_{Technical Portraits can be enhanced with the addition of a dashboard drawing or vignette. If yours isn't one of the cars that has a dashboard already drawn or a vignette that is more or less the same as yours in detail and colour then it may be necessary for you to send a suitable picture, either as a conventional photographic print, a digital picture (jpeg) on a CD or emailed. graeme@classiccarportraits.co.uk No Word or other PC documents with photos imported please. Inkjet prints from desktop printers are usually unsuitable. Using Photoshop, I retouch and airbrush out the edges to create the finished vignette.}

_{Apologies is advance if the following seems obvious and I'm ' teaching grannies to suck eggs' but the following tips may be useful:}

• _{Make sure the steering wheel is straight}
• _{Sit in the back seat}
• _{Shut the front doors (hinges are sometimes just in shot)}
• _{Remove clutter and unsightly objects}
• _{Remove headrests if possible, otherwise just miss these in the shot}
• _{Set the lens to its widest angle (usually default setting) or use a wide angle lens}
  
• _{Try to include the whole dashboard and steering wheel in the shot}
• _{Exposure:- I found that open top cars were fairly easy but enclosed saloons could be difficult especially those with black dashboards. You may have to have several attempts with various settings with and without flash. If its a bright sunny day choose a time around midday when the sun is high so as not to create bright, bleached out areas or shadows on the dashboard.}
• _{Coupés: it may be necessary to photograph through the back window outside the car (after cleaning the glass thoroughly).}

_{If you achieve no satisfactory result (as I have have done on several occasions), or you no longer have access to the car then either do without an inserted picture (I can shift the elements about so as not to leave a void) or you can send a different photograph of the car altogether, perhaps an old shot with you and the car. see sample}

_{Cars that at the moment don't require you to send in a dashboard photograph as they are represented by drawings:}

_{Austin Seven}

_{Austin A30}

_{Austin A35}

_{Austin Healey Sprite Mk1 to IV}

_{Classic Mini up to 1969}

_{Daimler Dart SP250}

_{Ford Anglia 105E}

_{Jowett Jupiter}

_MGA

_{MGB, MGBGT}

_{MG Midget Mk I to 1500}

_{Morris Minor (see sample above top right)}

_{TR4, 4A, TR5 & TR6}

_{Triumph Herald & Vitesse}

_{VW Beetle (except later version at the moment)}