How much do you pay for photos?

[Jeff Kershner]

I feel the pain. I prefer to bring this service in house for at least pre-owned vehicles. It's unbelievable how bad most people are at taking photos and video.

One of the larger vehicle photo services (and franchise) is DealerSpecialties. From what I can remember, they charge per vehicle by number of photos ranging from $10 - $20.

Additional services are walk-around video shoots, DMS polling, image overlays, vehicle data distribution and either a proprietary or re-branded Inventory management system.

 

[BillKVMotorCo]

I feel the pain. I prefer to bring this service in house for at least pre-owned vehicles. It's unbelievable how bad most people are at taking photos and video.

One of the larger vehicle photo services (and franchise) is DealerSpecialties. From what I can remember, they charge per vehicle by number of photos ranging from $10 - $20.

Additional services are walk-around video shoots, DMS polling, image overlays, vehicle data distribution and either a proprietary or re-branded Inventory management system.

$10-$20 is cheap for a paid service. I don't guess it would be as cheap for them to come to the middle of nowhere. I'm guessing these places only come like once a week or something? With my smaller inventory I need them done daily.

 

[ibrakelate]

"ibrakelate"

As a former SCCA ice racer, and road racing fan, I LOVE THAT NAME!

That's awesome! I'm working my ass off now so I can spend my 30s and up doing the same. Thank you, Joe!

 

[ibrakelate]

I feel the pain. I prefer to bring this service in house for at least pre-owned vehicles. It's unbelievable how bad most people are at taking photos and video.

One of the larger vehicle photo services (and franchise) is DealerSpecialties. From what I can remember, they charge per vehicle by number of photos ranging from $10 - $20.

Additional services are walk-around video shoots, DMS polling, image overlays, vehicle data distribution and either a proprietary or re-branded Inventory management system.

I compare it to driving. Every bad driver believes they're much better at it than they actually are. Same goes for using a camera.

Why do you choose to bring them in house, if you don't mind me asking?

$10-$20 per unit would come with a pretty lean margin given what a camera competent employee or contract worker costs now. Hourly wages appear to land around $17/hr - $20/hr, at least in DFW. Are those numbers pre-pandemic?

 

[Will G.]

I compare it to driving. Every bad driver believes they're much better at it than they actually are. Same goes for using a camera.

Why do you choose to bring them in house, if you don't mind me asking?

$10-$20 per unit would come with a pretty lean margin given what a camera competent employee or contract worker costs now. Hourly wages appear to land around $17/hr - $20/hr, at least in DFW. Are those numbers pre-pandemic?

I think the problem is this. The hourly in-house photographers get paid either way, quality photos or not.
Vendors overpromise initially and quality gradually declines. The consistency is not there as they frequently change photographers. The ones that they assign to your store quickly rush through your inventory to go to their next store. The quicker they are the more they get paid.
You store starts looking like every other store, lacking quality, which could be your competition.

As uncle Joe says: "Merchandising Success is Leveraging Differentiation"
Sit with your vendor/in-house photographer, browse your competition and come up with sets that are unique and 100% in quality, sharpness of photos. NO cellphone photos!

I am in DFW. DM me. I can help with your predicament.

 

[joe.pistell]

Dammmmm thats one sexy beast. ME WANT

 

[ibrakelate]

I think the problem is this. The hourly in-house photographers get paid either way, quality photos or not.
Vendors overpromise initially and quality gradually declines. The consistency is not there as they frequently change photographers. The ones that they assign to your store quickly rush through your inventory to go to their next store. The quicker they are the more they get paid.
You store starts looking like every other store, lacking quality, which could be your competition.

As uncle Joe says: "Merchandising Success is Leveraging Differentiation"
Sit with your vendor/in-house photographer, browse your competition and come up with sets that are unique and 100% in quality, sharpness of photos. NO cellphone photos!

I am in DFW. DM me. I can help with your predicament.

That's a fair analysis. I think you're absolutely right.

I'll be reaching out soon. I'd love to sit down and bounce some ideas off of each other!

Also, really love the 4 picture "collage." That's a creative, clean, and ATTRACTIVE way to squeeze as much information possible into a small space.

 

[Will G.]

That's a fair analysis. I think you're absolutely right.

I'll be reaching out soon. I'd love to sit down and bounce some ideas off of each other!

Also, really love the 4 picture "collage." That's a creative, clean, and ATTRACTIVE way to squeeze as much information possible into a small space.

I take extra shots from unique angles and move them towards the end of my sets. Things like the collage, badges, wheels.
For dealers who are more active on SM, I shoot and upload vertical shots alongside my regular 3:2.

 

[Drivee.ai]

@ibrakelate Hi Dalton and everyone else on this thread,

Kudos on your quest to start your own dealership photography business. It's a great field to be in. We are an AI Technology company here to help dealerships succeed using the power of AI. I think you can look into partnering with us to help you offer the most advanced imaging solution to dealers. You can check us out at www.drivee.ai

1. 360 Imaging Excellence: Drivee is the home of 2D to 360 in seconds. We specialize in 360-degree imaging that brings your inventory to life. Our technology ensures every angle is showcased, making your cars irresistible to online shoppers.
2. Advantage Over Competitors: With Drivee, you'll gain a significant edge. Our immersive 360 virtual turn table in addition to your static 2D photos will attract more customers and increase conversions.
3. Proven Success: Dealerships like have experienced remarkable growth with Drivee. Our imaging solutions have consistently boosted online engagement and sales.
4. Tailored Support: We're not just a service; we're your partner. Drivee customizes our solutions to meet your unique needs, ensuring your success.

Here is a link on what our output looks like. These images are taken outdoors on dealer lots.

Drivee.ai | Car 360° Spin

iframe-b8b2c.firebaseapp.com

If this is something that interests you feel free to contact me here and I will be more than happy to discuss our partnership opportunity.

Cheers,

 

[willandre]

I used to run content for the halo franchise at a small group, here's what we did. This was a few years ago, but we paid a photo service $9 on new cars and I think $25 on used.

When I started with the store, they only had about 40% of their inventory shot and online. The majority was stock images from the website vendor, some of which were hilariously outdated. Realistic photos was an urgent need.

The photos from the service were truly not very good, but it was essential to at least get some photos online, so we stuck with them. While I lamented their quality, the mission came first and they got the job done. That said, I found that the NUMBER ONE issue most dealers face when shooting cars is logistics. This is especially true in high-end markets where real estate is scarce. There is no "warehouse" and moving cars around so you can shoot the new VINs can easily take up half your day even if you have help.

Now, here's where my opinion on inventory/VDP photos might differ from others'. I really don't think the average consumer is swayed one way or another between bad real photos, virtual background photos, CGI photos, booth photos or any of the other variation.

The reason is because dealer websites are so bloated with calls to action that no matter what photos you put on there, they are always going to be drowned out by "Schedule a Test Drive" "Apply for Financing" "Buy Now" etc. Dealer websites are designed to be transactional, for better or worse. Honestly, this is probably for the better.

Anyway, the other thing we did (and this was BIG) was we paid a professional photographer and set up local shoots for our best inventory. We photographed cars in front of local establishments, paired up cool cars (like cab and coupe versions), and even mixed in some customer cars when we could.

The point of all this wasn't to merchandise the vehicles, it was for marketing and social media. By shooting the cars in environments that our customers recognized, we drove up engagement by a ton and expanded our audience by tapping into those of the local establishments, etc. We soon had people coming in saying that they saw a friend share a shot from one of our shoots on Instagram and they thought they'd just drop by to see what we had. Total win.

All this is to say that an investment in photography can pay off, but the expectation and bar for dealer sites is so low, you're better off using pro shots to grow your audience rather than to convert your visitors.