eBay Photography: The Basics

Here at SHOPitLA, we photograph dozens of unique items a day. Customers at our Los Angeles drop off store consign everything from guitars to designer purses and everything in between. Photographing and listing these items on eBay requires a lot of knowledge about what eBay buyers want to see when searching for items to bid on.

Camera
The camera you choose actually isn't as important as you might think. Most digital cameras these days have enough resolution and features to be suitable for eBay photography. Personally, I think having a compact camera that gives you some manual controls is far superior. Most manufacturers offer models that fit that bill and won't break the bank (e.g. the Canon A series, the Sony W5, etc). Obviously, you'll get better results with better cameras, but the point is, you don't need to invest in a $1,200 SLR for eBay photos when a good point and shoot will work just fine.

Studio
You'll need a suitable area to shoot your photos. Shooting photos in your living room or on your desk is bound to mean distracting clutter in the photo. Here at SHOPitLA, we have two very nice shooting areas with background paper. One area has a mannequin and is used for clothes and larger items, the other area is a table top studio with a white or black infinite sweep. The infinite sweeps are nice because they give your auctions that "catalog" look without having to use stock photos.

If you are going to be shooting small to medium size items, I would highly recommend investing in a table top setup. There are several available on eBay or elsewhere on the internet, and you'll have to choose one based on your needs and budget.

So now you've got a nice table top studio with a roll of white paper and beautiful infinite sweep for your items. At a minimum, you'll need two soft light sources. DO NOT USE YOUR ON-CAMERA FLASH! This is the quickest way to ruin your photos and make your auctions look amateurish.

Your two lights can be anything from professional studio lights with umbrellas (what we use at SHOPitLA), or a couple of Hope Depot work lights through a couple of pieces of white typing paper. Whatever you use, make sure your light is even and diffused enough not to create hot spots on your item.

Finally, if you're shooting small electronics often, I would highly recommend getting a reflective surface. Shiny tile works best but a piece of Plexiglas does the trick and can be had for cheap. For some reason, nothing says "high tech" like a reflective surface.

Next up... BEYOND THE BASICS