What's my Car Photography Mindset
What's your Car Photography Mindset? None. You've got to match the skills to match the kit - Keep watching to find my automotive photography mindset.
Clean your room
I mean it literally and metaphorically. I can recommend the best camera equipment in the world, but that's useless when your room looks like a tornado went through it.
Don't get me started on camera files spread across your device. Whether that's the car file slapped in the dog file or Landscape pictures in the documents folder unnamed. It gets tricky.
Ideally, you start on a clean slate and layout your picture folder into its genre on a separate hard drive. Then you divide the folders into different categories and years, with the time/date with an underscore then the place's name. Or event.
It takes an hour to sort out your files and weekly to maintain your files. But, it's worth it when you can easily access your photos when you want to edit them.
Plan your journey
Before you plan your journey, make sure your camera's charged, SD Card is in the camera and got your equipment in check. You don't want to feel stressed when you're on location.
It's also great to check whether an event on the track or a dealership is open to avoid disappointment. And it's also fantastic to find backup places where you can photograph cars.
Editing process
After you've photographed your subjects, import your photos to the File Explorer or Lightroom Classic into the car folder. If I've photographed at a car dealership, it goes into its own folder. The same goes for if I photographed at a car meet.
I also add metadata to the picture, such as GPS Coordinates or car name. So when I search for the images, I can find them quickly and useful for SEO. Bonus!
I use a preset as a base to make significant adjustments in a smaller amount of time. And after that, I make small changes to the pictures, such as change the gradients or make specific colours pop.
Then, I open my Lightroom pictures into Photoshop to add the magic touches to the photos, whether that's removing background distractions, cleaning up the car's paintwork, or sharpening the photo. Delightful!
Once the picture's finished, I export the smaller image into a finished project folder and the larger photo in a printer folder.
Publishing Process
I import my finished smaller pictures into Google Photos, so I've got better access to the images. Then I write a paragraph about the subject for my social media channels.
I place my wording into my social media schedule for later use. Here's what I've made earlier. I also add hashtags to my posts to reach relevant car clubs or paintwork of the subject.
Conclusion
Here's what I've learned from two and a half years of car photography. However, some of my time-management skills came from my YouTube channels and Computer Science course.
The most important skill I've learnt is to layout my folders and files into an intuitive layout. After that, I recharge my camera equipment and format my SD cards - Ready for a new photoshoot.
Then I plan what place or event I'd like to photograph, whether I'm photographing at a local Lamborghini dealer or Tunerfest North at Oulton Park. I also outline other places I like to capture photographs if my ideas don't happen. I've got backup plans.
After I've photographed my subject, I import my pictures from my photoshoot into Lightroom, then name the pictures and folder.
I add a preset to my pictures to edit my pictures more efficiently when I've got a large batch of photos. I import my images into Photoshop to remove unnecessary distractions and clean the paintwork of the car.
After editing my picture, I import my photos to Google Photos, so I've got more access to the pictures when I write about my subject for my social media posts.
I finally add hashtags to my posts about the car, so it's easier for fan clubs and brands to find my posts. Thumbs up.
Outro
Have you got a car photography mindset? Let me know in the comments below, share my video on your social media channels and subscribe.
If you're passionate about car photography and want your car clean - Check out Express Detailing for your car cleaning needs. Link in the comments below.
Express Detailing https://www.expressdetailing.co.uk/