Become a host
  • Log in
  • Sign up
  • Become a host

  • How Turo works
  • Contact support
  • Legal
  • Insurance & protection
  • Host tools
  • Carculator

Photography with Turo

Thanks for joining us as a verified Turo photographer. Read on for important policy information, tips and tools for producing great vehicle photos, and details for how and what to submit.

Shooting requirements

Before you schedule your first shoot, please read the requirements below. These are our minimum requirements for all photography shoots, including both which shots are required for a vehicle, and how each shot should be composed.

Minimum image requirements

  • All photos must be delivered in final dimenions at least 5000px wide, and at least 3000px tall.

  • When framing the subject, assume that 20% of the image on all sides will be cropped. Our listing image aspect ratio is variable in different contexts, and you can’t assume that the edges of the image will be visible.

  • We cannot accept excessive high-ISO grain/noise.

  • We cannot accept images with a portrait aspect ratio.

  • The vehicle must be in focus at all times.

  • All photos in a set must be accurately color corrected.

  • All photos must be free of wide-angle distortion.

Exterior*
Front 3/4 angle

Front 3/4 angle

Rear 3/4 angle

Rear 3/4 angle

Front

Front

Driver's side

Driver's side

Rear

Rear

Passenger’s side

Passenger’s side

Interior
View from front door

View from front door

Front seats

Front seats

Dashboard, from the mid-backseat

Dashboard, from the mid-backseat

Dashboard, close-up

Dashboard, close-up

Back seats, from front side

Back seats, from front side

Trunk

Trunk

*All exterior photos must have the vehicle centered in frame, with a flat horizon. When shooting exteriors, you should plan to move the car’s orientation, shooting from the same camera vantage point each time. For front and rear 3/4 shots, we recommend turning wheels away from the camera.

Extras

In addition to our standardized interior and exterior photos, we require one to five additional photos of your choosing. This is your opportunity to shoot creatively, to inspire adventure, and to give the car some character.

Vehicle with bikes attached to rear rack and storage container mounted on roof

Use unique elements or features to show why this car is special. Spacious interiors, bikes on the bike rack, a closeup of that custom paint job: sell whatever makes the vehicle something special.

Vehicle driving on highway next to the ocean

Put the vehicle into the local driving landscape. From a winding road to a local landmark, make the location pop.

Host posing next to the passenger side of their vehicle

If the owner isn’t camera shy, include a portrait of them with their vehicle. We love to see our owners smiling!

Additional guidance
  • To avoid extra reflections in body paint and glass, shoot with a polarizing filter.

  • When the focus of a photo, the steering wheel must be straight.

  • Be sure the background view is free of distraction.

  • Use soft, consistent lighting throughout the shoot; for best results, we suggest shooting at sunrise, sunset, or total shade.

Shoot checklist

  • Front 3/4 angle photo

  • Rear 3/4 angle

  • Front

  • Passenger side

  • Rear

  • Driver side

  • View from front door

  • Dashboard overview

  • Dashboard close-up

  • Back seats

  • Trunk

  • Extras

Before the shoot

Equipment requirements

  • DSLR 20mpx or higher

  • At least 17mm wide angle for interior photos

  • Mid-range portrait lens, between 70mm and 105mm

  • Polarizing filter

Scheduling with the owner

Once we have put you in touch with the car owner, please email them as quickly as possible. Find a time that suits both of you; suggest the car owner several different time slots in your schedule, and let them to pick a time that best fits their needs.

Make sure you share the Owner Prep Guide included in the job details. This is a good time to remind the owner to clean their car before meeting you.

Location scouting

Scout locations with Google Maps

It’s very important to explore the nearby area to know that it will work for your shoot. Use Google Street View to confirm there aren’t going to be unexpected parked cars, busy traffic, or other undesirable surroundings.

Picture of mountain terrain from Google Maps

Ask the car owner for location suggestions

You may receive suggestions from the owner for locations. They can be a great resource to discover new locations that are convenient for both of you.

Finger pointing to a location on a printed map

Prepare the photo shoot location

You should take the lead in determining the meeting location. Once you’ve settled on a shoot location, send a Google Maps screenshot with an indication of where you will be meeting, drawn onto the map. Especially in more rural areas, this will eliminate confusion. Always have a backup plan for a closeby location.

Google Maps map

Be responsible and inspiring

Don’t let the background itself distract from showing off the vehicle. Don’t shoot cars on grass or dirt; driving off-road is a violation of Turo rental policy. Let the background compliment the style of the car: a sports car on a sweeping road, a Jeep parked on packed gravel.

Your photo shoot must not interrupt traffic or block pedestrians.

Car sitting next to the ocean in the sunset

During the shoot

Vehicle verification

If the vehicle is not operational or there are any indications of unsafe conditions, please indicate so in the upload form so we can follow up with the owner.

We do our best to verify our owners’ identities and backgrounds, but if you note any discrepancies between the owner and their Turo profile, please let us know as soon as possible at photography@turo.com.

Meeting the owner

During the meeting, be polite and professionally engaging with the car owner. Take the time to greet the owner, and make sure to thank them for taking the time to meet you.

After the shoot

With each assignment, you’ll receive directions for how to submit each set for review. Failure to follow these instructions will result in additional edits or a reshoot, which may slow your access to new assignments, and will delay payment for the shoot.

Color correction

Color correction is a key element of your photographs. Most importantly, all photos in your set need to have consistent colors.

Our default color tone at Turo is relatively warm and vibrant. If you’re shooting on a cloudy day, resulting in cool and desaturated colors, its okay to keep the cool tone, but you should consider a slight boost to the image contrast.

Car with hazy sunset in background

Example 1: Sunny

Car in cloudy weather

Example 2: Cloudy

Framing & Cropping

All photos should have a straight horizon. If your photo is rotated off axis, please straighten the image so it lies horizontally. The only exception to this rule is for non-required “hero” images.

Within our product, your photos will be cropped at a variety of aspect ratios, ranging from 5:4 to 2:1. Don’t crop too tightly; keeping the vehicle in the middle 50% of the frame at all times will guarantee your photos are usable in all instances. We strongly recommend using a 3:2 landscape aspect ratio for all photos you submit.

Cropping guidelines around photo of car

Image alterations

Your photos should accurately reflect the state of the vehicle, and we can’t accept obviously modified photos. It’s okay to make minor edits of the surroundings to showcase the vehicle itself, but no photographic edits should be made to the vehicle itself.

Front angle of car

Photos must be free of obvious manipulation

If an owner requests any specific changes to a photo – e.g. masking license plates – please refer them to photography@turo.com so we can follow up with them directly.

File export

Once you’re satisfied with your set, its time to export. We expect you to provide JPEG files only, with image quality set to maximum. The width of all images must be no less than 5000px.

All photos must be labeled in sequence with your name, formatted as

{first initial}{last name}_{photo name}.jpg

For example, here is a full set of correctly titled photos from Alex Hawk:

  • ahawk_frontangle.jpg

  • ahawk_rearangle.jpg

  • ahawk_front.jpg

  • ahawk_driverside.jpg

  • ahawk_rear.jpg

  • ahawk_passengerside.jpg

  • ahawk_fromfrontdoor.jpg

  • ahawk_frontseats.jpg

  • ahawk_dashboardbackseat.jpg

  • ahawk_dashboardcloseup.jpg

  • ahawk_backseats.jpg

  • ahawk_trunk.jpg

  • ahawk_hero1.jpg

  • ahawk_hero2.jpg

  • ahawk_hero3.jpg

Export checklist

  • All images color corrected

  • Export as high quality .jpg

  • Sized at least 5000px wide

  • Image names match upload format

  • Include all metadata in photo export