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eBayPhotos That Sell: Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond
 
 
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eBayPhotos That Sell: Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond [Paperback]

Dan Gookin (Author), Robert Birnbach (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)


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Book Description

December 29, 2004 0782143814 978-0782143812 1
"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


Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"I've been an admirer of Dan Gookin since he wrote DOS For Dummiesand spawned the For Dummies phenomenon. He takes things to a new levelwith this amazing and much needed book on practical product photography. Use hisadvice and you'll simply make more money. Highlyrecommended."
—John C. Dvorak, columnist, PCMagazine

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

eBay Photos That Sellteaches home-spun entrepreneurs how to create professional-quality product photosusing a standard digital camera and a few handy tricks and inexpensivetechniques. With page after page of inspiring examples and expert insights,you'll figure out how to capture everything from hats to wineglasses to MP3players. You'll understand what makes one photo better than another and discoverhow to create images that viewers connect with—ones that evoke the "Imust have this" feeling. Ultimately, it will help you attract customers andmake sales, without investing a lot of time or money.

Inside, you'lllearn how to:
  • Follow the basic rules for taking crisp,well-lit shots that outshine the competition
  • Set up shots quickly in yourhome or office
  • Create props and accessories from inexpensive items found athome or the local hardware store
  • Know how and when to use your camera'sfeatures, bells, and whistles to your advantage
  • Take the time to set up yourphotograph properly so you don't have to fix things later
  • Use photo-editingsoftware to make final adjustments
  • Learn to size and format your photoseffectively for the Web
  • Know when a simple black background is the best wayto make your image pop
  • Build a safe and organized place to store your pictures so you can easily find them

About the Author

Dan Gookin is the author of numerous consumer technology titles, including DOS for Dummies, PCs for Dummies, and Digital Scanning and Photography. Robert Birnbach is a professional product photographer whose clients include Pottery Barn, Target, Apple, and Williams Sonoma.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Sybex; 1 edition (December 29, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0782143814
  • ISBN-13: 978-0782143812
  • Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for over 20 years. He combines his love of writing with his gizmo fascination to create books that are informative, entertaining, and not boring. Having written more over 120 titles with 12 million copies in print translated into over 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes seems to work.

Perhaps his most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world's fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times #1 bestseller (though as a reference, it could not be listed on the NYT Bestseller list). From that book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomena to this day.

Dan's most popular titles include PCs For Dummies Word For Dummies, Laptops For Dummies, and Droid X For Dummies. He also maintains the vast and helpful Web site, www.wambooli.com.

Dan holds a degree in Communications/Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Presently, he lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys spending time with his sons playing video games inside while they watch the gentle woods of Idaho.


 

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Average Customer Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great new book on photography, February 26, 2005
By 
This review is from: eBayPhotos That Sell: Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond (Paperback)
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!
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, December 22, 2005
By 
Michael Huang (Mountain View, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: eBayPhotos That Sell: Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond (Paperback)
If one takes a look at the items up for sale on eBay, many of the items have pictures. Some of them are stock photos from the manufacturer's website, but the great majority of them are amateur photos taken with a digital camera. The photographic quality of eBay is usually on the lower end of the amateur scale, filled with distracting elements, flash reflections and a host of other problems. The goal of this book is to teach the reader how to take product photos that sell.

The authors of the book do an excellent job of guiding the reader through the process, from the initial setup to taking the photos, to editing them in software. This is a rather non-technical book, and the focus is definitely on the photography and not the image manipulation aspect of product photography. It is written to be understood by the beginner, but has useful tips for advanced photographers as well.

The book is filled with pictures to provide examples of how to transform an everyday object into a visually appealing photograph. The advice and tips given in the book helps beginners solve the common problems of home photography. It is an excellent introduction to product photography and a valuable reference book that no photographer (or eBay seller) should be without.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Much More Than Just eBay Photos, September 5, 2006
By 
RR (New York) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: eBayPhotos That Sell: Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond (Paperback)
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.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
magnetic lasso, media card reader, shower curtain liner, ugly reflection, product shots
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Photoshop Elements, Image Size, Gaussian Blur, Auto Smart Fix, Choose Edit, White Foam Core, Media Cards
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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