The advent of digital photography and the availability of digital cameras has made it possible for everyone to use photography as a business tool. If you have ever bought or sold anything on an online auction you will know the importance of good clear photographs. Clear and accurate pictures of items for sale are needed. Artistic merit, whilst making an item appear attractive, is in this case, not as important as a truthful picture. Here are ten tips for effective auction pictures.
* Avoid harsh unsightly shadows by using plenty of soft diffuse lighting instead of strong directional light or flash. If you have a light tent, this is ideal. Regular sellers of small to medium size items should seriously consider one of these. As well as softening the light it will also reduce reflection off shiny surfaces.
*Be particularly careful about the background you use. Many people seem to forget the background, thinking it is only the item itself which is looked at. A busy background can be distracting and unsightly. Choose something simple and of a pleasing color. A board or sheet should do. A contrasting background can make the item stand out.
*Expose for your main subject. The background is incidental so make sure you expose for the item you are photographing. Use spot or center weighted metering if necessary and bracket your exposures.
* Try to give some sort of scale to the item. If you are photographing a piece of jewellery for example, show it being worn or place a ruler or a coin next to it so the bidders can immediately see it’s size.
* Make sure the image is sharp. Ideally use a tripod to eliminate camera shake. The image must be well focused. Use manual focusing if auto-focus gets confused and lets you down.
* Take a number of shots from different angles to show the item from all sides, if appropriate, to illustrate all its features.
*Take close-ups of any wear or damage to give an honest appearance of the item. Anything misleading or any attempt to hide faults will only lead to a dissatisfied bidder.
*Take close-ups of any labels or maker’s trademarks to show authenticity.
*If the item is boxed or comes with any special packaging, then show it in a photograph.
*Some sellers put a border round the main picture to make it stand out against similar items shown with yours. This can be done quite easily with software such as Photoshop.
Although the item description will tell the prospective bidder all they need to know, a series of good pictures may well be persuasive. If you give as much information as you can in a set of high quality images then you are more likely to get the best possible price.
Tuesday 20 October 2009
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