A Mini Lesson On eTent Softbox Product Photography for eBay Sellers

   The goal of product photography is to not only show a good representation of the item - but to inspire some emotion from the viewer. Hopefully, if you've done your job well enough your photo will make the sale.
   So, here is a mini-lesson in product photography and how to use an eTent softbox to improve your product photography.
   Lighting:  For both sets of photographs I used two 500 watt halogen shop lights that I purchased at the local hardware store. One light went on each side of the tent facing into the center of the tent.

Set-Up: Let's Start with an easy photo shoot first: The Leatherman Micra Tool.

First Shot (before) I simply shot the item the way a lot of eBay photos are shot: set on the table and shot down using a flash:

For the second photograph I put the tool inside the eTent. 

• The opening facing up. 
• I set the tool on a white piece of glossy paper. 
• I turned the flash unit off
• Turned the two halogen lamps on
• Set the camera to macro mode
• Adjusted the exposure control to slightly overexpose the image
• Turned on the camera's white balance
• Shot the photo

That's it!

* The only photo retouching done on this second Leatherman tool photo (above) was to resize it.

Set-Up Number Two: The Art Glass Vase.

   I wanted to WOW the viewer right off with the wonders of this item so I wanted an attention grabbing photo. Did I manage? I hope so - here's how I did it (and the final results at the end): 
   I started out by placing the vase in a typical eBay setting - on a table with no notice of background. I also just shot the first angle that I thought about. Slightly above looking down on the vase. Many eBay sellers take their photos from a distance. It almost looks like they are afraid to get close to their item. This again, looks like so many eBay photos.

In the second photo I put the vase inside the eTent

•  Got down to eye level with it.I turned the flash unit off
• Turned the two halogen lamps on
• Set the camera to macro mode 
• Adjusted the exposure control to slightly overexpose the image 
• Turned on the camera's white balance
• Shot the photo

That's it!

   I wanted to show the detail & shape of this beautiful piece. The second photo above is something to be proud of - but again, I wanted to make this photo WOW my viewers so I decided that removing the background would help viewers focus in on the item. With that in mind,  I took the photo above to my photo retouching software.

AND PRODUCED:

   I used the flood fill in my photo editing software (Paintshop Pro) to erase the background. I used the background fill button and choose white for my background color. The finished photo has that floating on air look that is so desireable in product photography. Now I know this vase will go for top dollar! The technique outlined above is just one of many ways to produce a photo with a white background. There are lots of tools and tricks to  produce the white floating on air look (know as High Key in photography terms). This to me using the flood fill is a simple and easy way to do it, other photographers have their favorite methods.

   I hope you found this article informative. The second I saw an eTent I knew it was a solution to a lot of the problems I faced as an eBay photographer. I hope you find your's as useful!