If you want to sell your items on eBay successfully I’m going explain some crucial points about the pictures you use to sell them. In case you’re wondering, you don’t need an expensive SLR camera to take beautiful eBay photos. A basic point and shoot digital camera model will work just fine.

There are 3 major considerations when taking photos to sell your item on eBay. The first is good lighting, the second is clear focus, and the third is relevant background.

• Good lighting is the foremost important thing you’ll need to be aware of, especially indoors where you’ll be photographing most household items and consumer goods. When you set a digital camera on auto mode, the camera will automatically find the right light settings for the photo. Usually the indoor lighting you have will be too dark. You can place your item under a window to get some nice filtered, natural light. For more light you can use a lamp. The goal is distribute even light across the photo. No hard shadows.  (Tip: Don’t use the flash close up; it will overexpose your smaller item and, as a result, you’ll loose detail. For small items, even medium size items, use external light aids such as lamps, window light, the over head light, etc.)

• Clear focus is another consideration. You’ll find that with close-up shots you may experience the shot going out of focus. To combat this, use the flower symbol setting (macro mode) if you have a really small item such as jewelry. This setting will give a macro effect and clearer definition for a close-up shot. For small items this is a very useful tool on your camera. It’s not necessary for large items such as furniture or cars. It is also important to keep the camera from moving too much, if you have a tripod for your camera this is a good time to use it.

• Relevant background. Consider what will be in the background of your photo. Make sure there are no children, dogs, or irrelevant objects in your photo. For example, if you are photographing your item and your room will be viewed as the background -- then clear the coffee table, put a nice vase of flowers on it, and make sure everything that is going to appear in your photo is relevant to the item you are selling. If you can’t remove the irrelevant things out of your photo, then move in closer to your item. By moving in closer you can eliminate unnecessary visual distractions at either side of the frame. You’d be amazed how much a photo is improved by simply moving in closer. (TIP- If you do include the coffee table in your photo, make sure you tell people the coffee table is not for sale.) So many times I see people advertising their items such as dresses or suits, on the front lawn. Items being photographed for selling on eBay should be in context of how they are to be used and/or on a neutral background.  For clothing and furniture you don’t have to take it outside to get more light, a sparkly item of jewelry looks best in a case or against a pure white or pure black background; a sofa looks best in a living room. You get the idea.

To summarize, just remember you need twice or three times as much lighting as you think you do and the angle at which you take the photo is very important. For closer items use the flower symbol setting (macro mode), and for items far away, remember to eliminate as many background distractions as possible.

There is a whole lot more you need to know about photographing indoors to make your eBay photos as professional as you can, but these are the main ones we use to get better looking photos. If you want to study more about taking digital pictures, we always recommend training and more knowledge obtained through reputable sites (that I personally have visited in the past), like DigitalPhotographySuccess.com that offers great information for beginners and intermediate photographers. Good luck with your selling!

Linda's Camera World
eBay User ID: Lindas_Camera_World