Setting up a Photo Booth

[joe.pistell]

Eeek! I found some old photo booth test shots...


Checkers anyone?


Is that a racing stripe? Turning off select lights doesn't help


Ahh.. at least the floor is acceptabe


Current booth

 

[Alex Snyder]

What material did you find works best for diffusing those fluorescent lights? Did you all ever try LEDs?

 

[Photoscopes]

I see a lot of people are talking about using iPhones and other similar devices for their car photography. I'm just wondering what the draw is to use them. I must be old school since I still use an actual camera and memory cards.

 

[Alex Snyder]

I see a lot of people are talking about using iPhones and other similar devices for their car photography. I'm just wondering what the draw is to use them. I must be old school since I still use an actual camera and memory cards.

You're not old school. You're capable.

I too prefer to point giant SLRs at anything I want to photograph. We are photographers. We know how to control the light. We understand the sweet spot in a camera along with it's limitations.

When it comes to photos of a car, there is no doubt a high quality image is similar to showing the car in the showroom that doesn't even have a speck of dust. Compared to the one outside that has rain spots, fingers prints on the glass, and trash in the trunk the feeling one has for a professionally cleaned car, in the showroom, is one that makes a purchase decision easier. Quality photos build confidence that one is looking at the right dealership with the right car.

But at a resolution size that is equivalent to 2 mega pixels a lot of "camera-quality" detail is lost. Camera phones absolutely can output a quality image at these tiny resolutions. I think it is less about the camera and more about the environment of the photo.

 

[Photoscopes]

Very true that you don't need any super camera resolution for dealer internet photos, I believe Homenet only allows pictures of 800x600 or else they downsize them . But resolution aside, cameras have much more control of light adjustments, shutter speed, aperture control for depth of field, sharper lenses. IDK , just seems like a lot more control for getting images in difficult lighting situations especially interior photos, shot in a photobooth type environment.

 

[Photoscopes]

What is your opinion about taking 5-10 quick pictures upon trade in and posting them online before reconditioning, just to get some pics online, since in many managers views, speed is everything and with out pics the car is not for sale in the customer's eye. And then re taking the good pictures after detailing is completed

 

[Alex Snyder]

What is your opinion about taking 5-10 quick pictures upon trade in and posting them online before reconditioning, just to get some pics online, since in many managers views, speed is everything and with out pics the car is not for sale in the customer's eye. And then re taking the good pictures after detailing is completed

Love it! In fact, I'd love to see an online tool that asks the customer to take photos of their car when sending a trade lead or getting a guaranteed trade number.* Then use those photos until the photo pro gets to that car on the front line.


*I'm assuming more than 90% of customers aren't going to send you photos with dead bodies in the trunk.

 

[Photoscopes]

That is really interesting to hear. Consistency consistency consistency has been drilled into me over the years. Dealers wanting all the first shots to be consistently positioned and shot.
I would think photographing un prepped cars would have more negatives then positives.

These are some things I noticed while looking at some websites:
Cars shot in random places, sometimes even vertical with a cell phone. (even first pictures) Trash and people's leavin's left through out the car, dirty, and damage showing.
I would think these things would leave a very un professional appearance to a customer. Especially for a high line luxury car. The customer does not know they are only preliminary photos. They are posted just the same as every other car. What happens when a customer comes in to look at one of these cars and it is at the body shop getting the bumper painted but the car is online .

Not to call any dealer out in particular but I noticed a lot of this at Bmw of Annapolis

 

[Alex Snyder]

That is really interesting to hear. Consistency consistency consistency has been drilled into me over the years. Dealers wanting all the first shots to be consistently positioned and shot.
I would think photographing un prepped cars would have more negatives then positives.

Just because that's the way it has always been done doesn't make it right.

These are some things I noticed while looking at some websites:
Cars shot in random places, sometimes even vertical with a cell phone. (even first pictures) Trash and people's leavin's left through out the car, dirty, and damage showing.
I would think these things would leave a very un professional appearance to a customer. Especially for a high line luxury car. The customer does not know they are only preliminary photos. They are posted just the same as every other car. What happens when a customer comes in to look at one of these cars and it is at the body shop getting the bumper painted but the car is online.

I'm not advocating images with trash or pre-bodywork. I'm talking about having some vetted images that may not fit the professional approach until the professional approach is performed. It is a matter of being able to sell a car faster. In fact, I'd even toy with displaying a potential trade-in, with images from the customer, on my website. See what interest is there. Especially if that trade was on an ordered vehicle or something that would take a few days to DX.

 

[flosho]

Love it! In fact, I'd love to see an online tool that asks the customer to take photos of their car when sending a trade lead or getting a guaranteed trade number.* Then use those photos until the photo pro gets to that car on the front line.


*I'm assuming more than 90% of customers aren't going to send you photos with dead bodies in the trunk.

Have you seen the photos customers take of their cars to assist in getting trade numbers... They are not something you want to put on your website.

We do quick photos of new arrivals but we ONLY put a photo that HELPS to sell a vehicle. If it doesn't benefit the sale or generating interest in the vehicle it is useless to the ad. So dirty, dented, poorly staged cars, cars with customer plates on them, personal items inside all leave a poor taste in customers' internet mouths.

It seems more dealers are focused on "having photos" rather than having photos that HELP SELL the vehicle.