Now listen carefully: the motorcar photography tips on the two pages hotlinked below are not merely general hints for you to "glance at and follow loosely"; they're very specific "paint-by-the-numbers" guidelines by a motorcar photography expert that will virtually assure you that you'll be taking knock-'em-dead--indeed, professional-quality--photos of your car... and quickly! For example:

Your flash: when I advise you to make sure your flash works every time you snap your shutter, don't conclude I must be talking to everyone else: I'm talking directly to you. Make absolutely certain that your camera is set for "forced flash" or "outdoor flash" so that your flash discharges with every single shot you take... no exception. Is there anything you find unclear about that piece of advice?

"Low sun" advisory: for your "paint job" shots of your car (broadside shots, 3/4-view shots, frontal shots, etc.), when I counsel you that the sun MUST be down low--near dawn or dusk--that means if you point your finger at the sun, your arm will be horizontal (or near-horizontal), NOT pointed up toward the sky. This (low, horizontal) sun is perfect light for capturing the color and the beauty of your paint job. [Harsh, high-in-the-sky sun is the very worst illumination you can choose to photograph your car—it virtually guarantees that all the top surfaces of your car will be bleached out, your windshield and chromed parts will reflect blinding glare, and the lower parts of your car will be a shadowy, colorless, murky mess.]

Your engine and cockpit shots: when I advise you to shoot your engine and cockpit outdoors and in bright daytime SHADE (the shade of a building—not tree shade), that means OUTDOORS AND IN BRIGHT MID-MORNING OR MID-AFTERNOON SHADE... WITH NOTHING BUT OPEN SKY OVERHEAD, it doesn't mean "under direct sunlight," it doesn't mean dusk/evening (dark) shade, and it doesn't mean "in your garage." The likelihood that you'll capture good photographs of your engine or cockpit under direct sunlight is zero. ZERO.

Now, just one more time: YOUR ENGINE: position your engine compartment directly over something bright white—a white shower curtain, a smooth white bedsheet... something white. WHITE. For some reason, many folks fail to heed that very effective engine photography tip. Just test my gentle suggestion to position your engine over a white shower curtain (about $6 at Wal-Mart) or a white flat bedsheet—and still outdoors, in bright mid-morning or mid-afternoon shade—you'll discover that your engine-compartment shots will be SIGNIFICANTLY brighter and better illuminated.

Your head on/direct frontal shots: when I say "Your camera MUST be very close to the front of your car [hint: measure off precisely 6 feet]—that doesn't mean it's okay to be farther away and just "zoom-in" with your lens: it means specifically that—if you want to achieve the desired "menacing perspective of an approaching hammerhead shark"—your camera lens MUST be about 6 feet (±1.8 meters) in front of your car. No exceptions. Shoot with your camera at various heights, from just above your grille opening to about the vertical center of your windshield (windscreen).

Follow my expert tips to the letter and you'll be assured of capturing excellent (i.e., superb, dazzling, awesome, magnificent) photos of your serpent. Next: click on #1/JumpStart Version below (and print it out):

1. The JumpStart version: Click here to go to the "prints-on-one-page" version of Curt's Motorcar Photography Tips step-by-step advisory. It's a mere 6-minute read--so PRINT IT OUT, read it carefully and take it along with you as a reminder checklist. Tip: this high-resolution condensed version prints out beautifully on glossy or semi-gloss inkjet paper.

PHONE CURT FIRST-after you've looked over the gallery of excellent amateur Cobra photography hotlinked above, and after you've printed out and read Curt's MPT/Motorcar Photography Tips (The JumpStart version, above)...but before you photograph your car... at

Curt's personal tips specific to your own car (tips specific, for example, to its paint color and livery, the interior color(s), the engine, how to best photograph your hard top or soft top, your shooting location, et al.) and specific to the digital camera you'll be using will save you time and help to ensure your photos will show off your car in all its breathtaking beauty!

2. The FULL version: Click here if you wish to read all of Curt's advice and see all the carefully-selected accompanying photographs in the full, unabridged version of Curt's Motorcar Photography Tips. But lissen-up: don't even think about attempting to print out this full version.

 Above: Turk Ercen (Vacaville, California) captured this image of his E.R.A. 427SC. 
If he hadn't used his flash, this fine shot would've been a throwaway.

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