car is in the picture.

It's actually ridiculous. But hey, that's what I do - I TEACH people.


:laughing:
 
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