I'm not thinking of myself as of a photographer, but from time to time my friends ask me how do I make photos of items I sell over the internet. That's why I decided to write this short guide. Keep in mind that this text is about how I make these photos, at home (on the cheap), not how it's done in a professional studio.

"classic" auction photo vs. a good one

Camera & equipment

First thing to know, is that you do not need an expensive 10Mpix camera to make a good looking photo for your auction. A 2-3Mpix camera will be just fine. You will also need:

• a mid-size room with a window,
• a table,
• a large piece of white paper(about B0 size, ~1,5m x 1m),
• a steady hand(or better a tripod).

Setting the scene

We need a nice background for our to-be-sold item, that will not distract the viewer from the item. It's really simple to do, take the paper sheet and spread it on a table, as shown below:

As you see, the table needs to be by the wall and preferably near a window.

The light

Good light is the key to a good photo and by 'a good light' I mean sunlight Yeah, that's the cheapest way to get a well exposed photo of your item with some delicate, soft shadows. I always try to make my photos in the morning when the natural light passes through the windows.

Of course, there are times when we have to shoot the photos in the evening or on a cloudy day, then we are forced to use artificial light. If that happens, you should use at least 2 lamps on both sides of the item. Here is a comparison between natural light from the window and artificial light (three standard home lamps on the left, right and top):

(Move mouse cursor over the image to see the difference)

What about the camera's built-in flash? Don't use it;) As the object is quite close to the camera, using the flash causes ugly looking photos with sharp shadows and areas of overexposure (see the image at the beginning of the article).

The item

It is quite obvious, but I will mention it anyway: The item should be cleaned up and if it's an electronic device, it should be turned on when taking the photos.

The camera

Before we start shooting, one more important thing: Barrel distortion. Most of compact digital cameras have a significant barrel distortion on 0x zoom (no zoom) and that is why on most auctions you see photos like these two below. To avoid this, you should take the photos with 2x-3x zoom where the distortion is minimal or does not occur at all.

Move mouse over the images to see them with no barrel distortion(3x zoom used)

Unfortunately, with the zoom extended, the focal length(F-number) will probably drop down to about F4.0-F4.6 depending on camera lens. That means, in short, you will need a tripod to keep the pictures sharp.

The Shooting

Everything's set up, you can start shooting. Here are some final tips:

• Take at least 3-5 shots of each picture. It's digital and it's free. You can select and use the best looking one,
• Always use max resolution your camera has and then scale down the image using a graphics software, which will do it better,
• It's not that hard as you think. Be patient,
• Questions? Please write to me or leave a comment below ;)

(Some photos of my stuff I sold)