Marinucci: Simple steps improve in-shop photographs

Several basic but proven steps may improve the quality substantially of validation photographs taken at your tire dealership or service shop.

A validation photograph simply documents a condition for the benefit of someone who cannot personally inspect it. For example, a customer cannot visit the bays to examine an unexpected problem such as a broken suspension bushing, badly bent wheel or leaking radiator.

In other situations, a vendor may need to inspect a prematurely worn part or an odd breakdown on a piece of shop equipment.

Whether the challenge involves a broken vehicle or failed tools and equipment, a picture really is worth a thousand words toward a prompt solution. Observing a problem firsthand just may not be practical or possible.

However, pictorially documenting something with crisp, clear photographs has proved to be an enormous help to automotive service personnel throughout the industry. As far back as the 1970s, I have encountered owners and managers who documented various problems with "instant-picture" cameras such as those popularized by Polaroid.

When you snapped a picture with this Polaroid camera, it literally rolled out a print for you; there was no need to send raw film to a photo-developing specialist.

(To this day, some folks refer to a print from an instant-picture camera as a "Polaroid.")

More recently, relatively inexpensive and compact digital cameras have come on the market; these products can create impressive digital images for either business or personal purposes.

A digital camera often produces pictures in practical electronic formats such as JPG files. You can email a typical JPG to someone very easily or print it on the nearest printer.

More recently, cellular telephones have advanced far enough to take startling good digital pictures. What's more, they offer users the choice of either emailing or texting photos.

Allow me to emphasize a basic goal. Sending a digital photo to a customer or vendor should persuade them to agree with your assessment of a problem. Traditionally, clearer and more-expressive photos tend to be the most persuasive ones.

Over the last 20 years or so, experience has taught me a bitter truth about these extraordinary camera technologies: These advancements may not guarantee production of a clear, meaningful photograph.

Rather than being an automatic result, picture-taking still requires using the equipment correctly and heeding some precautions. Attention to a few details may easily turn an average or unusable photo into an excellent, persuasive one.

I have reviewed dozens of digital pictures over the last 25 years. The problems I encounter seem to fall into three basic categories. For one thing, the photo may be too dark – or, as we said in the days of film – badly underexposed.

Second, the photo is blurry because the user did not hold the camera or cell phone steady. Or, they did not focus it on the subject correctly.

Third, the photo lacks impact because the photographer did not choose a subject and concentrate effectively on that subject.

First and foremost, be sure you have read the operating instructions for the camera or cell phone thoroughly. Sometimes, locating and watching a product-specific tutorial on the Internet clarifies vague areas of the operator's manual.

Or, the online video addresses potential users' mistakes that the manual did not.

Second, practice shooting very basic pictures of basic subjects again and again. Visualize the area or "landscape" your camera or cellphone viewer covers.

In particular, practice identifying the key subject of the photo — your son, your dog, your car's front grille. Then center that subject in the middle of the viewer to the best of your ability.

Third, heed the focus icon or warning within that camera or cell phone. For example, the device's viewer may show a green or yellow symbol — perhaps a circle or rectangle — on the subject when its electronics have "locked onto" the subject.

Countless times I have seen people curse a camera or cell phone for blurry pictures because they failed to learn the focusing format. Instead of pausing for a moment to be sure the focus icon appeared, they shot photos at random.

Consequently, some of their digital pictures looked sharp but many were blurry.

Fourth, practice moving closer to that centered subject, noting how close you can get while still seeing that "in-focus" symbol or icon. You may surprise yourself at how much better the picture appears after you have "filled the viewer frame" with the subject and waited for the in-focus confirmation.

Once you have become confident shooting these basic pictures, you probably are ready to shoot underhood and undercar photos at the shop. One major difference is that you may not shoot an effective photo unless you active the device's flash.

No pun intended: Using a flash often makes a night-and-day difference in the clarity and quality of in-shop photos.

I think you can build your confidence on in-shop photos the same way I did. When you are not interrupting a technician's work, choose a component under the hood or under the vehicle. Center that component within your viewer, wait for an in-focus symbol and take a picture.

I predict that you usually will have to use the flash ion order to get a clear picture; sometimes you may have to supplement the flash with light from a shop light. Usually, some trial-and-error will guide you on use of supplemental lighting.

Finally, remember that cleaning up a distracting or confusing background often improves a photo immensely — not to mention eliminates the need to doctor up the picture electronically. Sometimes, blocking the background of the subject area with a drop cloth, old blanket, fender cover or sheet of scrap cardboard suffices. Satisfy yourself as to which color background works best for your pictures.

Some managers keep a sheet of paper, cardboard or a discarded table cloth hidden away until they need it to block out a background for a photo.

Overall, I believe that in-shop photography is easier than some readers realize. Pay attention to these details and practice a bit.