{"id":310662,"date":"2026-02-22T00:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T00:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/310662\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T00:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T00:42:09","slug":"car-photographer-shares-the-right-gear-angles-and-emotion-needed-to-take-killer-instagram-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/310662\/","title":{"rendered":"Car photographer shares the right gear, angles, and emotion needed to take killer Instagram pics"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know how the saying goes: You\u2019re not a real car enthusiast if you don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Taking Instagram-worthy photographs at a car meet is not as simple as \u201cpoint and click.\u201d While those are good enough for your camera roll \u2014 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\u2019 wedding \u2014 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\u2019s personality and uniqueness (as well as the owner\u2019s) through angles, focus, and style.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cmaybe cringy\u201d but we can all relate: most car enthusiasts got into the hobby from their parents, Pixar\u2019s Cars, video games, or Fast & Furious, let\u2019s be real). He would take video edits for his car crew before moving to photography, which he found to be more fun.<\/p>\n

Now, Terraza is going to share some tricks of the trade so you can make your car \u2014 or your friends\u2019 \u2014 look badass on social media.<\/p>\n

The Gear
\n\"carImage Credit: Johan Terraza<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

Another important thing you\u2019ll need is editing software and skills. Terraza said: \u201cHaving to delete background trash or inconveniences, getting the lighting and shadows down right, making sure the colors aren\u2019t oversaturated, removing noise and making it as sharp as possible\u2026 Editing is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Setting
\n\"bmwImage Credit: Johan Terraza<\/p>\n

The best time to shoot cars? \u201cAnytime the sun is out is the best time for me,\u201d Terraza told me. However, really keep an eye on the sun\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Terraza also takes a lot of night shots, which look much more dramatic and stylish. You\u2019ll just need the right gear for that so the cars don\u2019t fade into the darkness or appear fuzzy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to do outdoor photoshoots personally,\u201d Terraza said. \u201cEither have a view in the background or just have a shoot in the driveway.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Angle
\n\"wheelImage Credit: Johan Terraza<\/p>\n

When asked what the most important aspect of car photography was, Terraza didn\u2019t hesitate to say it\u2019s all in the angles. The angle can completely change the image\u2019s vibe and emotion of the image \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

\u2013 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.<\/p>\n

Terraza explained: \u201cSure, 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\u2019s not just a boring wheel, but you get the wheel plus the fender or door. Maybe even the body of the car, if possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing creative with the angles makes the pictures that much more satisfying and unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Focus
\n\"splitterImage Credit: Johan Terraza<\/p>\n

So, what should you focus on when taking these angled shots? Sometimes, it\u2019s not as obvious as getting the car\u2019s 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<\/a>, you may want to show off their aerodynamic shape and sharp body lines. Maybe you want to show off a supercar\u2019s<\/a> plush interior and attention to detail.<\/p>\n

For Terraza, it\u2019s 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\u2026 \u201cIf it\u2019s aftermarket, there\u2019s the focus you should bring out in a photo.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Terraza, it\u2019s about showing off the \u201camount of hard work, time, and money\u201d that\u2019s gone into a car. This can show off what makes the car special and how much the owner cars about it, whether it\u2019s just an extremely clean and well-cared-for stock model or a modified vehicle that shows dedication and creativity.<\/p>\n

The Process
\n\"girlImage Credit: Johan Terraza \/ Model: @Gattanix<\/p>\n

Once you have the gear and strategy in mind, you\u2019ll start to get a process down that works for you. When Terraza is at a car meet, he\u2019ll start snapping pics of the cars he likes. These are often JDMs, but he\u2019ll take notice of any car that appeals to him. Sometimes he\u2019ll even take pics of the owners with their car to show their bond and personality.<\/p>\n

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\u2026 Just play around with the shot. You\u2019ll start to see which angles work the best for that car and its features.<\/p>\n

Terraza will also snap two pics of each shot just in case one is blurry. It\u2019s always good to have a backup when you go home to edit. In fact, that\u2019s his favorite part of the process (and I often see him asking people to send him their raw car pics to edit when he\u2019s bored). He said: \u201cThe best part of taking car pics is coming home to edit and seeing the reactions from others on how certain photos turn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Payoff
\n\"carImage Credit: Johan Terraza<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re taking Instagram pics of cars, sometimes the finished product is not for you. Maybe you don\u2019t like certain types of cars or you dislike certain modification choices. But this image is not about what you like \u2014 it\u2019s about what the owner and maybe that car community like. It\u2019s about telling their story, sharing their vision, and ensuring the post really embodies the car\u2019s distinct personality and aesthetic.<\/p>\n

Terraza is still building up his following and engagement, but it\u2019s not really about the number of likes you get. How does he know a photo came out well? \u201cWhen the owner of the car or their friends wil share my posts on their stories. In the comments as well, I\u2019ll see huge amounts of positive feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

Car photos are personal. They have a lot of meaning and feeling behind them. Sometimes it\u2019s not the exact lens you use or the perfect angle. Sometimes it\u2019s truly just making the car look and feel special.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You know how the saying goes: You\u2019re not a real car enthusiast if you don\u2019t look back at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310663,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-310662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}