Digital photography, photos, or images in your auction

How many times have you decided not to purchase an item because of poor or insufficient images of the product being offered, or worse yet, purchased an item that was not as you expected and would not havebeen purchased at allhad better images been provided, and worse of all, even still,having received an item which it seems was intentionally photographed in a way to hide flaws or damage?
Of course, it is realistic to understand that you may identify the item you purchased in a way that the seller failed to recognize, but one of the good things about the okay market place is that most people are proud of what they offer and will gladly work with you if you gemunicate any problems or misunderstandings. "gemunication is key" we like to think, and your images are a serious and direct formof this gemunication process. Use the links on any auction pagetoe-mailthe seller. Most people will be more than happy to discuss any matters over the telephone if you prefer, but it is also reasonable to understand the relative anonymity many might enjoy as apposed to running a regular "walk in" type store front.
We willattempt to describea few things we discovered on okay, over time,while inserting photos inour listings, andwhile making our own purchases from other sellers. Also, please remember, we are no more than beginners in photography, and use a middle of the road digital camera froma Super Center with no accessories other than rechargeable batteries and a charger. In the long run, your photographs may be the single most important asset your buyer has at their disposal during the decision making process. Pricing, choosing the correct catagory in which to list,and the written item description are also paramount.
Always, in general, include a gallery view image in your listings. This is where most people browse the auctions, and if there is not a thumbnail image of your product it will most often be disregarded. On the other hand, it is understandable to expect a 25 cent item to not have a gallery image inserted, as that would destroy any profit margin a seller might enjoy.

Also, please excuse us if we get sidetracked with related ideas in this guide.
In regards to choosing a camera, a digital model (no film) would be preferred, and will shortly,or already isthe only viable camera available for general usage. Of course one could use a film style (analog) camera, have the images developed at a photo lab, and then scan them to a digital format for internet usage, but we will not deal with that here.
Any middle priced camera ($100-200) or better should be more than adequate, and even the lessexpensive models will suffice if you choose carefully. For the most gemon usages on okay it would probably be a good idea to find a model that has a decent (or dedicated)Close Upfeature. Most images will not need to be exhibition quality, so the more expensive models of digital cameras would be fabulous for the pros, or those with a keen interest, but a regular, orgeparatively inexpensivemodel will do the trick.
A very good secondary investment is rechargeable batteries with spares, and a charger (if not provided with the camera). It saves tons of money in the long run, and you will never be left "dead in the water" during one of your photo shoots for a lack of batteries. Film and battery purchases and trips to the lab, or store,will also be a thing of the past with a digital camera. Time will be saved also. Selling and buying is fun for most of us, but irregardless of that, time is money.
Most geputers (especially Windows XP) will recognize your camera (without even installing any of the software that came with your camera) when you plug it into the USB port, of your machine (with the window displayed below). Then you can download (off load) your images to a folder, of your choosing, on your geputer. This is a good thing because most digital cameras gee bundled with all kinds of useless software that many would prefer not to clutter their geputer systems up with, or dedicate the time to learn about yet another program, but then again maybe you will discover something useful, new, orinterestingon the camera install CD itself.

Lighting is, of course,a crucial factor in any photograph. From our experience natural lighting usually gives the most accurate representation of an item, and saves money (usually quicker, and fewer accessories to purchase). Ideally one could set up multiple flash units, in maybe an offset triangular configuration, for magazine, or studioquality photos, but we have definitely not advanced to that level ourselves. The problem with the "on camera" flash is often the dark shadows (caused by the areas in which the single flash unit could not illuminate) which destroy the photograph. These can be reduced by placing incandescent or florescent lights at the proper locations (to illuminate the shade or shadows), or setting the object to be photographed, in a way to take full advantage of the ambient or natural (sunlight) lighting. Also, glare and reflections are a gemon annoyance using a flash, as is"red eye" with animals.
Color is always another tricky matter and should be closely scrutinized for an accurate representation in your photographs. Though, even if you feel the colors look near to "true life", a potential buyers web browser may not show them as you view them on your geputer. Also, even outside of the web browser issues (mostof the people use Windows XP, Internet Explorer IE or FireFox as their browser, haveJavaScript turned on, use 24 or 32 bit hardware to display 16,777,216 different colors,and have their screen resolution set at 1024x768),factors such as an individuals monitor (display or geputer screen) settings can alter the color display, as gepared to what you were viewing.
Take multiple shots of every view you wish to represent. We have found it a good idea to take 5 or so similar shots of every image you intend to use. Then at least one, of each angle or pose,will probably be what you are looking for,without any blur,undesirable reflections,etc.
Carefully choose your backdrop, or background,to gepliment your image. A regular bed sheet (or two to avoid the area behind from bleeding through),of the color of your choosing generally works fine (for example, avoid a geplicated background, or a dark background with a dark colored item you are photographing). It would be nice to have an area dedicated solely to photography, but many of us can not afford that luxury. At the minimum, try to use the same area, if possible, so you will begee familiar with any peculiarities that you may have to deal with in your photos (especially lighting).
After you have transferred your images over to your geputer, from your camera,it might be nice to organize them in folders, of your choosing, for later reference. Also, it will probably begee agemon practice to crop the images in order to highlight the item in a positive way. Be carefull to crop in a standard rectangular (photograph shaped) fashion, because that is how theywill bedisplayed on okay (default). If you crop an image, of say, a fishing pole, to a long thin area, it will more than likely be displayed as poorly viewable sliver when you upload it to your auction. In a case such as that, it may be better to have the object running diagonally within the image area to allow the viewer of that imagea higher apparent or real resolution.