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Shoot Ebay Pictures

How To Shoot eBay™ Pictures That Really Sell Your Stuff!

Hint: To give yourself an edge, use a Digital SLR with a close-focusing lens

by Jason Schneider

If you’ve ever spent any time perusing the eBay™ or other auction site listings for collectibles such as art glass, watches, cameras, Hummel or Lladro figures, or practically anything else that’s smaller than a breadbox, you probably noticed that the quality of the images posted varies from atrocious to superb. If you do a bit of basic detective work, you’ll discover that most of the less than stellar pictures are taken by inexperienced small-timers with one or two items to sell. The big professional eBay sellers with high ratings and sales figures in the hundreds or thousands are the ones that invariably post high quality pictures of their wares, show them from a variety of angles, and include extreme close-up pictures of significant details. The message is crystal clear: When selling anything on an auction site, your photographs are, quite literally, worth 1000 words. They’re not only the most effective means of presenting and defining what you have for sale, but also the primary way to motivate potential customers. In short, they are advertising images that should showcase your stuff and present it in the best possible light.

A DSLR is the way to go!

You don’t have to be a pro or even a serious photo enthusiast to shoot great auction pictures like the big boys—images that are more effective in moving your merchandise. The key is to use the right equipment. Virtually all the full- and part-time auction site pros take their pictures with a digital SLR and a close-focusing lens, either a telephoto zoom with a macro mode or a prime (single focal length) telephoto macro lens. The advantages to using a DSLR are considerable. Its optical viewfinder with through-the-lens (TTL) viewing provides the most accurate, high magnification view of the subject and the lighting effect, and with a DSLR you can easily control the depth of field (zone of sharpness) by setting the aperture-priority exposure mode (A on the main control dial) and selecting the aperture manually. This is the preferred exposure mode for taking product shots and setting a small aperture such as f/11, f/16 and f/22 will generally give sharp overall results when shooting small three-dimensional objects. Wider apertures such as f/5.6 and f/8 are usually OK when photographing flat objects like stamps, coins and most jewelry. Finally, DSLRs generally have more powerful built-in flashes than point & shoots, and they deliver better performance at high ISO settings such as 400 or 800, both of which can make it a lot easier to take good eBay™ shots in poor light.

Of course, the other great asset of digital SLRs is the fact that they have interchangeable lenses. The standard 18-55mm starter lens that comes with many DSLRs may be adequate for taking eBay™ pictures of medium-sized objects, but if you want to shoot really small stuff or show fine details that really make your merchandise stand out, you’re better off with a lens that provides macro capability—the ability to shoot images in the 1:4 (one quarter life size on the sensor) to 1:1 (life size on the sensor) range. Lenses that provide macro capability at telephoto settings are also preferable than those that do so at wide-angle or normal focal lengths because they let you back off from your subject to get a more pleasing perspective with less apparent perspective distortion. They also provide a greater working distance between the lens and the subject giving you room to place lights or reflectors at the sides so you can light your subject like a real pro.

Best lenses for eBay shooting? Here’s the scoop!

If, like thousands of Americans, you’re operating a full- or part-time auction site business and posting hundreds of product shots each month, you should seriously consider getting a real prime macro telephoto lens such as the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro. It’s an ideal lens for those operating an auction business because its wide aperture produces a very bright viewing image, it shows small objects in a very attractive perspective and it delivers outstanding image quality. When you’re not using it to shoot eBay™ type pictures, it’s also a superb portrait lens, and great for street photography too. However, it’s not a zoom lens, so you can’t frame the subject in the viewfinder by zooming in or out with the zoom ring on the lens—you’ve got to zoom with your feet!

For the majority of eBay™ shooters who post occasional items for sale, a tele-zoom with macro mode is probably the best choice because it’s more versatile, and is a great complement to the short normal zoom that came with your DSLR kit. A telephoto zoom in the 28-200mm or 70-300mm range with macro mode has a maximum aperture that’s about one f/stop smaller than a 90mm f/2.8 Macro, but it provides all the other advantages mentioned. Two excellent examples are the Tamron 18-200mm Di II Macro, and the Tamron 70-300mm Di 1:2 Macro, which gets all the way down to 37.4 inches in the range of 180-300mm, giving super close-up half life-size (on the sensor) images at its closest focusing distance. Both of these lenses and others with similar features can be used for an incredibly wide range of ordinary picture taking applications, from landscapes to portraits to sports, when you’re not shooting eBay™ pictures!

A quick guide to shooting pictures for auction sites

Here’s a list of hints and tips on how to shoot great pictures of your items for posting with a DSLR and macro-zoom or macro lens. Remember that the buyer’s interest and motivation depends largely on the quality and relevance of your images, so be sure to show three-dimensional objects from several different angles and to move in closer to display important details like hallmarks, textures, and defects.

Use a sturdy tripod. This is the single most important accessory for eBay shooters since the best eBay pictures are often shot in natural light (e.g. window light or open shade) at high magnification, small apertures and slow shutter speeds without flash. Raise your tripod’s center post as little as possible for maximum stability and use a remote, electronic, or cable release to fire the camera. If none is available, use your camera’s built-in self-timer

Use a plain background. A plain white or light-colored wall makes an excellent background but so does a matte white construction board or white paper Scotch taped to a wall. I’ve shot many fine eBay pictures by placing a large sheet of matte white art board on a table and shooting down on the subject at a 30-45-degree angle. So long as the subject is well centered and cardboard fills the background, your shot will look professional. A 3/4 view from above provides a pleasant, accurate rendering of many subjects. Professional posters should consider getting a lighting tent in which to place objects to photograph—they come in various brands and sizes and are available from most photo specialty retailers.

Shoot under diffuse daylight. This is the greatest light source for portraits and product shots since it provides shadowless lighting that gives a clean background along with good highlight and shadow detail in your subject. In good weather, you can shoot outdoors in open shade, but window light also works well, especially on overcast days. Set you camera to aperture-priority (A) mode so your camera’s built-in flash usually won’t fire unexpectedly. If in doubt turn the flash off.

Avoid flash shadows. If you decide to use flash to take your eBay shots, make sure to place your objects away from any walls and try shooting from an angle that will place any shadows out of view behind the subject. Make sure the barrel of your lens doesn’t block the beam of your built-in flash, causing unpleasant shadows. When using a shoe-mount accessory flash, bounce the flash off a ceiling, wall, or strategically placed reflector to diffuse the light, or use a flash diffuser, available at most camera stores.

Increase your ISO. If the ambient light is such that you’re shooting at really slow shutter speeds of 1 sec or more, it’s a good idea to set your DSLR to a higher ISO so you can shoot at faster shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures. Stopping your lens down to f/16, f/22, or even f/32 is a good way to increase your depth of field, which can be important in getting close-up pictures of three-dimensional objects that are sharp all over. However the resulting slow shutter speeds can result in artifacts in your images. Most current DSLRs perform very well at ISO 400, and well enough for high quality eBay pictures even at ISO 800 and 1600.