We know promotion of a company that hooked us up-or trying to help out a friend-is how we roll, but it doesn't make for good pictures. Pictures A and B are identical, except for the business cards. Notice how clean it looks without business cards, flyers, or any other promotional material. This also goes for side window trim and the front windshield. Remember, cleaner is better. Even trash around the truck has a bearing on whether or not it makes it in. If there is too much debris, we're not going to ask MT Art Director Chris to spend hours removing the trash in the photo.
This example is the big killer:
Stacking crap in front of your truck. It's great that you have extra parts to get rid of, but don't put them in front of your truck. Spend a few minutes and put that stuff on eBay.com or Craigslist.org; anywhere other than in front of your truck at a show. Also while we are on this subject, no one really cares about the trophies you won at the last 100 shows. Leave them where they belong-at home on the shelves in your garage, or wherever you keep them. The judges at these shows should know how to judge your truck, let it speak for itself. The overall presentation is what draws editors to your truck, and the more time that is spent on this will make the truck more appealing.
Tips To Shoot An Eye-Catching Pic
After digging through the countless letters and digital submissions of readers' rides, we've had it with images of cool trucks that we can't run because we can hardly tell what we're looking at. The Ridin' Around segment in Mini Truckin' receives lots of entrants, but a large number of them are unusable because of the poor photography. Don't take it personally, the photo bug doesn't usually bite truck enthusiasts-unless you happen to be at a bikini contest, then everyone seems to be a photographer.In an effort to help guide you, our readers, we've decided it's in our best interest to show you the basics when it comes to photography.
Keep your composition simple, clean, and cool. Be prepared not to get your images back. Spend the extra cash and get your prints in 5x7-inches, so the resolution will be good for print.
If you have a computer, send us a hard copy of the text, but also a disk containing the text and possibly the digital image. If you choose to submit your photos via e-mail, do not-I repeat DO NOT-resize the photos to make it easier in sending e-mail. Most email systems send up to 10 Megs of information in an e-mail. If you have to send four e-mails, we would rather see high-resolution photos then thumbnails that we can't run.
When you read Ridin' Around, look at how much text is used in the edit. Call out the products you want listed, and if you have a story behind the build, make it short and sweet. If your truck has a ton of modifications, list your mods in order of priority with the important stuff first. Make sure you supply your name, where you live, and the vehicle's year, make, and model.
These instructions will help you get your truck listed in our Ridin' Around section of the book. And who knows? It may even turn into a feature.