Clear photographs help a buyer decide whether your vehicle suits them before they get in touch. You do not need professional equipment: a clean car, a modern phone and a little care with light and framing can produce an honest, useful set of advert images.
Prepare the car and location
Wash the exterior, clean the glass and wheels, vacuum the cabin and remove personal belongings. Choose a safe, legal place with an uncluttered background and enough room to stand well back. Avoid photographing outside a recognisable home if that would reveal more personal information than you are comfortable sharing.
Bright overcast weather is ideal because it creates soft, even light. On a sunny day, early morning or later afternoon usually works better than harsh midday sun. Keep the sun behind you or slightly to one side and avoid deep shadow across half of the vehicle.
Use a complete shot list
- Front three-quarter and rear three-quarter views showing the whole vehicle.
- Both sides, the front and the rear, photographed straight and level.
- Each wheel and tyre, particularly if their condition is a selling point.
- Dashboard, mileage display, front and rear seats, boot and load area.
- Engine bay, both keys, service book and useful accessories without revealing personal data.
- Close, well-lit photographs of scratches, dents or other damage already mentioned in the description.
Frame each photograph carefully
Turn the phone horizontally for the main exterior photographs, keep it around waist or chest height and leave a small, even margin around the car. Step back instead of using an ultra-wide setting that bends the vehicle’s shape. Tap the car on the screen so focus and exposure are set correctly, then check the result before moving on.
For the interior, open the doors, move distracting cables and bags, and photograph from several positions. Switch the ignition on for a dashboard image only when it is safe to do so. Make sure warning lamps are not accidentally hidden by glare or the steering wheel.
Keep the images honest
Avoid filters, heavy editing or old photographs that no longer represent the car. Basic cropping and brightness correction are fine, but marks and damage should remain visible. Before uploading, zoom in to make sure addresses, document reference numbers, faces and other private details cannot be read.
Put the strongest exterior view first, arrange the remaining images in a logical walk-around order and support them with an accurate description. When your photographs are ready, create your MotorHarbour advert.