What is the best looking setup/stage (floor, backdrop, lights) for taking pictures of vehicles in yo

[joe.pistell]

This is all personal, but IMO, walls should be neutral (Not white, not black).

Where do the fenders end and the wall starts?

LundCadillac's Black background has that problem with black cars Lund Cadillac. Look at the diffferent units, you'll see the players at Lund try to find a black car solution (Photo Shop and a purple curtain)


Judging photos is opinion based. HIPPO thoughts (me included) rule the results. I shy away from creating a pic that looks too sterile. IMO, Shoppers don't want it to look like a stock photo. I like the texture you get with a theater like curtain.

just my $0.02

 

[Bruce Novicky]

What store(s) should I be looking at for these types of curtains/hardware or is this all custom?

We are thinking of setting something up but I am spinning my wheels at the moment.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[joe.pistell]

We're Used Car Whores, we do everything on the cheap!

 

[joe.pistell]

Photo Booth on the Cheap

GOALS:
Curtains: Neutral color, a very light gray or cream.
Lighting: Halo of Hi intensity wide spectrum fluorescent
Flooring: Neutral paint with spots or coarse finish to hide water/oil drops and scuffs

WHAT I DID:
Curtains:
Real curtains are EXPENSIVE. I went with giant tarps from Tarps - Poly Tarps, Canvas Tarps - Tarps Plus. I chose cream colored (off-white). Not perfect, but it achieves all my goals.

Lighting:
I dont have the funds to light with softboxes, AND I hate single bulbs overhead because they reflect bright pin-point spots all over the paint. fluorescents arranged in a halo around the perimeter of the curtains (away from the top of the car) will help minimize the fluorescent stripes on the vehicle paint.

The most difficult part of lighting is the interior shots. Shadows are your enemy. Think BRIGHT and DIFFUSED light (light that bounces all over). I am weak in this area. Notice (in the pic below) how the image is fuzzy, this comes from the camera lens being open too long to grab enough light to produce the shot. I should have a 2nd lighting system just for interiors.

Flooring:
I went with a darker gray epoxy garage floor paint (with the specs of paint kit) found at Home Depot. The idea was to use a darker neutral paint to help the eye stay on the vehicle, not on the surroundings. I tried to rough up the floor (visually) with spots (or use a coarse finish) to hide water/oil drops and scuffs.

FLOORING LESSON!
Cars are heavy and photo booths get a LOT of traffic and you park the car in the same spot all the time!! If you turn the wheel while the car is NOT moving will eventually tear the paint off the concrete (if you do a shit application job like I did Do the job right or hire a pro to do it. We were forced to toss a vynil cover over it to hide the "paint holes"

HTH

 

[whitlock]

You can also get used curtains used in stage productions online. Did that with a previous dealership I worked for and outfitted the booth for ~$300 if I remember correctly.

 

[andwrig]

I see a couple of guys using turnstiles or carousels...I've heard them called different things. That's gotta help from an efficiency standpoint. Anybody know where to get one of those things and how much they cost? Lund has one from the looks of it...

 

[whitlock]

I see a couple of guys using turnstiles or carousels...I've heard them called different things. That's gotta help from an efficiency standpoint. Anybody know where to get one of those things and how much they cost? Lund has one from the looks of it...

I've seen some $5-7k and they go up from there. This one is ~$15,000

 

[Stefan]

Austin Autos Online | Pre-owned Dealer | Austin, Texas

 

[AutoArchitech]

Austin Autos Online | Pre-owned Dealer | Austin, Texas

All of that time and energy for some great photos, yet no dealer license plates?

 

[DrewAment]

All of that time and energy for some great photos, yet no dealer license plates?

LOL....always the details. That is too funny!