How I Photograph Cars for Auction Listings in New Orleans
Automotive photography for an online auction or private vehicle listing is very different from taking a few attractive photographs of a car.
The images have to make the vehicle look desirable, but they also need to help a prospective buyer understand exactly what they are looking at. That means showing the overall design, exterior condition, interior, wheels, engine compartment, storage areas, undercarriage, identification information, documentation, accessories, and smaller details that someone inspecting the vehicle remotely would want to see.
For the examples throughout this article, I photographed a red 2012 McLaren MP4-12C with 9,145 miles in New Orleans for a Bring a Trailer listing.
A vehicle like the McLaren is a good example of why automotive photography requires more than simply finding a nice background. Its highly reflective red paint, dark air intakes, glass, wheels, low bodywork, and darker interior all react differently to light.
My goal is to create photographs that make someone want to stop and look at the vehicle while still providing the thorough documentation expected from a serious automotive listing.
For owners, collectors, brokers, and dealerships preparing a vehicle for sale, I offer dedicated New Orleans car and vehicle photography for auction listings.
My Automotive Photography Process Starts Before the Shoot
Before I pick up the camera, I talk with the vehicle owner about the car, the type of listing they are preparing, and whether they have a preferred shooting location.
Location matters considerably more in automotive photography than many people realize.
A beautiful car can quickly become visually lost when it is surrounded by parked vehicles, pedestrians, trash cans, signs, utility poles, or unrelated visual clutter.
For an auction or private-sale gallery, I generally recommend a setting that is attractive but simple.
The backdrop should support the vehicle without competing with it.
I look for open areas with enough room to move around the car, little or no pedestrian traffic, minimal vehicle traffic, clean surroundings, and enough distance for me to work with longer focal lengths.
New Orleans offers plenty of recognizable architecture, but a recognizable background is not automatically a better one.
Sometimes the strongest location is simply a clean open area with attractive lines, neutral surroundings, and good light.
For most of the gallery, the vehicle should remain the reason someone looks at the photograph.
Light Is More Important Than the Background
A great location does not make up for poor lighting.
One of the first things I consider is where the sun will be during the shoot and how long the lighting conditions will remain useful.
Timing can completely change the difficulty of the session.
Full Shade Is Often the Best Light for a Vehicle
When possible, I prefer a large area of complete shade.
Full shade eliminates many of the problems caused by direct sunlight. It keeps exposure more consistent across the body panels, reduces harsh glare on glass and paint, minimizes deep shadows, and makes it easier to show the actual color and condition of the vehicle.
It also makes the workflow faster.
If the vehicle is sitting in clean, even shade, I can often leave it in one position and complete a systematic walk-around.
One of the best situations is a tall building that blocks direct sunlight over the entire shooting area for the duration of the session.
That is easier to accomplish earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon, which is why scheduling matters.
Cloud cover can provide similarly even light.
Why I Avoid Dappled Shade
Partial tree shade can be especially difficult for automotive photography.
Bright patches of sunlight mixed with dark shade create irregular patterns across the hood, windshield, roof, and doors.
Instead of revealing the shape of the vehicle, the lighting becomes another visual distraction.
Whenever possible, I prefer either complete shade or clean direct sunlight rather than inconsistent patches of both.
Photographing Cars in Full New Orleans Sun
Sometimes full shade is not available.
New Orleans sun can be intense, particularly during the warmer months, so the way I work changes when the vehicle has to be photographed in full sun.
If the sun is harsh, I try to position the car so I am not photographing primarily from the deeply shadowed side.
As I move around the vehicle, I may reposition it so the light continues to work in my favor.
That takes more time than leaving the vehicle stationary, but it helps keep the paint and body lines readable.
With cloud cover or softer late-afternoon light, I can usually leave the vehicle in place and perform the walk-around more efficiently.
What I Bring to an Automotive Shoot
The camera equipment is only part of what I bring.
Automotive photography in New Orleans also means being prepared for heat, humidity, direct sun, dust, water spots, and fingerprints.
Most of my automotive sessions take approximately 45 minutes to one hour, although more detailed vehicles can keep me working in direct sunlight for 90 minutes or longer.
I normally keep microfiber cloths available for dust, fingerprints, light water spots, and marks that become surprisingly obvious in high-resolution photographs. I also carry a small bath or beach towel, which is useful for wiping away sweat and can occasionally help block direct sunlight from a reflective interior or exterior surface while I'm working.
Sunscreen is important when I'm going to be standing in an open area for an extended period, and I always recommend having water available. New Orleans heat, humidity, and sun can become physically demanding quickly.
Small preparations like these keep the shoot moving instead of stopping repeatedly to deal with avoidable problems.
My Typical Camera Setup
I normally photograph vehicles with a full-frame Sony mirrorless camera paired with the Sony 24–105mm f/4 lens.
That combination gives me enough range to handle most of the assignment without constantly changing lenses.
For exterior overview photographs, I generally work between 50mm and 85mm.
If the location gives me enough working distance, I may go all the way to 105mm.
Longer focal lengths help create cleaner proportions and reduce the exaggerated distortion that can occur when photographing a vehicle too close with a very wide lens.
For interiors, tight spaces, creative compositions, and certain detail photographs, I may go down to 24mm.
The focal length changes depending on the available space and what I am trying to communicate about the vehicle.
My Typical Exterior Camera Settings
I normally work in either Manual exposure with Auto ISO or Aperture Priority, depending on the light.
For exterior photographs, a typical starting point is approximately:
f/4 · ISO 200 or Auto ISO · 1/800 to 1/2000 second · AF-S · Multi metering · 5000K white balance · RAW
The exact exposure changes according to the paint color, light direction, reflections, and surrounding environment.
I often leave white balance at approximately 5000K, even in full sun.
Because I'm photographing RAW files, I have considerable flexibility to establish the final color later. If necessary, I can photograph a neutral gray reference and match to it during editing.
In strong direct sunlight, I normally protect the brightest areas by exposing approximately -1 to -1 2/3 stops.
Glossy paint, glass, chrome, and direct reflections can clip very quickly.
I would rather protect those highlights in-camera and carefully bring back shadow information later than lose detail in a completely blown reflection.
My 10-Stage Automotive Photography Workflow
A complete vehicle shoot can produce a large number of photographs very quickly.
Rather than randomly moving around the car, I divide the assignment into a 10-stage process.
That keeps the work compartmentalized and dramatically reduces the possibility of realizing later that an important photograph was missed.
A typical finished automotive gallery contains approximately 75–125 edited images.
Vehicles with more features can require significantly more coverage. Convertibles, unusual interiors, extensive accessories, unique storage areas, performance equipment, or numerous details can push a gallery toward 150–175 photographs.
Stage 1: Exterior Overview
I start with straightforward documentation.
For these photographs, I normally want the entire vehicle to occupy roughly 80 percent of the frame.
The windows are up, the doors are closed, and the wheels begin in the straight position.
My first eight photographs establish the car from every major angle:
front, rear, both side profiles, and all four three-quarter views.
These images are not supposed to be complicated.
They are supposed to make the vehicle easy to understand.
Once those required photographs are complete, I begin experimenting with higher, lower, wider, and more compressed perspectives.
One of my favorite angles is a very low front three-quarter photograph where the front wheels are turned slightly and all four tires can still be seen. That helps emphasize stance and width.
I also like creating at least one wider environmental photograph that shows how the car sits within an attractive New Orleans setting without allowing the background to become more important than the car.
Exterior Lighting Details
I also photograph the vehicle with its lights turned on.
Depending on the vehicle, that may include headlights, high beams, daytime running lights, fog lights, taillights, and brake lights.
I photograph them straight-on and then move closer for three-quarter detail photographs.
For a convertible, I repeat the important overview photographs with the top up and top down.
That is one reason some finished galleries become considerably larger than others.
Stage 2: Wheels, Tires, Glass and VIN
Every wheel receives a straight-on photograph.
I then document relevant details such as the brake calipers, rotors, tire tread, tire size, wheel finish, manufacturer markings, and visible condition.
Two or three tighter detail photographs are usually enough unless the wheel or brake system has something particularly interesting to show.
I photograph the windows in a similar way to the exterior overview: straight-on, from approximately 45 degrees, and with enough detail to show the surrounding trim, seals, and panel gaps.
The VIN Is a Priority
The VIN is one of the photographs I specifically make sure I have before leaving the shoot.
I photograph the driver's-side windshield VIN clearly, along with any other VIN or identification markings I encounter later in the vehicle.
Stage 3: Exterior Details
Once the overview is finished, I move closer.
This is where the vehicle itself determines the shot list.
I photograph lower body panels, doors, rocker areas, front and rear bumpers, hood, roof, trunk, air intakes, vents, fuel door, mirrors, badges, emblems, trim, exhaust, and other distinctive elements.
For the hood, roof, and trunk, I usually create elevated photographs from more than one angle.
This stage also allows more creative freedom.
The overview photographs explain what the car looks like.
The detail photographs can begin showing why the design is interesting.
The 2012 McLaren MP4-12C provides a lot of opportunities here because of its sculpted body panels, intake openings, low roofline, dark vents, wheels, and aerodynamic surfaces.
Stage 4: Dashboard and Center Console
Before moving deeply into the interior, I prefer to reposition the vehicle into shade whenever possible.
Full sun can create a difficult exposure inside a car. One side may be extremely bright while the opposite side is nearly black.
Complete shade produces a much more manageable starting point.
For interiors, I usually stop the lens down slightly to approximately:
f/5.6 to f/6.3
That gives me additional depth of field and makes it less likely that a dashboard detail, switch, or layered control falls outside the focus plane.
To compensate for the smaller aperture without introducing unnecessary noise, I reduce the shutter speed depending on available light.
Typical interior shutter speeds may range from approximately:
1/60 to 1/500 second.
My dashboard coverage normally includes the full dashboard from the driver's side, passenger side, and straight-on, followed by the steering wheel, gauge cluster, navigation screen, radio, center console, gear selector, controls, switches, storage compartments, and glovebox.
The Odometer Is Essential
For an auction vehicle, the mileage photograph is one of the most important interior images.
The instrument cluster should be clearly visible with the odometer displayed.
For this McLaren, that means documenting its 9,145 miles clearly.
Stage 5: Seats and Doors
Each door receives a complete open-door photograph.
Then I document smaller details such as speaker grilles, handles, trim materials, stitching, storage pockets, window controls, lock controls, and seat controls.
Door jambs are also important because they frequently contain information useful to a prospective buyer.
I look for labels displaying VIN information, paint codes, tire specifications, production information, or maintenance data.
For the seating area, I photograph the front seats from both sides, followed by rear seating or the space behind the front seats where applicable.
I also include tighter photographs of upholstery, stitching, controls, wear points, and any unusual materials or features.
Stage 6: Additional Interior Details
This is one of the easiest stages to forget, which is precisely why it is included in my workflow.
I photograph the floor mats, the surfaces underneath removable mats when appropriate, pedals, footwells, headliner, interior lights, sunroof, visors, rearview mirror, overhead controls, and other roof-mounted switches.
Dark footwells require special attention.
Rather than simply increasing ISO, I usually try lowering shutter speed first when the vehicle is stationary.
That helps preserve cleaner files in an area that naturally receives much less light than the rest of the interior.
Stage 7: Engine, Trunk and Storage Areas
The engine compartment gets its own miniature walk-around.
I normally photograph it from the driver's side, passenger side, and straight-on before moving into the details.
That can include hoses, wiring, fluid caps, fans, compressor components, labels, identification markings, structural areas, hinges, latches, and the underside of the hood itself.
The trunk or storage compartment gets similar treatment.
I photograph it from multiple angles and document the storage floor, spare tire area, jack, tools, battery, audio equipment, cargo nets, liners, accessories, buttons, latches, and underside of the lid.
For pickup trucks, I also photograph the bed from both sides, straight-on with the tailgate down, and any bed-liner or condition details.
Stage 8: Undercarriage, Chassis and Lower Body
The underside of the vehicle is naturally much darker than the body above it, so I deliberately adjust the exposure.
A common starting point may be:
approximately +1 stop exposure · f/6.3 to f/8 · wide focal length · 1/30 to 1/250 second · Auto ISO
The exact settings depend on how much ambient light is reaching underneath the car.
I photograph from several sides and angles to show the overall condition of the undercarriage.
These photographs can help document rust, oil or fluid leaks, dents, impact damage, suspension components, exhaust components, and general chassis condition.
These aren't glamour photographs.
They are inspection photographs.
That distinction is important.
Stage 9: Paperwork, Manuals, Keys and Accessories
Anything included with the vehicle should be photographed.
That can include manuals, service records, maintenance documentation, key fobs, additional keys, car covers, specialty tools, chargers, air pumps, removable trim pieces, memorabilia, and other accessories.
The paperwork does not necessarily require one photograph per page.
A clean overhead photograph showing the documents arranged together can often communicate the information much more efficiently.
I also make sure all available keys and key fobs appear together in a clear photograph.
Stage 10: Video
Video can provide another useful layer of information for an automotive listing.
When video is included, I approach it with the same philosophy as the photography: it should be visually appealing but also genuinely useful to someone evaluating the vehicle.
Cold Start
When a cold-start video is requested, I recommend beginning with a continuous recording demonstrating that the engine is cold before startup.
The owner or another person can place their hand on an appropriate cool engine component, and the recording can continue through startup without a cut.
After startup, I normally record the running engine for approximately 20 seconds.
The goal is to capture a clear engine start, clean audio, visible engine operation, and moving belts or fans when applicable.
Exhaust Startup
I also like recording the exhaust during startup.
This can document startup sound, idle, condensation, visible smoke if present, and general exhaust behavior.
A light engine rev may also be included where appropriate.
Exterior Walk-Around Video
For an exterior 360-degree walk-around, my typical video starting point is:
4K 60fps or 1080p 60fps · 1/125-second shutter · Manual exposure · lowest practical ISO
Aperture depends on available light and the desired depth of field.
In bright conditions, I may stop down considerably. If I'm using an ND filter, I have more flexibility to maintain a wider aperture while keeping the shutter at 1/125.
In full sun, I normally protect the brighter areas by approximately -1/3 to -2/3 stop.
In complete shade, I may expose closer to normal or approximately +1/3 stop.
I usually record two different walk-arounds.
The first is a slow clockwise 360-degree pass with the camera positioned above roof height.
The second is a lower counterclockwise pass from approximately door-handle or window height.
The different camera heights show the vehicle's shape in different ways.
Interior Overview Video
The interior video shows the complete cabin with slow, controlled movement.
I usually cover the dashboard, steering wheel, center console, seating, floors, rear area, headliner, controls, and overall interior condition.
I expose for the interior rather than allowing the bright windows to dictate the exposure.
I maintain the same general video format:
4K 60fps or 1080p 60fps at 1/125 second.
Optional video coverage can also include driving toward the camera, driving away, passing the camera, interior driving views, dashboard response, gear changes, cinematic detail shots, sunroof operation, convertible roof operation, drive modes, or other unusual features.
How I Edit Automotive Photography
Editing is important, but for auction and private-sale photography, I prefer a restrained approach.
The car should look polished without looking altered.
That is particularly important with paint color.
A potential buyer should not see an aggressively saturated red vehicle online and then discover that the car looks completely different in person.
Exterior White Balance
I normally start around 5000K in-camera.
Because I photograph in RAW, I can establish the final neutral white balance afterward.
With a red vehicle like this McLaren, white balance matters because a small temperature or tint shift can push the paint toward orange, magenta, or an unnaturally intense red.
The goal is not to make the color more dramatic.
The goal is to make it accurate.
Editing Full-Sun Exterior Photographs
Direct sun creates the widest exposure range.
The bright areas may be extremely bright while vents, wheel wells, and the opposite side of the vehicle can fall into deep shadow.
In Lightroom, I normally pay particular attention to highlights, whites, shadows, and blacks.
I reduce highlights enough to preserve paint texture and reflective surfaces, then raise the shadows carefully so that dark vents and body openings retain information.
I do not want to remove all contrast from the vehicle.
The light should still look directional.
The objective is simply to keep the bright paint from clipping while preventing darker areas from becoming featureless black shapes.
With red paint, I keep saturation relatively conservative.
It is very easy to make red automotive paint look artificial.
Editing Vehicles Photographed in Full Shade
Full shade normally requires less highlight recovery.
Instead, I may add a little more contrast or texture to restore shape to the panels because the light is naturally more even.
Shade can also introduce a cooler color cast.
That may require slightly warmer white balance than an exterior photograph taken in direct sun.
The advantage is that paint, windows, wheels, and trim normally retain very consistent detail.
Editing Dark Interiors
Interior photographs have a completely different exposure problem.
The windows may be extremely bright while the dashboard, seats, center console, footwells, and rear cabin remain comparatively dark.
If the camera meters heavily from those bright windows, the cabin can become underexposed.
For darker interiors, I may intentionally shoot approximately +2/3 to +1 stop brighter to make sure the important details remain visible.
During editing, I will usually lower bright window highlights, lift interior shadows, correct the white balance separately from the exterior, and add enough texture to reveal leather, stitching, buttons, and controls.
I do not expect the interior and exterior photographs to use exactly the same Lightroom white balance.
They are different lighting environments.
The goal is simply for each area of the vehicle to look accurate.
Consistency Matters More Than a Heavy Edit
When someone scrolls through a gallery containing 75, 100, or even 150-plus photographs, the images should feel like they belong together.
That means maintaining consistent paint color, exposure, white balance, contrast, crop, sharpness, and overall editing style.
I normally establish one strong exterior edit, synchronize the basic color and tonal treatment across photographs made in the same lighting conditions, and then adjust individual exposures as necessary.
Interior images, engine photographs, undercarriage images, and documentation receive their own appropriate treatment.
The goal is not to make every photograph identical.
The goal is to make the entire gallery cohesive.
Why Experience Matters With Automotive Auction Photography
The value of professional automotive photography is not simply owning a better camera.
The difference is having a repeatable process.
During a vehicle shoot, I am constantly checking whether I have documented both sides, every wheel, the odometer, VIN, engine compartment, storage areas, undercarriage, keys, manuals, accessories, and any condition details a prospective buyer may want to inspect.
At the same time, I am still looking for the photographs that make someone appreciate the design of the vehicle.
Those two objectives have to coexist:
presentation and documentation.
That is the difference between photographing a nice car and creating a complete automotive listing gallery.
Automotive Photography in New Orleans and South Louisiana
Whether I am photographing a McLaren for Bring a Trailer, a classic vehicle for a private seller, dealership inventory, or someone's personal enthusiast car, the process begins with understanding how the photographs will be used.
For auction photography, the priority is complete, consistent documentation. For enthusiast or promotional photography, I can lean farther into creative locations, dramatic perspectives, and styling.
In either case, the goal is the same: show the vehicle accurately while making it look its best.
A typical automotive session delivers approximately 75–125 professionally edited images, with more detailed vehicles sometimes reaching 150–175 photographs.
Coverage can include exterior and interior photography, wheels and tires, VIN and identification details, engine and storage areas, undercarriage, documentation, keys, accessories, and optional video.
If you're preparing a collector, exotic, classic, luxury, specialty, or everyday vehicle for an online auction or private sale, learn more about my New Orleans car and vehicle photography for auction listings.
Automotive photography is also part of my broader professional photography services in New Orleans, serving clients throughout Greater New Orleans and South Louisiana.
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