About the role#
As an Automotive Photographer and Retoucher Intern, you will capture and finish imagery of Tesla vehicles and products. You will join the content team responsible for photography, retouching, branding, and design. This role is a hybrid position. You will shoot when the work requires it, and you will spend significant time in post-production bringing images to a polished, brand-ready standard. We are looking for someone with a strong photographic eye who also possesses deep technical skill in digital retouching.
What you'll do#
- Photograph Tesla vehicles and products in the studio and on location.
- Apply fundamentals in lighting, composition, camera operation, and on-set problem-solving.
- Support pre-production, scouting, and on-set assistance.
- Collaborate with producers and cross-functional partners to ensure capture sets up successful retouching.
- Retouch vehicle and product imagery to a brand-consistent standard.
- Execute cleanup, color and tonal work, perspective and reflection control, composites, and finishing.
- Manage multiple retouching jobs and revision rounds in parallel.
- Identify and solve issues in digital imagery.
- Maintain organized files, versions, and handoff standards.
- Work with design, engineering, factory, and sales partners.
- Participate in discussions on timing, process, and visual standards.
- Support adjacent design or content needs.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a degree in a relevant field.
- Solid photography fundamentals, including lighting, camera hardware, and composition.
- Strong digital retouching ability demonstrated in a portfolio.
- Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Capture One.
- Strong visual taste and the ability to make sound on-set and in-post judgment calls.
- Ability to manage multiple parallel projects and deliver under tight timing constraints.
- Clear visual and verbal communication skills.
- Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and dependable.
- Experience with automotive photography or retouching.
- Experience with complex product or commercial retouching.
- Experience shooting with retouching in mind.
- Experience with high-volume or batch retouching workflows.
- Experience with color management and working to brand or style guides.
Location & details#
- This internship is located in Fremont, California.
- The term runs from January 2027 through the Spring 2027 term.
- This is a full-time, on-site position requiring 40 hours per week for a minimum of 12 weeks.
About Tesla
Tesla produces electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and solar energy products. Founded in 2003, the company operates six vertically integrated factories across three continents. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and employs over 10,000 people. The organization designs, manufactures, sells, and services its products internally.
How to get in at Tesla
Applying early at Tesla provides a distinct advantage because recruiters review candidates before the applicant pool becomes unmanageable. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you apply among the first and get seen before the pile grows. Reaching out to the right people often yields better results than submitting to a general queue. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the position or a referral, which materially improves your response rates.
