Dealership Photography: What’s it like?
Hindsight is 2020
Throughout 2020, I started having discussions with friends who are professional photographers on how to approach dealerships or any known connections. I asked my friend, a manager at a Volkswagen dealership, if I was able to photograph some vehicles, and he did let me use the demos to get a feel for it. The biggest obstacle was that there were only a finite number of dealerships in Calgary, and the likelihood of having a photographer or contractor was very high. I made my rounds calling, emailing, and visiting dealerships. I made sure, though, that I was as professional as possible with how I presented myself in terms of communication and appearance. Most dealerships kindly told me they already have a photographer, an easy way to say no, while a few put me on the consideration list. With no luck, I realized I probably wasn't good enough, and it was a harsh truth to accept. I looked at Car and Driver and Road & Track magazines and professional automotive photographers to see what they do that makes them successful. I kept capturing images of automotive enthusiasts, car groups, and car meets throughout Calgary and posts consistently on Instagram. I continued to experiment with different ideas and practice my skills.
Did Someone Say BMW?
That was until I got a response from a dealership; nonetheless, a BMW dealership marketing specialist wanted to meet at the dealership. We set up a meeting, my suit ready and ideas flowing. The day came, and I met the marketing specialist for that BMW dealership. They let me capture shots of the X1, X3 and 330i on the lot as an introduction. Dealership lots are bustling places with cars and people and aren't conducive to scenic images. Once the BMW marketing person saw my pictures, he had future projects he wanted to do. Keep in mind, at this point, there was no compensation, just a simple introductory shoot to test my skills.
Fast forward to the end of 2020, and my BMW marketing specialist let me know he made an introduction to the dealership group's marketing director for Calgary. I wrote a letter and some details regarding the partnership. A modest budget was approved to start, which eventually increased with increasing projects at other dealerships the group owned. The group owned Volkswagen, Honda, Hyundai, and Infiniti dealerships in Calgary.
A Typical Day
It's important to note I was photographing vehicles part-time while attending university full-time. So, it was around three to four vehicles a month from November to June, usually a mix of BMWs and one of the other brands. A typical shot day for me looked like this: a predetermined idea from the dealership, corporate, manufacturer's marketing department, or myself. It usually involved driving to the dealership to pick up the vehicle. One of the first things I do is check in with that dealership's point of contact, usually a manager or the marketing specialist who had the keys. When they saw me, the receptionist usually knew I was in for a shoot and was kind and proactive in getting the point of contact's attention. Sometimes the vehicle was not ready, so I'd wait for them to detail and fuel it up, but this was seldom. I would drive the car carefully to the locations I had pre-scouted and do an environmental assessment, that is, check the surroundings for any hazards, obstacles, positions, features, etc. I would capture various angles of the vehicle in different places and interior shots as needed. I often went out with the car throughout the day (if I got it in the morning) to get the different lighting and location availability along with night shoots. Typically, the dealership wanted the vehicles in identifiable Calgary locations to highlight they are local and cater to the city and elsewhere. Once I finished for the day, I parked the car in my underground condo parking spot, and I would return it the following day, which was the typical agreement unless I needed a vehicle for longer projects.
2022 Honda Civic Touring, 9th Ave Parkade | ©Adrien Dominguez
My then parking neighbours, one day, came to me and asked what I did as they saw me with usually BMW vehicles. I told them I was an automotive photographer and worked in marketing. The answer was satisfying, and they said it sounds like a nice gig. As with most photographers, editing can take a good chunk of one's time. I refuse to heavily Photoshop anything; instead, I mildly remove some minor blemishes and year stickers. I believe good planning, composition, and working on things at the moment should be a priority. Editing is secondary to enhancing the overall image and not changing it completely. Others will disagree with me, but I like to keep things simple. Once I finished the pictures, I would drop them into a Google Drive folder that the dealership group's marketing team had access to, and I sent an email with the link and other details.
To Infiniti and Beyond!
On several occasions, there was a unique project with particular guidelines. One example I want to highlight is the Infiniti QX55 from Infiniti Canada. Infiniti just launched the QX55 in the fall of 2020, and one of the first QX55 arrived in Calgary in the early spring of 2021, and that's where I got the email from the marketing team in the spring of 2021 asking if I wanted to shoot an Infiniti Canada project with the dealership. It was an opportunity I did not want to pass up. Next thing you know, I was in the Infiniti dealership talking to the general manager and Infiniti marketing specialist, outlining the details for the QX55. Infiniti wanted to showcase the style of the QX55 and its crossover coupé silhouette, invoking the iconic Infiniti FX in a modern urban setting. Some details were in youthful, modern, vibrant, artistic, and urban environments. I already had some ideas and locations in mind, so that wasn't concerning. What was proven to be a challenge was the time frame. I had one day with the vehicle as it was the only QX55 on the lot and a demo, so we planned it for a day where the dealership was either closed or not busy. I don't recall specifically, but I wanted to minimize the inconvenience to possible Infiniti clients so they could enjoy the vehicle.
2022 Infiniti QX55 Luxe, 12th Street | ©Adrien Dominguez
The day came when I picked up the QX55 and met up with my friend Raz downtown. Raz is a good friend of mine and joins me on occasion with projects for fun and sometimes to be a model for me. We made a quick game plan of downtown where to go. These included various Beltline murals, East Village, downtown financial sector, and overlooks of the city, i.e., Max Bell Centre. Locations are all deemed youthful, modern, vibrant, artistic, and showcasing the urban environments.
2022 Infiniti QX55 Luxe, 10th Ave | ©Adrien Dominguez
When I was taking the images at the various locations, I felt it would be good since the lighting that day was workable, and the black colour of the car lends itself to almost every situation. A circular polarizer filter was convenient that day for managing the reflections. After the shoots, I returned the vehicle, edited the photos, and sent them to the dealership and Infiniti Canada. The results speak for themselves. See the Infiniti gallery here.
There were other special projects for the dealership group, but I won't go into much detail here, but maybe in a future blog post. These are the names I called them:
2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e, Calgary Central Library | ©Adrien Dominguez
Project Calgary - Southeast
Pairing Hondas and Hyundais with local businesses to promote both
Project Airdrie
Pairing Volkswagens with local businesses to promote both
Earth Month
Showcasing the BMW X5 xDrive45e with environmentally friendly settings and the electric infrastructure
4 Series Light Painting
Showcasing the new "uncompromisingly non-conformist" 4 Series and the new kidney grilles
2021 BMW X5 xDrive40i, Park Park | ©Adrien Dominguez
All special projects like these were few compared to most of the time where it was showcasing a vehicle for social media, website, and other marketing needs.
Dealership Photography
Even part-time, I found it to be busy but enjoyable. The marketing team was great and had excellent local ideas. At the same time, dealership staff across the various dealerships were friendly and, most importantly, let me have creative control with the usual marketing shots. I put in my notice in the summer of 2021 because I graduated from university and recently accepted a teaching position in rural northern Alberta. Sadly, this would cause me to move out of Calgary.
Those were my experiences working for a dealership group as an automotive photographer; yours may vary. Would I recommend it? Yes, but with a caveat. Getting in would be the most challenging for many with little to no experience in Calgary's crowded automotive photography market. An excellent and highly detailed blog article from fellow automotive photographer Amy Shore outlines how to be a car photographer; I'll add the link here if you want more information. If you have noticed, I don't call myself a professional photographer; to this day, I still don't, and that's alright as I'm constantly learning new things every day and enjoying capturing simple moments.
2022 Honda Civic Touring Interior, Downtown Calgary View | ©Adrien Dominguez
