Taking Professional looking photos of your bags

S

SonOz

Member
Nov 3, 2007
680
3
#1
When you go to take photos of your handbags to list them on eBay, how do you take the best possible photos? I know the more professional your photos and ebay ad look, the better chance you have to make the most profit. I was trying to sell my x on eBay, but I don't know how to take pictures of the purse without it looking sloppy.
 
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#2
There is a really, really useful resource on eBay for this exact question!! If you check out the eBay community boards, look under photography, or under seller central, and do a search like "taking good auction pics". There might also still be a link on the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories boards there--there was a lengthy and detailed discussion about this exact subject, how to photograph handbags effectively.

The short answer is: good lighting, a solid colored background (I use foamboard in white), and use stuffing in the bag if it's an unstructured bag.
 
#3
CLose ups, use that macro setting on your camera. I use Auctiva so I also provide 12 pictures most of the time which cost me nothing. I always set up on a white table cloth with a white background and stuff the bag! Sometimes it also helps to hang on a maniquin to give buyers an idea how it would look on the body.
Good luck!
 
#4
I've found that the best pictures are taken during the day in natural light. Make sure the light is behind you for the best shot. I'm definitely not the best photographer but I've found my pics are clearest in natural daylight.
 
#5
The above suggestions are excellent.

Also, I take a lot of photographs! I spend a fair amount of time taking them and maybe cropping them, if necessary. I only use the best ones out of all of them.

I wish more sellers would take lots of pictures. Sometimes I want to bid on a garment, and the seller only used one photo. I can't see anything!
 
#6
I second that mention about using natural lighting! It really helps to see the natural color and grain of the leather, especially!

And I use a white cloth as my background. Once again, agreed that a solid (usually white) background is the best option!! :okay:
 
#7
All the above are perfect advice! I can only add Photoshopping them (cropping, resizing, adjusting levels/brightness/contrast/colour-balance/etc, sharpening & so on) - sounds like quite some work, but it's done very quickly once you get the hang of it. The results are well worth the trouble!
 
#9
I use an old TV stand as my "stand". I just prop up the white poster board on top of it in an L shape so that it's both the backdrop and the "ground" on which the bag sits for the photo.
 
#10
Take your photos in natural light but in the shade. Direct sun makes everything look horrible! Flash makes any image look horrible. Avoid backlighting the subject as well (brighter light behind subject than in front of subject.)

You can always use a white sheet or pillowcase as a makeshift backdrop.

Of course, a decent camera is best of all!
 
#11
and no shaky hands and use the macro function (flower) when taking details. If a pic turns out blurry, retake it until you get it right. What's the point of showing a blurry pic?
 
#13
I dont know if anyone else ever has trouble getting small details like engraved marks/serial number etc to show up and be readable, I do. I tried and tried to get a clear photo of a serial number with my camera and just could not accomplish it so I had an idea, I laid the item on the scanner of my all in one printer and scanned it as an image. It worked great! Just wanted to share in case anyone else has the same problem with small items. It worked really well on a piece of jewelry.
 
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