What to wear
Dark, plain and non-reflective, because whatever the photographer and the subject wear appears in the paintwork. A white shirt reflects across an…
In short: Dark, plain and non-reflective, because whatever the photographer and the subject wear appears in the paintwork. A white shirt reflects across an entire door panel and is the most common invisible mistake in car photography.
Colour. Dark and plain — for the photographer as much as the subject. Whatever either of you wears is reflected in the paintwork, and a white shirt appears across an entire door panel.
Fabric. Matte. Anything reflective adds a second highlight to every curved surface in the frame.
Footwear. Clean soles if anyone is leaning on the car, and something you can crouch in — most good car frames are taken from knee height or lower.
The thing that ruins frames. A high-vis jacket or a bright bag left in shot. On a reflective surface it appears three times: on the door, on the window and on the bonnet.
In the bag. Two microfibre cloths and quick detailer for fingerprints, a black jumper for the photographer to kill reflections, and a torch for blue-hour interior frames. Wheel cleaner if the car came off a motorway.
Owners photographing a car properly for the first time, and anyone selling one who has noticed that good photographs change the price.
Location changes the answer: Open, uncluttered, with nothing tall and bright nearby to reflect. Multi-storey top decks, empty industrial estates on a Sunday, wide country lay-bys. Check what is behind the photographer as carefully as what is behind the car — it will be in the panels.
Planning pressure to account for: Shooting in bright sun. Standing too close with a wide lens, which distorts the car's proportions. Forgetting to turn the front wheel towards the camera, which is the difference between a hero shot and a snapshot. And photographing a dirty car, because no amount of editing fixes it.
Bring each proposed outfit as a complete look, including its shoes and accessories. The final choice is made against the actual background and light rather than from a generic colour rule.
Dark, plain and non-reflective, because whatever the photographer and the subject wear appears in the paintwork. A white shirt reflects across an entire door panel and is the most common invisible mistake in car photography.
For a one-hour session, plan one complete look and one quick variation such as a jacket, shoe or jewellery change. Two hours can normally support two or three resolved looks. More changes reduce shooting time, so photograph the most important outfit first and treat extras as options rather than promises.
Choose colours that separate clearly from the location and suit the intended use of the pictures. Solid tones and controlled texture are reliable; very fine checks, tiny stripes and reflective logos can distract or produce moiré. Send phone photographs of the options with the brief if you want a decision before the shoot.
Bring the garments on proper hangers, matching underwear, the shoes for every full-length look, a lint roller and simple touch-up products. Pack one neutral backup layer. Steam everything beforehand, but keep a small steamer nearby for travel creases and final adjustments on set.
Send the date, location and what you need photographed.