Sellers: Don't shoot yourself in the foot with bad photos!

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I appreciate the aesthetics of the second picture, and it is definitely prettier, but in an online auction I'd look at the gun in the first picture for a lot longer than I'd look at the gun in the second. The first picture is clear, well lit, and shows the true condition. It says "I want to sell this gun. Here it is". The second picture not only highlights the flaws in the wood more, it is too busy and artsy, and isn't very well lit, its hard to see the true condition of the bluing, it would be hard to see any rust or pitting...and to me, that either says "I probably think this gun is worth more than it really is because I put more time on taking the photo than I did listing it" or it says "look how pretty the background is but you don't look too closely at the gun sitting on it..."
These are just my opinions based on recent online purchases.
The second photo is a very nice contrast to the first though, and each has its strengths.
 
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I personally don't see how the 1st pic is "seller shooting himself in the foot". It looks fine to me.
Shooting yourself in the foot, to me, is sellers with unfocused photos, or worse yet, no photos at all.
 
To me, the WORST thing a seller can do is put up crappy CELLPHONE photos! I don't care what you're trying to sell, use a real camera! And I don't want to hear about how good cellphone cameras have gotten, they'll never get close to a good DSLR camera with REAL lenses. Even most pocket digital cameras are better than any cellphone.

And I agree about the background stuff as well. You're trying to sell the ITEM, not the pretty background. Use a neutral background, like a gray backdrop cloth or gray paper backdrop. Gray won't affect the exposure of your item as much as something light like white. Most cameras will try to make a white background gray anyway, which makes your subject darker.

Taking artsy photos for your own use/pleasure is one thing, but for selling something, you want the item itself to be the eyecatcher, and that means proper exposure, sharp focus, good lighting, and highlighted details. The back ground shouldn't even be noticable.
 
NO, not the grey blanket of doom
a good and accurate photo will go much further than an artsy photo
I mean yeah it's nice to have one artsy type to get attention as maybe the lead photo, but frankly, I would look much longer at the first than the second.
 
True, that a picture is worth a thousand words; but also true is that many auctions are compromised by atrocious grammar and spelling, including scant descriptions and vague language. Like it or not, presentation---photographs as well as language---is everything, and can either make or break a sale.

Go to Craigslist and see what I mean.
 
Ive sold so many guns and holsters using cell phone pics. I have no use for a fancy camera and Im definitely not going to spend hundreds on one just to help sell $40 holsters. I put all my extra money into improving the quality of my materials and products. Good customer service and an excellent product at a reasonable price will go much further than a fancy pic.
 
I would buy the gun in the first picture before I would buy the gun in the second picture. First pic gives a better idea of the true condition of the gun, second pic is hiding the defects and makes it look better than it is.
 
What I was thinking of is that the second photo shows the true color of the wood and the blueing.
Click to expand...

That's probably true, since you now have the actual gun and now know which one shows the true color!

The actual shade of the wood and bluing is irrelevant to me when I buy a gun online. I'm more concerned with scrapes, worn areas, etc. I prefer a brightly lit, high-contrast picture that emphasizes the defects to an artsy one that shows the true colors but less detail.
 
I figured this was going to be a thread about all those catching their toes in the pic with the gun. Yes I am guilty too.
 
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