How to Photograph Modified Cars
Don't get me wrong, I love photographing all cars, but modified cars hold a special place in my heart. From quirky Japanese imports to engine-swapped classics, there's just something so wholesome and interesting about a car that's been tweaked from its original design. Photographing modified cars however, can either yield your best work yet or leave you struggling with what to shoot. To make it a little bit easier, I've put together my top 5 tips on how to photograph modified cars.
Walk around the car
Before you even think about snapping your first photograph, you should ideally walk around the car and make note of any particularly interesting features you wouldn't notice at first glance. Is there a hidden oil cooler, an embossed logo in the vinyl wrap, or perhaps some other hidden gem you should capture? Manufacturers and car owners have both made purposeful decisions with their vehicles, so it's important to ensure you capture all of these details.
Choose your style
Whilst photographing modified cars can be quite similar to shooting other subjects, the key difference often lies within the editing. If you take a look at automotive photographers on Instagram for example, you'll find that photographs of modified cars often have a particular style of editing and grading. Stanced cars for example, tend to have rather heavy edits with a lot of curve work, whereas performance car photos are often kept rather minimal. At the end of the day, it's all about personal preference but I'd highly advise thinking about your end goal and style whilst you're actually on the shoot.
Location, Location
Whilst it may be difficult depending on where you're based, finding a location that suits the modified car you're shooting is often key to a set of great photos. For example, a rowdy drift car may suit an industrial estate or urban area, whereas a clean widebody stance car would perhaps be suited to a classier location, such as a modern city scene with glass and stone. If you're ever in doubt, try multiple locations in one day to save yourself being lumbered with a set of boring shots from just one location.
The best ways to find locations are to use other examples you've seen on Instagram, exploring google maps, or just getting out on the road and seeing what you can find.
Focus on what people want to see
Similar to photographing cars in general, you want to know your audience and show them what they actually want to see. Whilst the tyre sidewall may be interesting to you, the intended audience of the work may actually be more interested in seeing the one-of-a-kind HKS intake setup or the hand-built carbon fibre splitter. This is where it pays to do a bit of audience research!
For example, I know for a fact that my own audiences love seeing wheel setups over some of my own preferred interior shots. I bear this in mind when shooting for clients with modified cars, and ensure I capture what the audience wants to see, through my own lens.
Have fun with it.
The culture behind modified cars is rich and extensive, with each owner and car having unique stories behind them. If you're not engaging with the owner, becoming invested in the car and having fun with it, I guarantee you're not going to have the best photoshoot. Having fun along the way is what's going to help with motivation when editing, and you're also likely to put more effort in and look for some of your most creative angles.
If you're made it this far, here's a final reward for your patience:
Don't let competitors live in your head rent-free. No photographer is the same (that's the whole point of creativity) so why should your photographs look the same as that photographer you envy on Instagram? Do what I do, focus on the style you enjoy and don't let pointless negativity get you down. Trust me when I say this: People will value what you do if you yourself value it.
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