You know how the saying goes: You’re not a real car enthusiast if you don’t look back at your car after you park it and start walking away. Well, there are some people who go well beyond a quick glance: car photographers.
Taking Instagram-worthy photographs at a car meet is not as simple as “point and click.” While those are good enough for your camera roll — and we all have thousands of random car images on our phones that we like to scroll through more than the pics we got of our friends’ wedding — you need to put in a bit more effort and thought if you want to post the photos on social media. The goal: show the car’s personality and uniqueness (as well as the owner’s) through angles, focus, and style.
Car photographer Johan Terraza of North Hollywood, California knows a bit (a lot) about car photography. He started making car content back when he played Grand Theft Auto 5 (which he called “maybe cringy” but we can all relate: most car enthusiasts got into the hobby from their parents, Pixar’s Cars, video games, or Fast & Furious, let’s be real). He would take video edits for his car crew before moving to photography, which he found to be more fun.
Now, Terraza is going to share some tricks of the trade so you can make your car — or your friends’ — look badass on social media.
The Gear
The first step is to get the right equipment. While I admittedly just use my iPhone, you are going to get a lot crisper, detailed shots with a camera. Terraza uses a Canon t3i with an 18-55mm lens. He also uses the polarizing and black mist filters quite often.
If you want to get some night photos, he recommends the 50mm lens. If you want some panning shots (where your car drives past you as you shoot), use a lower shutter speed (he recommends 1/8-1/15) for a motion blur effect, ISO set to 100, and a raised aperture to make the image appear darker. Keep shooting as the car drives by (and pray that one looks sick).
Another important thing you’ll need is editing software and skills. Terraza said: “Having to delete background trash or inconveniences, getting the lighting and shadows down right, making sure the colors aren’t oversaturated, removing noise and making it as sharp as possible… Editing is very important.”
The Setting
The best time to shoot cars? “Anytime the sun is out is the best time for me,” Terraza told me. However, really keep an eye on the sun’s positioning and the shadows it creates. It can become your worst nightmare at certain times of day, with the sun shining straight into the lens, eliminating some favorable angles to avoid shadows. Golden hour is usually considered the best time (just after sunrise and just before sunset) and noon is notoriously painful due to the sun being straight above you.
Terraza also takes a lot of night shots, which look much more dramatic and stylish. You’ll just need the right gear for that so the cars don’t fade into the darkness or appear fuzzy.
“I like to do outdoor photoshoots personally,” Terraza said. “Either have a view in the background or just have a shoot in the driveway.”
The location you end up picking should be aesthetic, sure. But it should also reflect the driver and/or the car. A car parked on the side of the beach will have a different vibe than the same car parked in a dark parking garage with city lights behind it.
The Angle
When asked what the most important aspect of car photography was, Terraza didn’t hesitate to say it’s all in the angles. The angle can completely change the image’s vibe and emotion of the image — and show off a lot more of the car in the process. I mean, look at images of an NA Miata taken head-on (derpy, cute) versus at a low, cornered angle (sporty, cute). While every car will need something different, low quarter angles can give the car a powerful, aggressive look while a side profile can look a bit more artistic and portray movement.
– There are many different angles of cars that can look very pleasing and a few angles that just look bad, a low quarter angle stance can give the car a powerful look, a chest height quarter angle look provides a neutral yet slightly aggressive look, a side profile provides an artistic painterly look.
Terraza explained: “Sure, you can take a generic shot of a [wheel] straight on, but what I like to do is get up and close, get very low, look up and zoom out with a slight tilt to the camera. That way, it’s not just a boring wheel, but you get the wheel plus the fender or door. Maybe even the body of the car, if possible.
“Being creative with the angles makes the pictures that much more satisfying and unique.”
The Focus
So, what should you focus on when taking these angled shots? Sometimes, it’s not as obvious as getting the car’s entire body from the front or side. For muscle cars, you may want to show off their prominent, bold grilles and glaring headlights. For sports cars, you may want to show off their aerodynamic shape and sharp body lines. Maybe you want to show off a supercar’s plush interior and attention to detail.
For Terraza, it’s often focused on showing off the mods, from the body to the engine bay. He loves capturing engine swaps, turbos, air bag suspension tanks, spoilers, custom interiors, headlights and taillights… “If it’s aftermarket, there’s the focus you should bring out in a photo.”
For Terraza, it’s about showing off the “amount of hard work, time, and money” that’s gone into a car. This can show off what makes the car special and how much the owner cars about it, whether it’s just an extremely clean and well-cared-for stock model or a modified vehicle that shows dedication and creativity.
The Process
Once you have the gear and strategy in mind, you’ll start to get a process down that works for you. When Terraza is at a car meet, he’ll start snapping pics of the cars he likes. These are often JDMs, but he’ll take notice of any car that appeals to him. Sometimes he’ll even take pics of the owners with their car to show their bond and personality.
First, Terraza will find an angle that works for that car. Keep in mind: Does it have a special modification that makes it special? Or does that particular model perhaps have a well-known trait that defines it? Zoom in, roate the polarizer, get the right glare, tilt the camera… Just play around with the shot. You’ll start to see which angles work the best for that car and its features.
Terraza will also snap two pics of each shot just in case one is blurry. It’s always good to have a backup when you go home to edit. In fact, that’s his favorite part of the process (and I often see him asking people to send him their raw car pics to edit when he’s bored). He said: “The best part of taking car pics is coming home to edit and seeing the reactions from others on how certain photos turn out.”
The Payoff
When you’re taking Instagram pics of cars, sometimes the finished product is not for you. Maybe you don’t like certain types of cars or you dislike certain modification choices. But this image is not about what you like — it’s about what the owner and maybe that car community like. It’s about telling their story, sharing their vision, and ensuring the post really embodies the car’s distinct personality and aesthetic.
Terraza is still building up his following and engagement, but it’s not really about the number of likes you get. How does he know a photo came out well? “When the owner of the car or their friends wil share my posts on their stories. In the comments as well, I’ll see huge amounts of positive feedback.”
Car photos are personal. They have a lot of meaning and feeling behind them. Sometimes it’s not the exact lens you use or the perfect angle. Sometimes it’s truly just making the car look and feel special.
