Do you photograph cars for Bring a Trailer?
Yes, and it is the main reason this service exists. A BaT listing lives entirely on its gallery, and the difference between a good one and a phone walkaround shows up directly in the final bid.
How much of the car gets covered in the auction package?
Far more than a normal sale. Every panel, every wheel, the interior from several positions, the engine bay, the trunk, the documentation, and honest coverage of every flaw. A hundred images sounds excessive until you watch bidders work through them.
Do you photograph for Cars and Bids?
Yes, and the same gallery works for both. Cars and Bids leans slightly more modern and BaT slightly more classic, but what a serious bidder wants to see is the same either way.
Which other auction sites do these photographs suit?
PCARMARKET, Hagerty Marketplace, Collecting Cars, Hemmings, eBay Motors, Classic dot com, and the online catalogues for Barrett-Jackson and Mecum. The licence covers all of them with no expiry.
Why does a listing need a hundred photographs?
Because the buyer cannot come and look. Every photograph you leave out is a question in somebody's head, and unanswered questions come out of the price. A complete gallery is not showing off, it is removing doubt.
Do you photograph the flaws?
Every one I can find, and this is the part people push back on. Hiding a stone chip does not make it disappear, it just moves the disappointment to the moment somebody collects the car. Bidders trust a seller who shows the scratches, and trust is what raises the number.
Do you photograph the undercarriage?
Where the car is on a lift or a ramp, yes, and on an older car it is one of the most valuable parts of the gallery. Without access to a lift it is not possible, so tell me what is available when you book.
Should I have the car detailed first?
Yes, and properly rather than a rinse. Wheels, arches, door shuts, glass and the engine bay all photograph noticeably better clean, and a good detail is the cheapest thing you can do to improve the result.
Where do you photograph the car?
Wherever it lives, or somewhere nearby that works better. An open space with even light and an uncluttered background is ideal, and I will suggest somewhere if your driveway is not the right setting.
Can you come to my garage or storage unit?
Yes, and it is common with collector cars. An enclosed space changes the approach, since the lighting has to be built rather than found, but it is entirely workable.
Does the car need to be running?
No. A project car or a non-runner is photographed exactly where it stands. It does need to be somewhere I can walk all the way around it, so tell me if it is wedged against a wall.
Do you photograph project cars and barn finds?
Yes, and honestly they often photograph better than restored cars. Patina, dust and unfinished work tell a story, and the buyers for those cars want to see the truth rather than a polished version of it.
How long does a car shoot take?
Around three hours for a full auction gallery. A private sale set is closer to an hour and a half. Detailing time is not included in that, so have the car ready before I arrive.
Do you photograph classic and vintage cars?
Yes, and it is the work I enjoy most. Older cars reward patience, because the details that matter to a collector are rarely the ones that catch the eye first.
Do you photograph modern sports and luxury cars?
Yes. Newer cars are easier in some ways and harder in others, since large areas of glossy paint reflect everything around them including the photographer.
Do you photograph motorcycles?
Yes, priced the same way. A bike takes less time than a car and produces a smaller gallery, so tell me what you have and I will quote accordingly.
Do you photograph the engine bay?
Yes, from several angles, and it is one of the sections buyers study hardest. A clean bay photographed properly does a great deal of quiet reassuring.
Do you photograph the interior and the trunk?
All of it. Seats, dash, headliner, pedals, door cards, boot floor, spare wheel and tool kit. Wear on a driver's seat bolster tells a bidder more about mileage than the odometer does.
Do you photograph the documentation and service history?
Yes, and it is worth doing. A photograph of a stack of stamped service books, receipts and the original window sticker adds real credibility to a listing.
What is the difference between the auction package and the private sale package?
Depth. The auction package is a hundred images built for somebody bidding without seeing the car. The private sale package is thirty images built for somebody who will come and look before deciding.
Is thirty photographs enough for a private sale?
For a listing on Autotrader, Cars dot com, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, yes. Those buyers view the car in person before committing, so the photographs need to get them there rather than close the sale outright.
Do good photographs actually raise what a car sells for?
On the enthusiast auction sites, noticeably. Those platforms attract buyers who read the whole listing, and a complete honest gallery removes the doubt that otherwise shows up as a lower bid.
Do you photograph dealer inventory?
Not at volume rates. Dealer inventory work is priced around twenty dollars a car, which is a different business entirely. This service is built for cars where the photography changes the sale price.
Can you photograph more than one car in a day?
Yes, though each car is quoted as its own booking. Doing them in one visit saves you a second travel fee, so mention it when you enquire.
What weather do you need?
Overcast is ideal, which surprises people. An even grey sky is the best light there is for a car, because it avoids hard reflections. Bright sun is the difficult one.
What time of day should a car be photographed?
Early morning or the hour before sunset if the sky is clear. Any time at all if it is overcast. I will suggest a slot once I know where the car is and which way it faces.
Can you photograph a car indoors or at night?
Yes, and for some cars it produces a better result than daylight. It takes longer, because the lighting has to be built from nothing, but a dark studio-style set can suit a dramatic car very well.
Can I use these photographs on more than one site?
Yes. The licence has no platform limit and no expiry, so the same gallery can run on an auction site, your own listing, social media and anywhere else you want it.
What if the car does not sell first time?
The photographs are yours permanently, so they carry straight over to the next listing or the next platform. There is no refund on work already delivered and no need for one.
Do you photograph cars for insurance or collection records?
Yes. It is the same work with a different purpose, and the private sale package usually covers it. Owners of significant cars increasingly want a proper record of condition rather than phone snapshots.
