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Have you ever bid on an auction with a washed-out, blurry photo of the item for sale? We didn't think so. Why would anybody? It likely would lead to getting burned on an item that doesn't live up to its sales pitch. With that in mind, here are some basic yet essential tips on taking better photos of your auction items. Remember, if people can't see it, it's not likely they'll want to bid on it.

Pregame Warm-Up
If you are going to be a high-volume seller, we suggest you invest in a digital camera, which will make uploading and attaching images to your auctions considerably easier. For one, you won't have to buy and process film and then scan your photos every time you want to sell an item. Your selling will be much more spontaneous and cost-effective in the long run. Consider the Sony Mavica. It's expensive, but it features an excellent auto-zoom, -focus, and -exposure system, not to mention a three-inch disk drive for saving images directly to disk. On a related note, buy a tripod to avoid taking jumbled photos by hand.

Once you are armed and ready, you have to decide how large and how high-res your images will be. Happily, there's an easy answer. Most buyers do not want to wait for large photos to load. They also don't want tiny thumbnails that make verification problematic. In other words, choose the happy medium between massive (1,280 by 1,024) and miniscule (640 by 480). Also, set your camera image quality to medium, as opposed to fine, to reduce the byte size. In addition, use a utility like JPEGCruncher or GIFCruncher to further compress your images without decreasing their quality.

Background Check
One of the simplest but most effective ways to improve your auction shots immediately is to use a simple backdrop behind the item you're photographing. In general, make sure the backdrop is one solid color, such as white, black, or dark blue. This way, the background color will not clash with the colors in the item. With that said, the color of your backdrop should be dictated by the color of your merchandise. If you are taking a shot of a black stereo receiver, black velvet probably isn't the best bet. Also, experiment with soft paper backdrops, which provide greater color choice and artistic freedom.

Finally, though it might sound obvious, remove clutter or people from your auction photos. They will only detract attention away from the main attraction. For instance, if you are selling an old rocking chair, don't sit your child in it for dramatic effect, no matter how cute she is.

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