It never ceases to amaze the number of out of focus and generally poor quality photos that show up in many online auctions. Think about it - in real life your prospective buyer can pick up your item, turn it over, and generally explore every nook and cranny. At an online auction all your buyer has to work with are your words and pictures. Words can be suspect, but - as they say - pictures never lie. (at least most times) You don't need to strive for a Pulitzer prize to take decent auction photos - but you do need the right tools and a bit of patience to master them.

There are several methods of getting good images to post on your auctions.

A good quality scanner is the simplest and least expensive method of acquiring images for your auctions. Unfortunately you are limited to scanning one dimensional objects. If all you sell are trading cards, coins, or photos a scanner may well be all you need to get decent quality images. Another option is to take regular photos with your 35mm camera and then scan and upload the photos to your computer. This can tend to be a tedious, albeit effective, process. You can pick up a good quality scanner at any computer or department store (or at auction).

Yet another option to explore is to have your photo processing company load your photos on to computer ready media i.e. disks, or CD-ROMS. Most film processors now offer this option. But it can get expensive and is very impractical if you only need a few photos from a roll. Where we do see practicality with this method is when your listings are limited to just a few big ticket items - such as cars or expensive antiques.

Which leads us to digital cameras. This really is a necessity if you plan on doing any volume of business and you will be selling 3-dimensional items. Digital cameras tend to work basically like an automated conventional cameras with one huge difference. Your images are stored on computer ready memory cards. These cards have the capacity to store a fixed number of images which can be reviewed (usually on the spot) and then deleted or saved for uploading. When the card is full the images can be deleted and the card reused an indefinite number of times. The advantages are obvious - instant results, no film and processing expenses, and the ability to experiment until you have the results you require. (although the discussion here is about auctions - don't forget they can also be used for web ready pics of your family, dog, car, and whatever) Next to your computer your camera will likely be you most expensive investment you'll need make. Expect to spend $200-$500 and up for a good quality camera. As with scanners, they can be found at any computer or department store.

Uploading your digital photos to your computer is done through the use of a photo editing software such as Adobe. The software is usually provided with a new camera or scanner. This is your opportunity to manipulate the photo i.e. crop off unnecessary sections, enhance the brightness and color, and reduce the density. Key point to remember are 1)the smaller the image file (the less dense the photo)the faster it will load on your prospective buyers computer, and 2)your goal is an accurate photo of your item - use caution not to misrepresent your item through too much enhancement. Create a file on your computers hard drive for your completed image files and save them as .jpg or.gif files.

The next page will give you information on uploading your completed photos to the web where they can be accessed to show up in your ads.