The Idiot's Guide to eBay Photography

This lens will help you get started to having professional looking pictures for your eBay listings.  In this lens, you will learn how to:

• Find a decent camera
• Find a tripod
• Set up good lighting
• Create a great photography studio
• Taking a fantastic photo
  
• Basic Photo composition
• Photo Selection
  

Here is a list of things you will need for your "studio":

1. Camera - hard to take pictures without it, eh?
2. Tripod - a must for taking crisp, clear pictures
3. Table & Cloth - have one black and one mid-gray cloth to cover the table
4. Lighting - Floor lamp or spotlight of some kind
5. Computer - (a little self-evident)
6. Image editing software - to upload your pictures

That's it!  I bet you thought it was more involved than that.  I promise it isn't.  Now for the fun part!

Honestly, the most I know about Tripods is that they have three legs and hold a camera.  However, unless you are shooting in direct sunlight or incredibly bright light, a digital camera has a tendency to take blurry pictures inside.  This is mostly due to a slow shutter speed.

In any case, if you have problems with your camera taking blurry photos, then a tripod is a must to taking professional photos. 

They are available in everything from a small 12" table tripod up to 4' tall and higher.  Go with what works best for your photography set up.  This is all about the comfort for you.

Samsung Digimax A503 Digital Camera - Black - 5.0 Megapixels - 5x Digital Zoom - 2 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD





HP Photosmart M417 5.2 Megapixel Digital Camera - 3x Optical & 7x Digital Zoom

Easy to use, great for taking shots from a distance, fast at red-eye removal, able to enhance details in shadows. This 5.2 megapixel camera is all that, plus its eye-popping snapshots and enlargements will knock off your socks. Zero in on your subjects with the 21x total zoom or frame them from further back. Review the results on the bright 1.8 display.

Olympus FE-240 Digital Camera - 7.1 Megapixels - 16:9 - 5x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2.5 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD

A super-slim camera packing a powerful punch. It's hard to believe this ultra-slim camera packs a powerful 5x optical zoom. Even more unbelievable is that the FE-240 also packs Bright Capture Technology, and a host of other features, in its sleek and compact frame.


HP Photosmart R827 Digital Camera - 7.2 Megapixels - 3x Optical Zoom - 8x Digital Zoom - 2.5 Color LCD

Stunning snapshots and enlargements are yours for the taking with the 7.2 megapixels Photosmart R827 Digital camera. Get close to your subjects with the 24x total zoom (3x optical, 8x digital), then admire your work on the spacious, 2.5 display. This innovative camera even helps you prevent blurred photos: it has a special steady-photo anti-shake feature. Includes long-lasting rechargeable battery.

Nikon Coolpix S5 Digital Camera - 6.0 Megapixels - 3x Optical Zoom - 4x Digital Zoom - 2.5 TFT Color LCD (Nikon USA Limited Warranty Included)

6.0 Megapixels with 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor ED Glass Lens for stunning prints as large as 16 x 20 inches Incredible, Bright 2.5 inch LCD with amazing 170 degree angle of view for enhanced viewing and sharing of pictures All-Metal with Sleek, Stylish Wave Design that fits easily into a pocket or purse Unique Rotary Multi-Selector Button makes feature selection fast and easy New! One-Touch Portrait Button automatically activates In-Camera Red-Eye Fix and Face-Priority AF to create stunning portraits; automatically activates D-Lighting in Playback eliminating overly dark pictures New! Pictmotion creates in-camera slide shows with your music; enhanced LCD allows for easy sharing of your slide show Includes Rechargeable EN-EL8 Battery and Docking Station; take up to 210 pictures on a single charge

Honestly, the most I know about Tripods is that they have three legs and hold a camera.  However, unless you are shooting in direct sunlight or incredibly bright light, a digital camera has a tendency to take blurry pictures inside.  This is mostly due to a slow shutter speed.

In any case, if you have problems with your camera taking blurry photos, then a tripod is a must to taking professional photos. 

They are available in everything from a small 12" table tripod up to 4' tall and higher.  Go with what works best for your photography set up.  This is all about the comfort for you.

Lighting is THE MOST important part of getting a good photo for your item. 

But, before we address lighting, pick up your the manual to your camera.  Find out if there is something called either a "Scene Selector" or a "White Balance Adjuster."  Make sure that this option is changed for incandescent (inside) photos.  This one setting will help you take the best pictures possible.  Also, take the flash off.  Most cameras wash out the image when the flash is on and actually take horrible pictures.

Now, back to lighting.

Use some form of indirect, but bright light.  For example, we use an octopus floor lamp.  It has five arms that are adjustable in almost any direction.  We create indirect light by having a shade on the bulb.

If you have a shiny object, indirect light is very important.  If the light is shining directly on the object, it will create a glare, making the object difficult to see in pictures.

Personally, loyalis and I prefer to be able to see a table of some kind and a wall to know that the seller actually OWNS the product they are selling rather than being a drop-shipper.  Because of this, we are actually wary of sellers that show the "floating image" on a white background.

To get great looking photographs, just set up a small table with a cloth.  Rule of thumb: If you are shooting a dark object, place it on either a mid-tone gray or white cloth, if you are shooting a light-colored object, place it on a dark colored cloth with a dark colored background.

Make sure to place your lighting source not too far away, but not shining directly on the object.

Now, set up your tripod and camera just a few feet away from the table and light.

Here is an example of one of our photos for auction:



You CAN take great pictures with a simple set up!

C'est fini!  There is your set up!

However, if you do want to get the sleeker look with the white background, check out the module below.  I have listed some EZ Cube sets that are available for purchase.  These provide indirect light and a neutral background to help shoot photos for all occasions.  The EZ Cube comes in many different packages for many different items.

Here are some basic keys to taking a great photo for your eBay auction:

White Balance

All cameras, even the most basic digital ones, have a white balance option.  This usually defaults to the outdoors (or daylight) setting.  Indoor light and fluorescent light give off a very different color of light than outdoor light.  So if you keep it on this setting and shoot indoors, your pictures usually have a very yellow tinge to them.

There are two ways to fix this:

1. Buy an expensive daylight-balanced fluorescent bulb ($30/bulb)
2. Change the setting on your camera to the inside setting (check owner's manual for instructions)
   

Personally, I think #2 is easier, and still produces awesome pictures, but it is up to you.

Take Sharp Photos

This is where your tripod is going to come in handy.  Making sure your image is crisp and sharp will greatly increase your sales.  Your customers and bidders will be able to truly see the quality of the product you are offering and be more willing to buy from you if you have better pictures.  See the difference between these two pictures.  Would you buy from the seller on the left or the right?

         

Get Close to your Subject

The point of the auction is to sell an item, not your home.  So get as close to your object as possible.  Try to remove extraneous things that might show in the background.  Seeing a room behind the object takes away from your item.  It is distracting. 

Also, use a macro setting for important close-up details.  If there are any amazing details you need to show, as well as any defects or wear, you will need to use this setting on your camera to show them in full. 

Remember, your reputation is everything on eBay.  In order to gain repeat customers, you need to fully disclose the good, the bad, and the ugly to potential customers.

It's okay if you flunked high school photography.  Or if you just decided not to take it because the chemicals in the dark room.  We're not trying to be Annie Leibovitz here, this stuff is easy.

What is your focal point?

Your item.

So what should your composition (how the photo is set up) be?

Your item.

Explanation:

Get rid of any distracting backgrounds, or unrelated objects.  Look through the viewfinder, and make sure that these items are removed.  Now point.  Now shoot.  Finito!

Okay, you've finished taking pictures.  Give yourself a pat on the back. 

Loyalis and I have been selling on eBay for several years now, and the picture part is his most hated part.  If you can take pictures, the rest is easy.

Selecting Photos:

The key here is honesty.  If you have an item that is chipped or worn, you need to show that to your buyers.  Good photographs can fully disclose to your customers the great or not-so-great elements of your product. 

If you are a consignor, or deal in used products, using many photographs and fully disclosing the condition of a product can help protect you from disputes and negative feedback in the future.

Photo-editing software is great.  I use Adobe Photoshop Elements to do things like crop the photo, rotate it, and can help adjust the white balance if you did not do so correctly on the camera.  However, this software is also pretty advanced, and has the ability to be deceptive to your customers.  I highly recommend it, but just be honest, and you will do well.