Tips for Taking Pictures of Your Vehicles

Pictures can be worth a thousand words — and can generate some additional revenue too. Owners have told our team that they have seen more rental activity once they replaced their vehicle stock photo with an actual photo of their vehicle. Renters seem to check out vehicle listings where Owners have updated photos of their vehicles first because they want to know what they’re renting before they reserve. Add photos of your truck, tractor, or trailer to the platform to attract more renters to your listing to get more requests and make more money.

At the most basic, make sure you upload photos of the:

• Front of the Vehicle
• Sides of the Vehicle
• Back of the Vehicle
• Inside Cab of the Vehicle for Non-Trailers
• Inside Cargo Space for Trucks/Trailers

Our goal is to help you add a mix of photos so potential renters get an accurate view of the entire vehicle. Let’s go through our top 5 photo tips to get your vehicle rented on COOP.

#1 Prepare to Take Good Photos

Good photos are more likely to draw Renters toward your listing. Preparing your camera and vehicle correctly is key to taking good photos. Consider lighting, background, cleanliness, and focus when you take photos. Renters like to see what they’re getting, so might as well look your best!

• Use the sun to get good lighting. Photograph your vehicles at dawn or dusk with minimal shadows on the vehicle.
• Stage photos of the vehicle against a plain background. A blank side wall or greenery behind the vehicle works well.
• Clean up your vehicle. Represent your vehicle the way that you want it to be returned – sweep the interior and maybe wash any gunk off the exterior.
• Take photos in landscape orientation. Hold the phone horizontally when photographing, this way you capture as much of the vehicle in the photo as possible.
• Make sure the photo is focused. Tap the screen of a smartphone or rack your camera lens after you’ve framed a shot; this way none of the good details are lost.

In just a few minutes, capture and upload the following photos to secure days of rental revenue for your business. Below we’ll go over how to take photos of front, sides, back, and inside your vehicle so that everything is covered.

#2 Capture the Angle Shot

The first thing Renters wants to see when they click into your listing are wide-shots of all sides of a vehicle. Once the preparations to take a good photo are complete, in a minute you can have a photo that will demand attention on the platform.

This classic frame is a sure-thing to attract Renters to your rental. When you take a photo from this angle, from the nose of the truck to the rear axle, capture the whole truck in one frame. Fill as much of the frame as possible with the truck and don’t crop anything out.

It’s important for renters to see all sides of the vehicle, so try to get it from all 4 corners. See below for some examples of how to get this perfect first-impression photo.

#3 Highlight Your Special Features

Go in close for the feature photograph. Really highlight the special specs that make your vehicle the best choice. For the Renter, access to certain features will often determine if your vehicle is the right one for them.

These are good shots to take in a very tight frame, capturing only the thing you want to point out. Features that you would want to highlight for Renters include a refrigeration unit, good tires, e-tracks, a lift-gate, or roll doors.

#4 Show off the Vehicle’s Cargo Capacity

It can be helpful for Renters to understand how a vehicle could operate for them. Photos of your vehicle’s cargo space and carrying capacity will help them see how it would work for their haul. Show the interior space and the hitches so that they know they’re getting the right truck for the job.

If you’re listing a box truck, trailer, or cargo van, show Renters what they can expect when they open the hatch. Face the vehicle away from the sun so that it naturally lights up the inside of the vehicle when you open the cargo space. Make sure any features like steel floors or wood floors are visible.

Even if you’re listing a tractor, durable tractor hitches are a great asset to show off. Renters want to know if they can hitch it to the trailer they intend to use. This also shows them whether your vehicle is a tandem or single axle tractor, which is important for Renters hauling heavy-duty cargo.

#5 Help Renters Picture Driving Your Vehicles

Sometimes, people can have a hard time visualizing a rental vehicle working for their drivers. The simplest way is to capture a shot of the cab that shows the size of the seat. This is a good chance to show off a crew cab, or any other comforts your vehicle offers. For sleepers, this should include any sleeping accommodations.

Upload Photos with Ease

Now that you know how to take a great vehicle photo that demands attention, upload them to your listings. It’s easy to upload photos to the COOP platform. Follow these simple steps and you will have the photos, which you’ve worked hard to capture, visible for renters to view in no time.

• Go to Fleet Management in your account
• Click "Vehicles" and select the vehicle you’d like to upload photos of
• In the top bar, click "Photos"
• Add photos directly onto the "Upload Photos" prompt, or click them from your files manually

Our team is here to make it as easy as possible for you to get these photos on the platform right. Contact us if you need assistance.

And if you’re looking for other ways to optimize your listing, brush up on our Best Practices for Owners.