This guide will go through the basic equipment, set-up and techniques required to take successful, attractive pictures to use on eBay listings

Digital or Film?

While using a digital camera is certainly less hassle if you are shooting multiple pictures of products for sale, it is not required. If you prefer to work with film, or would rather not invest in a new camera almost any film camera will suffice for taking pictures of your items. Depending on which route you go, you will need the following supplies to optimize your product pictures:

Essential equipment

If you are using a film camera you will want to have:

• Minimum of 400 ISO film
• Access to a scanner or a photo-developing place that offers a scan to disk or upload to Internet service

If you are using a digital camera you will want to have:

• A resolution of 2 Megapixels or more on your camera
• A Memory card 
• USB cable to connect the camera to your computer (you will need to have a USB port on your computer. Almost all computers manufactured within the last decade will have a USB port.

Regardless of whether you are using digital or film you will most likely need some set-up equipment. These materials vary and are not absolutely essential to product photography, but will enable you to take much better photographs of your items. These materials are discussed in the next section.

Setting up to take pictures

Since you are taking these pictures in order to sell your items, the idea is to have the item really *pop*. You want the item to really stand out in the photograph so that people's eyes are drawn to it immediately. So while it may be tempting to take in the lovely scenic view through your window when photographing your vase, it is best to eliminate any distracting background and instead go with the simplest, clearest look. The first thing you'll need for this is a background.

• Background: A plain, solid black, white or neutral gray background work best.  In this way you can maximize contrast and really draw attention to your product. In some cases a colored background will work well for an item, but it's important to choose a color that compliments the color of the product and does not draw attention away from it. It is best if your background is flat, such as stiff, smooth cardboard, or taut fabric. If you use fabric, choose something smooth that does not attract lint. 
• Lighting: An area that receives ample natural indirect light is ideal. Direct sunlight will cause unsightly shadows. If you don't have access to an area like this, or will be shooting when there is no natural light available, you may want to either purchase studio lights or use any free-standing, movable light with daylight or halogen bulbs of at least 100Watts (preferably more). It is best not to use a flash when photographing your items as this can distort the color of the items and cause dark shadows immediately behind the object.
• Minimizing Shadows and Glare: In any direct light situation, you will be faced with the problem of shadows. Shadows can drastically change the appearance of your item and cause the loss of important details and shape. To combat this problem, it's best to illuminate the object from two or more angles. One light on either side and slightly above the item works well. Again to minimize shadows and also to combat glare from the light reflecting off the object it's best to diffuse direct light using some kind of screen. Transclucent white fabric such as muslin kept flat and held firmly in place (e.g. with clamps or clothespins) accomplishes this well. You'll want to place your lights about a foot away from your screen on the outside. Light can also be diffused with a softbox.

There are kits available that you can buy which incorporate all of these things already so you don't have to think about it much. They generally consist of a box shape with transluscent fabric sides through which you can shine light from multiple directions,  one or more backgrounds (usually white, black and gray stiff card), and halogen lights. Some kits also have a mount for your camera so that you do not need a tripod. The kits vary in terms of size and materials so it's important if you are buying one that you choose something that will be suitable for most of the products you'll be photographing as they are usually not very adjustable. They can range in price from around $40 to hundreds of dollars depending on what you get.

Technique

• Keeping the camera still: In order to take the best pictures possible it is preferable that the camera be kept still. This can be accomplished with a tripod or monopod, or by resting the item on a flat surface. A tri- or monopod works best since you can then keep the camera still at whatever angle you choose.
• Angle/perspective: The angle that you photograph your item at can be very significant if it is a larger item. Think of an object like a chair. If you view it from above you are not able to see how long its legs are, it just looks like a seat at some unspecified height. If you were to photograph it from below looking up, it might look like giant redwood because it would seem so tall. In order to maintain the proportions of your item correctly it is important to photograph the item approximately directly in front of you. With smaller items such as jewelry, or pottery this may not be as important but for larger items it is key.

Some final tips:

• Always take more pictures than you'll need to allow for things you may not have noticed. Photograph 3-Dimensional items from several different angles and include the various shots in your listing.   
• Depending on how much photographing you'll be doing and for what purpose, you may want to consider investing in some photo-editing software. Most digital cameras will come with some kind of software that you can use for your basic needs, such as cropping and resizing. They will also have tools that you may or may not use such as adjusting the brightness/contrast of your pictures, correcting colors, or clearing something from the background.   

Whether you are selling one or two things from your garage, or planning to start a business on eBay, these tips will help you create the best pictures of your items. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, well in this case a picture's worth can be measured in sales and in cold hard cash.  

Best of luck with your listings!