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Every GM knows the feeling. A fresh batch of trades hits the lot, a transport truck unloads new inventory, and the same question starts circling: When is the photographer coming? Then, once they’ve come and gone: When are the photos going live?
It’s a small question that never stops being asked. And every day a car sits online without real photos is a day it’s working at half strength, or not at all.
As you plan for the new year, here’s one thing worth taking off your plate for good: waiting on someone else’s schedule to merchandise your inventory.
The Problem Isn’t the Photos. It’s the Waiting.
Most dealers who use an outside photographer aren’t unhappy with the pictures themselves. The frustration is everything around them. The photographer comes on certain days. Weather pushes things back. Holidays, sick days, and busy routes all create gaps. Meanwhile, units keep arriving, and your team is left checking listings, chasing updates, and fielding the same question from sales: “Are the photos up yet?”
That’s time and attention your store shouldn’t be spending.
In-House Vehicle Photography Puts You on Your Own Schedule
When your photo process lives in-house, the calendar stops being the bottleneck. Your photographer is on your lot, on your team, and can shoot seven days a week without waiting for a slot on someone else’s route. A car comes in on Saturday, it gets shot on Saturday, which shortens the time from lot to live. No backlog building up until the next visit.
And once the photos are taken, we take it from there.
Photos Go Live. Reports Land in Your Inbox.
This is where it really comes off your plate. After your photographer shoots a vehicle, the photos are processed and posted. You don’t have to track them down, upload them, or check whether they made it to your listings.
Instead of wondering what’s happening, you get reports sent straight to your inbox. You’ll know what’s been shot, what’s live, and where things stand, without asking anyone and without logging into anything unless you want to.
Want to Dig Deeper? It’s All in Autoport®.
Some GMs want the headline numbers and nothing more. Others like to get into the details: individual vehicles, timing, what’s still outstanding. If that’s you, everything is available in Autoport®. You can see as much or as little as you want, whenever you want.
As Hands-Off or Hands-On as You Like
That’s really the point. Bringing photos in-house isn’t about giving you one more process to manage. It’s about giving you a process that runs on its own and keeps you informed along the way.
If you want to set it and forget it, the reports will keep you in the loop. If you want to be closely involved, the tools are there. Either way, you’re no longer waiting on a photographer’s schedule, and you’re no longer the person everyone asks about it.
Start the Year With One Less Thing to Chase
You have enough on your desk going into the new year: goals, staffing, inventory, margins. Your vehicle photos shouldn’t be one of the things you’re chasing.
Bring the process in-house, let your photographer shoot whenever the cars arrive, and let us handle the rest. You’ll know what’s happening because it’ll be in your inbox, and you’ll be free to focus on the parts of the business that actually need you.
Ready to take vehicle photos off your plate? Book a demo and see how in-house vehicle photography works for your store.
FAQs
What does in-house vehicle photography mean?
It means the photographer works on your lot as part of your team, rather than an outside vendor who visits on a set schedule. Your photographer shoots the vehicles, and we handle everything after that, from editing to posting. Not sure where to start? Here’s what dealers get wrong when building an in-house team and how to train new dealership photographers.
How quickly will my vehicles get photographed?
Because your photographer is on-site, they can shoot seven days a week without waiting for a scheduled visit. Vehicles can be photographed as soon as they arrive instead of sitting until the next appointment.
Do I have to upload or post the photos myself?
No. When your photographer finishes shooting a vehicle, the photos upload to us. Our team edits them and posts them to your sites, so you don’t have to upload anything, track photos down, or check whether they made it to your listings.
How will I know what’s been shot and what’s live?
Reports are sent straight to your inbox, so you can see where things stand without asking anyone or logging in.
Can I see more detail if I want it?
Yes. Everything is available in Autoport®, where you can dig into individual vehicles and see as much detail as you’d like.
How involved do I need to be?
As involved as you want. Some GMs rely on the inbox reports and leave it there, while others like to get into the details in Autoport®. The process runs either way.
