Car Photography Basics in 9 Minutes

Want to get better photos of your car? This video shares the most important but easy-to-learn car photography techniques I've picked up over the last 35 years shooting for magazines, manufacturers, and commercial clients. Enjoy!
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Gear used at the time of recording:
Canon EOS R5: geni.us/canon-...
Canon EOS R6 MKII: geni.us/Canon-...
Canon RF 24-70: geni.us/Canon-...
Sigma EF 35mm 1.4: geni.us/sigma-35
Canon RF 50 1.8: geni.us/Canon-...
Canon RF 14-35: geni.us/Canon-...
Canon RF 100-500: geni.us/RF100-50
Sigma EF 105 1.4: geni.us/sigma-...
K&F Concept Nano-X Polarizing Filter: geni.us/AA3C4
DJI Osmo Action 4: geni.us/DJI-Ac...
Insta360 GO 3: geni.us/insta3...
Insta360 GO 2: geni.us/insta3...
DJI Air 3 Combo: geni.us/DJI-Ai...
Peak Design Travel Tripod: geni.us/PD-tri...
iFootage TC9 Carbon Tripod: geni.us/iFoota...
PGYTECH Mantispod Pro: geni.us/Mantispod
Lowepro BP 550 AW II Bag: geni.us/Low-Pr...
DJI Wireless Field Mic: geni.us/DJI-Mi
Tascam X6 32-Bit Field Recorder: geni.us/tascamx6
Zoom H1N Field Recorder: geni.us/Zoom-H...
Zoom F3 32-Bit Recorder: geni.us/zoom-f...
Canon DM-E1D Stereo Microphone: geni.us/DM-E1D
Rode Procaster Studio Mic: geni.us/rode-p...
RODE NTG2 Microphone: geni.us/Rode-N...
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[@juanitakelly3082]

You really packed 35 years of specific (and general) tips into 9 minutes, backed up by beautiful examples!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, Juanita. I needed to share it before AI takes over the world! 😄

[@jimathanasopoulos2234]

This is excellent content, delivered flawlessly. "If one can't explain something simply, they don't understand it well enough".

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@jimathanasopoulos2234 Thank you, Jim.

[@Shehab.ELRefai]

“A great lens doesnt make a great photo, the photographer does.” 💯

[@peterfritzphoto]

True indeed. But the right lens helps the photographer do exactly that.

[@56styles]

I love finding priceless lessons that people shares all around the world. Well done!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, mate.

[@byronjohnson8346]

I'M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED BY THE WORK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE VIDEO AND EXPLANATIONS. KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thx, Byron.

[@madfemurfast]

Really nice. Usually I am not a fan of white cars and the pictures are amazing showing the beauty of the Boxster. Fantastic images.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thank you!

[@soyLachino]

Great video - whether it is cars or not - you can apply these principals with lens focal length, apertures, etc. for all subjects. Beautiful examples too!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thank you. 🙂

[@TheChrisTedeschi]

Peter, this was fantastic. Thank you so much. This was a great introduction for me for car photography, but also an introduction to you and your channel.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Many thanks, Chris.

[@natepickslay]

this is the most concise and useful video on this subject I've found, thank you

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@natepickslay Thanks, Nate!

[@doogieham]

Fantastic video! That ‘s the most informative 9 minutes I’ve spent in a long time. Your tips are greatly appreciated.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thank you!

[@MatthewRaifman]

Wonderful video. Really appreciate your experience and perspective here. I'm a wildlife photography, but here In Berkeley CA there are many beautiful vintage cars that I can't help shooting in my spare time.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Great to hear! Thanks, Matthew!

[@peterviragphoto]

Great summary of tips Pete & some awesome shots, including those you took with your drone!😎🏎️

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, mate. That 105 Sigma is a bloody beast!

[@peterviragphoto]

@@peterfritzphoto 😀👍👍

[@simondiete2465]

Great video, thank you Peter 😀

[@andrejalesko]

Love your simple tips that i do know but forget when it comes to the shoot day :)

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, Andrej. 👍

[@Thomas_1979]

Thank you Peter for sharing your knowledge and helping us.Great video

[@peterfritzphoto]

That’s very generous, Thomas - thank you.

[@ferrarikangaroo9271]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. It gives me an excuse to use my car next weekend :)

[@peterfritzphoto]

That’s the spirit!

[@daltonramsey9585]

I mostly did wildlife photography but I kinda moved away from it and have been using a Panasonic g9 and Leica 25mm 1.4 II as a weather sealed setup to document family life. A coworker has a Giulia quadrifoglio that I’m going to try photographing for him. This video gave me some good ideas to start with. Thanks.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Good stuff, Dalton. Nice car.

[@TsavoTouring]

Great tips! Always trying to improve my car photography.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, Tsavo.

[@Drew-photo]

Thank you again for another great and inspiring video I will use those tips if it stops raining 🌧 in Clane 😂😂

[@peterfritzphoto]

Haha! Good old Ireland.

[@MLR_Leigh]

Very well put together mate, very helpful. Thank you.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, Leigh. I plan to do more like this - but focused on one or two items at a time.

[@Jakepf]

I've been digging the ULTRA wide angle lenses with cars lately. Especially when they're very crispy and sharp

[@peterfritzphoto]

Interesting. Up close, or from a distance?

[@aussie8114]

You know your stuff. I will need to get a good CPL filter when I upgrade to a new Nikon Z system soon.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks. I’m about to release a video just on CPL filters in the next few days. I’m so tempted by the Z system. I was a Nikon shooter for decades.

[@toto_chanel6952]

Thanks for these very valuable tips. Could you pleae give me inputs on your aperture settings depending on the car position when you shoot with your 105?

[@peterfritzphoto]

You’re welcome. Dead front/rear-on, I always focus on the lights, and shoot at f4 or wider. If it’s front/rear quarter or three-quarter, f5.6 to f11, depending on how much of the car I want in focus.

[@toto_chanel6952]

@@peterfritzphoto Many thanks for your inputs, I'll put them in practice soon. Cheers

[@Psycheart]

Legend

[@bobwells1517]

Great tips, thanks for sharing the wisdom!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thank you, Bob.

[@RossCuth]

I'm currently studying to be a professional automotive photographer, so these tips really help. Quick question though, are there any polarizing filters you recommend? Really need to pull my finger out and get one lol

[@peterfritzphoto]

Absolutely - the K&F Concept Nano-X ones are great.

[@RossCuth]

@@peterfritzphoto Awesome! I'll note them down to check out later. Keep up the great content!

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@RossCuth Thanks, Ross.

[@christianosborn6447]

Super helpful, thank you!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, Christian.

[@motorsport_doc]

Thank you for the tips!!

[@GeorgeLoch]

Great tips!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Thanks, George!

[@jules_mac]

Great! Thank you.

[@geoffanasar]

Hello peter! Is this a 4k video uploaded in youtube as 4k or an upscaled video to 4k? Thanks!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Hi Geoff. It's 4K right the way through - shot mostly on a Canon R6 MKII.

[@geoffanasar]

​@@peterfritzphotothank you very much for the reply. Photos are superb and the video is very helpful for aspiring car photographers like me. Cheers!

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@geoffanasar That’s great to hear, Geoff. 👍

[@Pbb787]

Lens 50mm for full frame or apsc sir? I using sony zv-e10 , what lense i can buy

[@peterfritzphoto]

Good question - I should articulate that more clearly. I was talking full frame. 50mm on APSC is 80mm, which is pretty much perfect for shooting cars.

[@ScottymanPhoto]

You’ve probably forgotten more about car photography than I’ll ever know 😂 by the way, great audio. What is the mic you’re using?

[@peterfritzphoto]

LOL. I used the Rode NTG-2 for this one. It's so good to see your sub count growing, mate. 🙂

[@ScottymanPhoto]

Thanks, buddy! I’m setting up a Rode NT5. I had no idea the sound difference it would make.

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@ScottymanPhoto The NT5 is a really good mic. Quality audio is so important.

[@Calypsode1]

Im working for a leasing company that wants realistic looking photos for the website for customer transparency on what they are getting so heavy filtering is out of the question. The issue im having is finding a good lighting source that doesn't make the car look to glary or uneven lighting. Is there a specific type of lighting source or bulb types or something that would work for all vehicle colors and sizes?

[@peterfritzphoto]

Very tricky, I’m afraid. Unless you have access to a large studio with specialised diffuse lighting for cars (often called a ‘fish fryer’), your best bet is to either shoot in overcast light every time (difficult if you haven’t the requisite magic powers); or find an outdoor location that’s always in shade, and use a polarising filter to deal with reflections in the car’s panels and glass. I have a video about this in about a week’s time.

[@daltonramsey9585]

What is your recommendation for focus points? Do you always focus on the lights? Or do you focus elsewhere to maximize how much of the car is in focus?

[@peterfritzphoto]

Great question. If I’m using a wide aperture, I’ll always focus on the headlights or tail lights (the same way we focus on a person’s eyes in portraits). If I’m wanting to get as much of the car in focus as possible, I’ll shoot at f11 or 16, and focus about a third of the way into the zone I want in focus. If I want absolutely everything in focus all the way to the mountains in the distance - and I’m shooting with a long lens (85mm and up) - I’ll focus stack (shooting 2 - 3 shots at f11 focused at the foreground, mid ground and background), and blend them in Photoshop.

[@daltonramsey9585]

@@peterfritzphoto thanks for taking the time to respond. I don’t photograph cars often but the first two are the methods I’ve been following. I haven’t tried stacking for anything other than macro, but I’m sure that allows for some really cool images.

[@BlameshiftTheBest]

As a beginner it would have been nice with specs for each photo. What ISO, aperture, shutter speed etc.

[@peterfritzphoto]

A few people have asked for this, so I might do it with the next photography video. :-)

[@QamarAmin]

what is your favorite lens/recommended lens for car photography? if you had to pick only one?

[@peterfritzphoto]

@@QamarAmin It would have to be the 24-70 f/2.8. It’s fast enough for low light, and gives you a reasonably shallow depth of field. If I were choosing a prime only, I’d go for a 50 1.8, 1.4, or 1.2, depending on budget.

[@BoomerLicks]

It's not the baseball bat, it's the baseball player........

[@LTHRacing]

Fo anyone wanna be photographers be aware that it is the fastest falling market within last 10 yers earnings fall more than 50% rather than went up. Thanks to the guy like this and all other KZbinrs giving away knowledge for pathetic 6k views. No hate to the guy if not him someone else would do the same. Market is changing big time and really would recommend to think twice before choosing this profession because I have many friends same as Peter who worked for industry more than 30 years are forced to go back to 9-5 jobs. Im pretty sure that is the reason Peter actually making these videos. And if anyone find this comment offensive well this is the reality rather than glamorous description of being a full time photographer. It is amazing profession but sadly amazing on paper but not in reality. And I haven't seen even a single photographer who would cover the reality in the video. Everyone present's it as the best job in the world.

[@peterfritzphoto]

This is a video for people who want to photograph cars better than the average person. It's not career advice. I stopped shooting cars for a living back when car magazines were still thriving. I left because I wanted to make more money and buy my own nice cars rather than drive press cars all the time. And that’s exactly what I did. KZbin is a passion for me; I earn my money as a marketing and tech specialist in the software, automotive, and fast-food industries - not from KZbin. Plus, if you cared to look, car photography constitutes only a fraction of what I share on this channel. You shouldn't assume things about a person you don’t fully know.

[@Matthew-zy3yb]

It is because of stupid and uninformed comments like this one, that a kid who loves photography could get discouraged thinking that he/she will never make money. Where exactly did you get this info from? A friend told a friend and then told you? Or a friend sucked at being a good photographer or at marketing his services and then gave up? That doesn't mean the photography industry is crashing. Professional photography services have seen growth every single year since the early 2000's. Here is the REAL DATA from a LinkedIn survey: "The global Photography Services market size is projected to reach USD 68890 million by 2028, from USD 50760 million in 2021, at a CAGR of 4.4% during 2022-2028". And especially car photography, how could it ever go down as an industry when we have the highest rate ever of new cars every year. There are always going to be sellers or regular people wanting to have professional photos of their cars. Iphones will never substitute a professional, from the shooting to the editing. Check your sources before publishing random stuff

[@GH0ST3DDD]

you sound like a completely miserable human being. let people enjoy the things they enjoy. nobody’s bashing you for your hobbies and their popularity / profitability, and i think 90% of people watching this video are fully aware that car photography is not a full time career.

[@saiverx]

You're only looking at the surface. Yes, markets change, but that's the nature of any profession. What you're describing isn't unique to photography - it's about adapting and staying ahead of trends. Successful photographers don't rely on static knowledge or traditional paths; they innovate, find niches, and push the envelope. While KZbin and free knowledge might seem like it's “giving away” the trade, it's actually raising the bar. The photographers who survive are those who evolve, not those stuck complaining about the past. :-)