Make Your Home-Built Hero An Internet Star

As it turns out, our Home-Built Hero’s series has become very popular with you guys, and the submissions just keep rolling in. We have learned that you guys have a lot of great-looking cars. What we have also learned is that many of you guys tell us that you don’t have any “good” photographs of your cars that you feel comfortable sending to us. So we’re here to help with that situation.

We came up with a short guideline for taking a good photograph of your car. That being said, we also realize that most of you probably don’t have a lot of expensive camera equipment, and that’s okay. You can still get killer shots of your car with a simple point-and-shoot camera. Getting a good photograph of your car does not take a rocket scientist, and by following this guideline, we know you can take some great shots of your cars.

The most important thing to remember, is the car needs to be the center of attention. We have gotten so many images where the photographer has not centered the car in the photgraph, and actually cut off the front or rear of the car. The car should fill the image, but not run off of it.

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The location where you choose to shoot, and the background is very important. One thing to keep in mind, is that it is best to photograph your car while it is on a road or parking surface. To make it easy, cars go on the road, and lawn mowers go in the grass. When positioning the car, if there are telephone poles or trees directly behind the car, they will look like they are growing out of it. Also, a car’s surface is like a mirror, parking lot lines and other objects can leave unsightly reflections in the car. When you park the car, look closely and see if there are any reflections on its surface. If there are, reposition it. Try and have an open space behind you like a field.

Nature always provides a nice background, but industrial areas can be interesting as well. Can you picture your car parked in front of a train yard or an abandoned and graffiti-covered warehouse?

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Early morning and evening are perfect times to shoot pictures, because the sun is low enough that the light is not hash, but provides just enough light for you to get cool shots. Always look at the car from different angles to find one that stands out. Most times, cars look their best in pictures when at least two sides of the car are visible. Remember, you’re using a digital camera, so the pictures are free.

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Taking pictures of the car’s interior can be tricky. If the ambient lighting is harsh, it will wash out the details, and even cause hot spots. Finding a shady area usually works best. If you do shoot in a shady area, turn off your flash, as it will cause hot spots. The same thought process goes for shooting engine shots, move the car to a shady area, and then turn off your flash.

Hopefully, this short guideline for shooting images of your car will motivate you to get out there, and get some really cool images of your car.

If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, all you need to do is click here. To be a Home-Built Hero, send us a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and we’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to chevyhardcore@powerautomedia.com.