Having good auction photos to post online can have a drastic impact on the success of your auction. There’s a reason why the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is so famous. It’s because it’s true!
When it comes to purchasing something online, people want to be absolutely sure of what they’re getting. This is the case for general online shopping as well as online auctions. So, if you don’t have good auction photos online, people may not be willing to make a bid. After all, we’ve all seen or experienced the results of online shopping fails!
But if you’re not entirely sure of the importance of good photos for your online auction, here is why you need to put some effort into them (as well as some tips on how to take them).
There’s a big difference between buying or bidding on something in person than doing so online. When you’re physically looking at an item, you can see all of its angles and take note of its size and if there are any faults or damages. This is not the case for online auctions.
Bidders need to trust that they are bidding on a quality item that they won’t regret paying for. Because they can’t see it in person, it is essential that you provide good-quality photos. These photos need to show your bidders exactly what the item looks like. This means photos from various angles and even close-up shots.
It’s also important to avoid filters that could make your images unclear and misleading. This would lead to disappointment from your bidders if the items look different from their photos.
So, by taking good photos, you will see more bids on your items. If bidders can view items from multiple angles, they can get a better idea of what the item looks like in person and will be more willing to bid on it.
Most people scroll very quickly through online auction photos. Thus, your photos need to be clear and eye-catching. If you have a blurry, poor quality image, a bidder isn’t going to stop and click on the item - they’ll simply keep scrolling.
The photos for your online auction items need to stand out and provide bidders with as much detail as possible. To help you take the best photos for your online auction, here are some top tips.
While anyone can take a quick snapshot of an item with their smartphone and upload it to a website, good photos require some more effort. Now, we’re not saying that you need to be a professional photographer with an expensive camera, but you should put some time into taking quality auction photos.
There are many factors that influence photo quality. These include:
Considering these factors, let’s get into some tips for taking the best photos for your online auction.
The spot where you set up your auction item for photos is important. Make sure that you pick a location with natural light. This can be either indoors or outside. For example, if you are taking pictures of an item indoors, place it on a surface near a window or open a door to let more natural light in.
However, you don’t want harsh, direct sunlight as this creates harsh shadows. You’re looking for a spot with soft, natural light.
Once you’ve found the perfect spot, it’s time to set up some lighting. The lighting is critical to taking a good photo. It’s a good idea to use a combination of natural and artificial light so that the entire item is clear. This will ensure that your photographs are properly exposed and capture details better.
Avoid using the built-in flash on your camera as it can produce harsh shadows and uneven light on the object.
When setting up your lights, also make sure that the light doesn’t shine straight onto the auction item as this can cause reflections.
Your bidders want to clearly see your auction items before they make their bids. So, it is important to take photos from different angles as well as some close-up shots to show smaller details.
Make sure that the background is neat and clear of any clutter that may be distracting. Having a plain background is always best.
These photos need to be crisp and clear so that bidders can tell exactly what an auction item looks like. To take crisp images, use a tripod if you can. This will ensure that the camera is completely stable so that the images don’t come out blurry.
Editing your photos too much can be obvious and may come across as deceitful as the items end up looking different. So, while you don’t want to go overboard with the editing, a little can go a long way.
Adjusting the brightness, saturation, and contrast of a photo can help to make it pop just that extra bit. Remember, only adjust your photos slightly as you don’t want it to be obvious that they’re edited.
It also goes without saying that you should avoid Photoshop! You never want to trick your bidders into bidding on something as they will be displeased when they receive their item and this will reflect badly on you.
Having good auction photos for online auctions is essential. Your bidders need to be able to see exactly what the item looks like so that they can bid confidently. No one is going to bid on an item if its photo is dark or blurry.
So, upping your auction photo game can make a big difference in the number of bids your items receive. Whether you're using a smartphone or DSLR camera, follow the tips above to start taking better, crisper auction photos for online auctions!
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