Frequently Asked Questions

Dealership photography, also known as lot services or inventory photography, is the process of a lot services expert taking photographs of a dealership’s current inventory of vehicles on the lot. This includes new and used vehicles, whether pre-recon (pre-reconditioning) or those that are ready for sale. 

The most important element of quality dealership photography is an understanding of what dealerships need the most to properly promote the cars they have in stock – and that’s something we’ve been experts in for over 15 years. Redline can show you the difference between good and *great* inventory photography as well as the impact it can make on your bottom line.

“Good” vehicle photography is just that – half-decent pictures of the cars you have for sale. Nothing special, nothing that attracts attention from a wide audience of potential buyers. What makes a *great* photo involves ensuring the proper angle, background, reflections, and details on a car for sale, highlighting all the things a potential buyer wants to see. In short, good photography is easy- great photography takes a deep understanding of what customers want, and how to entice them to visit your dealership. 

We take photos in the same way a salesperson sells a vehicle. We take the time to highlight all the crucial selling features, and make sure to show the condition of the vehicle in detail so customers know what to expect when they visit a dealership. We also thoroughly train our photographers to minimize background distractions by capturing vehicles at optimal angles (including what’s in the background, reflections, and shadows). In short, we make sure your photos are perfect every time.

Missing photo reports are either digital or printed breakdowns of the photos that were taken, those that couldn’t be taken (generally with an explanation as to why), and anything else pertinent to a dealership when a photographer visits to take vehicle photos. When done well, missing photo reports should make sure a dealership understands the status of all their vehicle photography, with an action plan to make sure all vehicles in a dealer’s inventory are properly photographed and put on the web to drive traffic. 

The term “time to market” refers to the amount of time that passes between when a dealership acquires a vehicle in their inventory, and when it is presented to potential customers either on the web or in a dealer’s lot. This is a critical element to helping dealerships sell their vehicles quickly and maximize their revenue from those sales. 

Communication and prioritization are key to getting cars online fast. As experts in the dealership service space for over 15 years, Redline highly recommends exterior-only pre-recon photos as well as thorough communication with sales management, detail departments, and photography in order to accomplish optimal time to market. Our approach to vehicle photography is to ensure the quickest time to market while maintaining the highest quality photography possible to help our dealer partners sell more vehicles.

The term “pre-recon” refers to the state of a vehicle prior to reconditioning, cleaning, and servicing of a pre-owned vehicle.