Have you ever tried selling your old stuff on online auction sites like eBay? It’s a really good way to get rid of junk or things you don’t need. I’ve been selling things on eBay for a couple of years now, and one of the biggest challenges is to get people to bid on your item. I’ve found that taking a good product photo will greatly increase the chances of people bidding on your product. How do you go about taking a good product photo? Well, read on, this article will teach you how.

A photo of some old Star Wars toys I've sold on eBay
 

Set Up Your Little Studio

The first thing you need to start taking product photos is to set up your own little studio for that purpose. You don’t need to invest thousands of dollars to set up a professional studio. All you need is some cheap materials to get started.

You’ll want to look for a white background to place your product and take photos. What I recommend is to get a sturdy piece of white foam or poster board, which can be had for a couple of bucks.

Next, position the product on the board. I’ve found that the best lighting to use is indirect sunlight. Turn on the flash on your camera and take the product from an angle to avoid any reflection.
 

Edit the Photo

Once you’ve taken the product photo, you need to put the photo through an image editor to fine tune it. A good image editor, if you’re looking for one, is Ulead PhotoImpact. I’ve used PhotoImpact for years and it has done an excellent job.

Here’s what you do with your image. Correct the color balance, remove any harsh light and sharpen the photo if necessary. If you want, you can also want to apply perspective correction to make it look like we took the product from the top (instead of from the side like we mentioned above).
 

Internet Photo Studio

If you intend to take a lot of product photos for online auctions, a good product to get is Internet Photo Studio.
 

Internet Photo Studio
 

This is essentially a little stand alone studio that has 2 lights which sweep any subject you place on it. The results are terrific and look really professional. It’s best used with small items like jewelry and or electronic components.