BBZ Image ToolsWhy lot photos matter
Online bidders cannot pick the item up. Your photos have to do what a preview day does: show what the item is, how big it is and what condition it is in. Clear, consistent photos answer questions before they are asked, and they make the whole sale look more trustworthy.
You do not need a studio. A consistent setup and a fixed shot order will do more for your catalog than an expensive camera.
Set up a simple photo station
Pick one spot and use it for the whole sale. A table against a wall works well.
- Use a plain, neutral background: a gray or white sheet, poster board or a roll of paper that curves up the wall so there is no visible seam.
- Use soft, even light. Daylight from a large window, or two lamps with the same type of bulb on either side of the item, avoids harsh shadows.
- Do not mix light sources. Daylight plus a yellow ceiling bulb gives odd colors that are hard to fix later.
- Keep the camera steady. A phone tripod or a stack of books removes blur, especially in low light.
- Clean the lens. Phone lenses pick up fingerprints that soften every photo.
Shoot every lot in the same order
A fixed order means you never forget a view, and it makes photos easy to sort later.
- Start with an overall photo of the whole item. This becomes the cover photo.
- Then the front, back and sides.
- Then the details that matter for value: maker's marks, signatures, labels, hallmarks and serial numbers.
- Then condition: chips, cracks, stains, repairs and missing parts. Show damage plainly.
- Finish with a size reference, such as a tape measure beside the item, and a group photo if the lot has several pieces.
Most lots need somewhere between four and a dozen photos. Take enough to answer the questions a careful bidder would ask, and stop there.
Show condition honestly
Honest condition photos protect you. A clear picture of a chip prevents a dispute after the sale. Photograph damage close enough to see but include enough of the item to show where it is. Do not use background removal or editing to hide flaws; keep an untouched original of every photo.
Tricky items
- Glass and silver: reflections hide detail. Move the lights to the side, turn off overhead lights and shoot at a slight angle. A light tent helps a lot.
- Jewelry: get close with good light and focus on the stones and marks. A plain dark or white background makes small pieces stand out.
- Furniture and large items: photograph them where they sit, but clear the clutter around them. Shoot straight on, then at an angle, and include drawers, backs and joints.
- Paintings and prints: shoot straight on to avoid distortion, then photograph the signature, the back and the frame corners.
Keep photos organized as you go
The most common catalog problem is a photo attached to the wrong lot. Prevent it while you shoot.
- Start each lot with a slate: a card with the lot number, photographed before the item.
- Or rename files after the shoot so each photo starts with its lot number, such as 101_1.jpg, 101_2.jpg.
- Keep the original camera files in a separate folder and work on copies.
Prepare the files before upload
Full camera resolution is rarely needed online and makes uploads slow. Resize your working copies to a sensible size, keep the originals and check a few photos at full screen before you upload the sale.
The free BBZ desktop tool for Windows can batch rename, resize, crop and convert a whole folder at once. For cover photos that need a clean background, try online background removal, and when the photos are ready, the Catalog Builder can draft your lot descriptions for review.