How I learned to create before and after photos that actually get me detailing jobs

When I started my detailing shop in my garage six years ago, I thought taking pictures of dirty cars was a waste of time, but I was dead wrong.

1. Ditch the fancy camera. I wasted $850 on a DSLR that sat in a dusty drawer because my cheap phone takes better, quicker shots. I just wipe the polish grease off the lens with my shirt.

2. Tape off a 50/50 split. On a nasty Honda Civic hood, run a strip of green painters tape right down the middle and polish just one side. This is the absolute easiest way to create before and after photos that instantly prove your value.

3. Get cheap LED work lights. Overhead shop lights wash everything out and make paint scratches disappear online. I bought two $45 yellow tripod lights from the hardware store and angle them at 45 degrees to show the actual swirl marks.

4. Match your framing. To create before and after photos that look authentic, keep your camera position identical. Take the first photo, leave your feet planted in that exact spot, do the work, and then take the second one.

5. Send them to the client first. Before posting to social media, I text the side-by-side shot to the owner to show them what they are paying for. I send these finish photos and the final invoice text through fixyflow.com.

Doing this helped double my average ticket size to $350.