Photographing small three-dimensional objects

Whatever you sell, a photograph is essential for online sales. Mostly it is small, postable items that are featured on eBay. Use this guide to ensure the best results.

Use a digital camera – it does not need mega pixels, the one I use is 3.2 Mb. I have had excellent results from a smaller, simpler camera with only 2.0Mb. Much more important is the ability to focus down to just a few inches.

Get a tripod.

Turn off the flash. If you turn off the flash you will need a tripod since you are shooting at speeds as slow as 1/8th of a second and will get camera shake.

Ever since I learned the tip about the flash I have had much better results - and I shoot a lot of glass, china, metal and other highly reflective surfaces. I am getting better at close-ups too. Again a tripod is essential. For jewellery and similar small objects a mini tripod is probably sufficient.

A cheap "light box" is one of those translucent white plastic storage boxes. Even a white ice-cream carton will do for very small objects.

You do need to set yourself up near a window in daylight and carefully watch sun glare and shadows. You can use a desk-lamp or similar to enhance the lighting. White card will reflect light into a shaded area - but make sure it is out of camera view (or edit out in the darkroom).  Some items show better against a dark or coloured background - make sure the background material is matte and non-reflective. Be prepared to use accessories to improve the display or appearance of an item; show it in use; or give an indication of size and scale. Practice makes better if not perfect.

Take several shots of each item from different angles - it is the only way your customer is going to see the item before buying. Pay the eBay fees or learn how to use a hosting service to include additional pictures. Ruthlessly discard out-of-focus photographs.

Use Picasa3 - free download from Google - for digital darkroom to improve quality of lighting, etc. It's also very good for cropping and straightening. Or use the digital darkroom software of your choice - Photoshop, PaintShop, etc. You can always improve on the straight-out-of-the-camera image. It is often better to resize your image to be more Internet-friendly. 500 - 800 pixels is plenty, but do all your cropping and improving BEFORE reducing the file size. That advice changes if you are contemplating the addition of a border.

Flat objects like books are, IMO, better scanned on a flat-bed scanner. You may still need to use a camera to show spine, three-dimensioal condition, open page spreads or other details you deem important. I have also used the scanner, with some success, for three-dimensional items such as jewellery and even plates and cups.

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Have a look at my current listings to see how I practice what I preach. Definitely Collectable