2. PHOTOGRAPHS
Motonexus Photography 101
Selling your motorcycle or car online requires extra steps that selling in person doesn't need. Every submission requires photographs, and we want to help you submit the best photos possible. The better the quality of your pictures, the better your chances are of a successful auction. Your listing is the salesperson for the vehicle. Every photo and description work together to present your listing in the best possible light while being 100% transparent and truthful about the vehicle's condition.
You can take professional pictures if you have a quality digital SLR camera or a mobile phone with a good camera. If you're not confident in your ability, a professional photographer can be hired in almost every city in the United States for a few hundred dollars.
Your photos are the most important salesperson in your auction. Excellent quality photos will significantly help your vehicle get approved for the auction. Photos full of distractions like other vehicles, trailers, or your neighbor's vehicles, are covered in dirt that masks the condition, have a pole or tree sticking out of it, or include people are the types of things we will decline to publish. Sometimes we will make exceptions but generally try to avoid all those conditions. Vehicles that have been outdoors for a long time and can't be easily moved but are still excellent projects may be approved. If you have that lost Vincent Black Lightning or a Jag XKE wedged between some old trucks in a field, cut the weeds, clean it up with a pressure washer, and take the best pictures you can.
Motorcycle Photography
1. Detail it
Dirty motorcycles don't present well, and we think dirty bikes bring less money. Even if you're selling a project bike, we recommend doing as much clean-up as possible. We recommend having a professional detail job done if you expect your motorcycle to sell for a premium price. The minimum should be a good wash and wipe it down.
Skip the Duct tape! Once the bike is all clean and ready to photograph, put a Motonexus license plate cover over your license plate. No more duct tape or scratching out numbers in a photo editor. The covers can be cut out and placed behind the license plate frame or wrapped around and taped from behind.
PRINT AT-HOME LICENSE PLATE COVERS
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO GET YOURS
2. Location
Motorcycles have a natural environment, the outdoors. If you have a studio-like location with photographic lighting, take your pictures in that location. Otherwise, we think motorcycles look best when photographed in an industrial area or against a uniform background. A brick wall, a gravel parking lot with the background scene a little out of focus, a hedge or green wall, or an open area with water in the background. Anyplace where you don't have traffic or visual elements that will distract from the focus of your photographs, the motorcycle. You are the salesperson. Would you point out the utility pole just behind your beautiful bike? Right, then, don't include a utility pole in your photographs.
3. Lighting
You've got the bike sparkling clean and selected an excellent location for the photo shoot. The next step is to choose the right time to shoot. Bright sunlight will just wash out and overexpose your pictures. Shoot in the early morning or late day just as the sun goes down, often called "magic light." The best time to shoot is when the sky is overcast, creating a natural filter. Some photographers will shoot bikes inside a parking structure with natural sunlight filtering in. Find that ideal spot and the ideal time to go there.
4. Orientation
Horizontal landscape-oriented pictures only. First, vehicles just look better when presented in a horizontal image. Look through a motorcycle magazine or online blog; you won't find too many vertical portrait images. Second, our gallery presents photos best in a horizontal orientation. If you upload a combination of landscape and portrait images, the spacing will look odd in the gallery, and we'll ask you to remove the vertical photos.
5. Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a method of composing a photograph. Imagine the viewfinder divided into horizontal and vertical thirds. Aligning your vehicle within the lower third, as shown below, gives it a more grounded look. The middle of the vehicle should be in the center of the frame and aligned with the lower third of the camera frame. Photos should generally be taken straight on and not at various angles. Standing next to a vehicle and shooting down is less attractive than a shot that is looking straight on. Let the sample gallery of photos below be your guide. Start with the profile views, the front and back, and then four 3/4 view shots from either side of the front and either side of the back. The photographer should remain in one place. Move the motorcycle to get different angles so that the background remains consistent.
The photo above shows some do's and don'ts when composing a shot. Have the motorcycle on a center stand, so it's vertical. This SL350 only has a side stand which makes it lean away from the camera. Place a block under the side stand to get the bike upright. The bike is centered on the lower third line, but the lower third line could be raised slightly. The background is homogenous; however, the dock poles are distracting. The shadow directly underneath the bike tells us it's high noon. Waiting until later in the day or shooting earlier in the morning would have produced better exposure. The motorcycle is a marina blue, a color that doesn't pop off the blue water and the blue sky. This bike might have looked better with a darker or more industrial background.
Below is an example gallery of photos that a seller should try to include in their listing.
photos below by: Nick Cedar
Nick Cedar is a Motonexus Premier photographer for motorcycles.
6. The Walk-Ride Around Videos
Nothing sells a motorcycle better than a good video. Often the videos are the best salesperson you have to give bidders the confidence to compete for your bike. You'll want to enlist a helper to hold the camera steady while you demonstrate how awesome your bike is. For the ride-around video, have a couple of helpers follow you in a car, one driving, one shooting the video. If your motorcycle is not street legal or registered for use on the road, please do not shoot a ride-around video. Dirt bikes should be filmed off-road only. If you're listing a Project Motorcycle or Parts, a video is still great to have, but we won't expect the same details.
The best walk-around videos include these critical elements:
-
Clear open space around the bike
-
Good lighting
-
An overall walk-around
-
Place your hand on the exhaust pipe to show it's cold
-
Start the bike
-
Show the headlight, turn signals, and brake lights working
-
Show the tack while idling and rev it up a few times
-
Show the exhaust is clean and not smoking (if it smokes, show it!)
The best ride-around videos include these critical elements:
-
Safety, put on your helmet, gloves, and proper shoes. Comments can be rough if the rider isn't dressed for safety. Don't let that detract from your auction.
-
Good lighting
-
Take us for a nice ride-around the neighborhood (don't show off, no wheelies, burnouts, etc.)
-
Get shots showing the bike making turns with indicators, stopping and accelerating as it should. Viewers want to hear the bike when you're on the road.
7. The engine
The engine on your bike should be clean and free of grease, dirt, and grime. Take a close-up shot of both sides of the engine, 3/4 views of the front of the engine, and the underside if you can get that shot. Underside shots show the buyer that the bike hasn't bottomed out, and the exhaust pipes aren't dented. Close-up shots of parts with nice chrome are always appreciated. Finally, get a good picture of the engine number.
8. Be honest
There is no value in hiding flaws, and we think it's unethical. If defects appear on delivery that you tried to mask by editing the photos or not showing something, you will likely get pushback from the buyer. Worse, the entire Motonexus community will be skeptical of anything you choose to sell in the future. Buyers are not expecting perfection; they want honesty, warts, and all transactions. Buyers will always have more confidence in a seller that shows flaws than in a seller that appears to be offering a bike that's too good to be true. We encourage our members to use the comments section to compliment every seller for providing photos that display the true nature of the bike they're selling. Show the dents, scratches, cracked rubber, or faded paint. Show everything good and everything that's not so good. In the end, the Motonexus community will reward you for your honesty.
9. Paper matters
Bikes with titles and service records should command better prices. Bikes without titles are projects. We recommend that sellers provide photos of the paperwork they have. Keep titles in a photo by themselves because our admin will delete that photo after we confirm that the title is as the seller advertised. Bidders appreciate a photo showing brochures, manuals, service records, and all sets of keys.
Car Photography
1. Detail it
Dirty cars don't present very well, and we think they bring less money. Even if you're selling a project car, we recommend doing as much clean-up as possible. We recommend doing a professional detail job if you expect your vehicle to sell for a premium price. The minimum should be a good wash, vacuum out the interior and the trunk, and wipe it down. Nobody is interested in the leaves under the hood or the 20-year-old beach towels left in the trunk. Empty it and clean it up, so all we see is the car.
2. Location
Cars have a natural environment, the outdoors. If you have a studio-like location where photographic lighting can be used, by all means, take your pictures in that location. Otherwise, we think vehicles look best when photographed in an industrial area or against a uniform background. A brick wall, a gravel parking lot with the background a little out of focus, a hedge or green wall, or an open area with water in the background. Anyplace where you don't have traffic or visual elements that will distract from the focus of your photographs, the vehicle itself. You are the salesperson. Would you point out the utility pole just behind your beautiful car? Right, then, don't include a utility pole in your photographs.
3. Lighting
You've got the vehicle sparkling clean and selected a great location for the photo shoot. The next step is to choose the right time to shoot. Bright sunlight will just wash out and overexpose your pictures. Shoot in the early morning or late day just as the sun goes down, often called "magic light." The best time to shoot is when the sky is overcast, creating a natural filter.
4. Orientation
Horizontal landscape pictures only. First, vehicles just look better when presented in a horizontal image. Look through a car magazine or online blog; you won't find too many vertical portrait images. Second, our gallery presents images best in a horizontal orientation. If you upload a combination of landscape and portrait images, the spacing will look odd in the gallery, and we'll ask you to remove the vertical photos.
5. Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a method of composing a photograph. Imagine the viewfinder divided into horizontal and vertical thirds. Aligning your vehicle within the lower third, as shown below, give it a more grounded look. The middle of the vehicle should be in the center of the frame and aligned with the lower third of the camera frame. Photos should generally be taken straight on and not at various angles. Standing next to a vehicle and shooting down is less attractive than a shot that is looking straight on. Let the sample gallery of photos below be your guide. Start with the profile views, the front and back, and then four 3/4 view shots from either side of the front and either side of the back. The photographer should remain in one place. Move the car to get different angles so that the background remains consistent.
1. Right Side
2. Left Side
3. Front
4. Back
5. 3/4 View front right
6. 3/4 View front left
7. 3/4 View back right
8. 3/4 View back left
9. Top View
10. Driver’s side door open, shoot interior
11. Passenger side door open, shoot interior
12. Steering wheel and gauges
13. Pedals
14. Headliner
15. Overhead of engine
16. Left view engine
17. Right view engine
18. Underside left
19. Underside right
20. Underside at engine
21. Inside trunk or bed
22. All other paperwork (service records, manuals, etc)
23. Tool kit
24. VIN plate
6. The Walk-Ride Around Videos
Nothing sells a car better than a good video. Often the videos are the best salesperson you have to give bidders the confidence to compete for your vehicle. You'll want to enlist a helper to hold the camera steady while you demonstrate how awesome your car is. For the ride-around video, have a couple of helpers follow you in a car, one driving, one shooting the video. If your car is not street legal or registered for use on the road, please do not shoot a ride-around video. Off-Road vehicles should be filmed off-road only. If you're listing a Project Car or Parts, a video is still great to have, but we won't expect the same details.
The best walk-around videos include these critical elements:
-
Clear open space around the bike
-
Good lighting
-
An overall walk-around
-
Place your hand on the exhaust pipe to show it's cold
-
Start the bike
-
Show the headlight, turn signals, and brake lights working
-
Show the tack while idling and rev it up a few times
-
Show the exhaust is clean and not smoking (if it smokes, show it!)
The best ride-around videos include these critical elements:
-
Safety, put on your helmet, gloves, and proper shoes. Comments can be rough if the rider isn't dressed for safety. Don't let that detract from your auction.
-
Good lighting
-
Take us for a nice ride-around the neighborhood (don't show off, no wheelies, burnouts, etc.)
-
Get shots showing the bike making turns with indicators, stopping and accelerating as it should. Viewers want to hear the bike when you're on the road.
7. Order of Photos
Remember, take horizontal landscape pictures only. Take the bidders on a detailed tour of your car. Imagine that you are a bidder walking up to the car, taking in that overall view; let the camera be the bidder's eye. Then, move in closer and take a picture with the door open from both sides. Next, move in even closer and photograph all the details. Take a picture of the odometer, all the controls, the carpet condition, the stick shift, the headliner, the seat controls, and the back seat area.
8. Shoot the engine
We mentioned earlier that the engine bay should be as clean as is practical for the vehicle you're auctioning. If you're selling a project car, just pressure wash it and get the worst of the debris cleaned away. We recommend a professional detail job if you're auctioning a premium car and expect a premium price. Use the same process you used for the overall car; start with an overall shot and the two sides of the engine. Then move in closer to capture essential details. Make sure to capture all the plates, important decals, and stampings that help bidders know what they are bidding on.
9. Get Down
Photos of the underside of your car are appreciated by bidders, especially if you have a custom or vintage car. These underside photos are also important if your car has lived in an area prone to rust or you have salted roads.
Can you get it up? Most of us don't have a friendly mechanic who will hoist a car up for us; other approaches are to use portable mechanics ramps and ask your local oil changer to use the pit (for a contribution, of course). You could also use a floor jack, and some jack stands to lift one end and get some good pictures. These underside photos are much more manageable and look better when you get the car on a lift.
10. Be honest
There is no value in hiding flaws, and we think it's unethical. If defects appear on delivery that you tried to mask by editing the photos or not showing something, you will likely get pushback from the buyer. Worse, the entire Motonexus community will be skeptical of anything you choose to auction in the future. Buyers are not expecting perfection; they want honesty, warts, and all transactions. Buyers will always have more confidence in a seller that shows flaws than in a seller that appears to be offering a car that's too good to be true. Show the dents, scratches, cracked rubber, or faded paint. Show everything good and everything that's not so good. In the end, the Motonexus community will reward you for your honesty. We encourage our members to use the comments section to compliment every seller for providing photos that display the true nature of the car they're auctioning.
11. Paper matters
Cars with titles and service records should command better prices. Cars without titles are projects. We recommend that sellers provide photos of the paperwork they have. Keep titles in a photo by themselves because our admin will delete that photo after we confirm that the title is as the seller advertised. Bidders always appreciate a photo showing brochures, manuals, service records, and all sets of keys.
License Plate Covers
Give your motorcycle or car photos that professional look with our free license plate covers. The color version has a solid black background with our red and yellow Motonexus logo. The Black & White version is a white background with a black logo. Down load and print the one you like best.