Product Description

Successful online sellers know that a product photo can make or break a sale. But taking a good product shot is not easy. With eBay Photos That Sell, anyone who wants to make money online can learn to take the kind of photos that attract customers and increase profits -- without spending a fortune on equipment. This must-have book features: professional secrets for taking great photos of everything from jewelry to cars; tips for using Photoshop Elements to enhance photos; an entertaining approach that makes even the advanced techniques easy to absorb; and page after page of inspiring full-color photos.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54419 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Back Cover
"I've been an admirer of Dan Gookin since he wrote DOS For Dummies and spawned the For Dummies phenomenon. He takes things to a new level with this amazing and much needed book on practical product photography. Use his advice and you'll simply make more money. Highly recommended." —John C. Dvorak, columnist, PC Magazine

Anyone can sell their stuff online. The challenge is to do it better than the competition and get the best possible results, every time. If you're attempting to sell your guitar on eBay, a photo of Aunt Pearl June strumming it in the backyard isn't likely to cut it. Does that mean you need to hire a professional photographer or invest in expensive equipment? Not if you follow the ingenious advice in this book!

eBay Photos That Sell teaches home-spun entrepreneurs how to create professional-quality product photos using a standard digital camera and a few handy tricks and inexpensive techniques. With page after page of inspiring examples and expert insights, you'll figure out how to capture everything from hats to wineglasses to MP3 players. You'll understand what makes one photo better than another and discover how to create images that viewers connect with—ones that evoke the "I must have this" feeling. Ultimately, it will help you attract customers and make sales, without investing a lot of time or money.

Inside, you'll learn how to:

Follow the basic rules for taking crisp, well-lit shots that outshine the competition

Set up shots quickly in your home or office

Create props and accessories from inexpensive items found at home or the local hardware store

Know how and when to use your camera's features, bells, and whistles to your advantage

Take the time to set up your photograph properly so you don't have to fix things later

Use photo-editing software to make final adjustments

Learn to size and format your photos effectively for the Web

Know when a simple black background is the best way to make your image pop

Build a safe and organized place to store your pictures so you can easily find them

About the Author
This is Dan Gookin's 99th book on personal computers and technology. He is famous for his dry wit and engaging writing style. Dan's books, which include the international bestsellers DOS for Dummies and PCs for Dummies, have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold over 15 million copies.

Robert Birnbach is a professional photographer who has developed national campaigns for Pottery Barn, Target, Kinko's, and MTV.

Customer Reviews

Great new book on photography
I stumbled across this book by chance when I was looking for books on photography and what a gem it is! I love the layout and the photographs that are
used as examples. The text is not only easy to read and understand, but it's funny as well. I found myself laughing while reading it and I'm now eager to put my new knowledge to work!

Excellent for Much More Than Just eBay Photos
Using simple, lo-tech language and a wealth of color photos, this excellent book can teach anyone to arrange, light, photograph and even edit macro (closeup) pictures. I bought it sight unseen on a friend's recommendation, and it's even better than I thought it would be.
The instructions are always clear and simple, and every instruction is illustrated with full-color, detailed examples. The results make you look like a professional photographer (or could even make you become one!).
I've bought tons of books on Amazon; but this is the first one I've felt compelled to review, because it's so darn good.

practical, non-high tech steps
An interesting aspect of this book is how it often advises you to improve your photos of items you're selling on eBay. Not by image enhancement via Photoshop, as so many other books do. Instead, it recommends trying simple steps in the real world, that might actually be faster than several hours in front of your computer. For example, if you have a black, shiny item, then polish it so that smudges and fingerprints are not visible in the photo. And take that photo against a white background, for high contrast.

This is the general tenor of the book. Practical, non-high tech steps. A good counterpoint to other eBay books.