Classifieds sections on photography forums

[Santtu Määttänen]

Does anyone else find it strange or funny that there seems to be tons of sub par pictures of gear floating in various classifieds sections on photography forums? People who apparently enjoy photography enough to spend time talking about it, gloating about gear or sharing pictures, actually post quite bad pictures when they're trying to sell stuff.

Not all and not saying that this forums classifieds would be any better or worse then most. But for some reason this has captured my eye quite a bit. I usually don't travel into those parts of forums too often, due to the fact that I really don't NEED anything new 🙂 But recently I've been more active due to the fact that I'm searching for a nice 35mm lens for my Kiev 4a (either Jupiter-12 in great condition or a Zeiss glass or something else, as long as it's nicely made, relatively compact and ain't a dud 😀 ). This activity has lead me into this revelation of poor picture quality from people who most likely actually know how to shoot 🙂

Am I alone with my thoughts or have others noticed this too? Not bad mouthing anyone taking those pictures, I'm sure there's tons of reasons and I my self have done the same in the past when putting something for sale in a rush. But still it's astonishing how often I encounter bad pictures of camera gear on places where people actually enjoy taking pictures.

 

[sevo]

Many hobbyists don't own tripods, let alone lights and backdrops - nor experience and competence in any discipline other than snapshots. And then there is the matter of marketing - when going for a good price for a well-used item, a shoddy picture can transport that the deal is a bargain, while a professionally illuminated pack shot that looks almost like rendered might make exactly the same price look expensive. I would expect some sellers to exploit that...

 

[02Pilot]

I'm sure I've been guilty of this. Since I sold off the various DSLRs I've tried, I don't really have anything that's well-suited to product photography. I'm not very practiced at it either, probably because it doesn't interest me much, so the net result is mediocrity or worse.

 

[Santtu Määttänen]

Actually I didn't even think about psychology aspect of it. Then again I would think that nice pictures (not professional product shots) would actually give the potential buyer more info on the condition. There must be people using bad pictures as a way to sell bad goods (or bad condition goods) but I would be surprised to run into that on hobbyist forums in large scale.

Perhaps I should actually sell some stuff and do this as a experiment. Place same items for sale on different forums with different pictures (same texts) and see which picture sells the item fastest. Doing this multiple times might give some insight.

 

[splitimageview]

Product photography takes skill, experience, and proper lighting equipment. Not something many shooters have that are otherwise quite talented in other areas...

 

[MRohlfing]

Actually I didn't even think about psychology aspect of it. Then again I would think that nice pictures (not professional product shots) would actually give the potential buyer more info on the condition.

I think you are right. I sell my stuff on Ebay (Austria/Germany), not on photography forums and I get much better results with good, well lit pictures.

I do not believe this is different in the forums.

Even when I did not have a digital camera yet, I took the pics for the auctions on film with one of my SLRs instead of using my phone

 

[Santtu Määttänen]

Product photography takes skill, experience, and proper lighting equipment. Not something many shooters have that are otherwise quite talented in other areas...

I actually wasn't surprised by the lack of real high-end product photographs. But the lack of even basic well lit and properly exposed/focused pictures of the goods. Of course there are those too, even quite many 🙂 But even still, there's tons of pictures along them where you couldn't tell which camera/lens/etc is in picture with out a explanation in the text.. Or which lens is on the camera (since you can't read the text in small and/or bad quality photo). And tons of other issues similar to these.

 

[B-9]

My IPhone takes acceptable photos of sale items.

Sometimes you just need to get creative and find good light around the house.

Typically, I'll go to my parlor and set up under one of the large windows.

Instagram helps add character and let's you adjust your exposure a bit.

Ide say a good looking photo of an item gets you more interest from buyers.

I'm sure a lot of us have taken advantage of auctions with crummy photos and descriptions to nail good deals.

 

[f16sunshine]

Product photography takes skill, experience, and proper lighting equipment. Not something many shooters have that are otherwise quite talented in other areas...

I think it's this and in my case laziness.
Getting out a proper seamless and lighting is a drag.
I just pull out a piece of fabric and bounce light of the ceiling....It works fine.
I do take time to focus. 😛 Sometimes even adjust RAW images so they all look the same.
Not usually though. Often I just use an iPhone.
One thing I usually offer is to take additional image on request.... there have been very few requests.

In the past I did "proper" product images. The money that came in was worth exactly the same 😉

 

[ellisson]

I find lack of reasonably good images for used camera gear less of a problem on this forum than on some others and, not surprisingly, on ebay. The images do not have to be artistic, but good lighting and focus that allows clear view of wear and blemishes on the item or the lack of these features goes a long way to avoiding the hassles of returns for "item not as described".

A tripod, macro lens for real close-up views, and reflector or ring flash to obtain uniform lighting has been necessary for some of my sales. Not always cameras, though. Try showing the condition of a fountain pen nib design with a hand held iPhone picture! 😱

 

[Santtu Määttänen]

Try showing the condition of a fountain pen nib design with a hand held iPhone picture! 😱

This was actually the reason I bought my first macro lens 😛 Also to show pen nib alignment..

But actually the real point of good light and focus in camera gear sales is to see what your purchasing 🙂 If the "line" seller describes is actually a crack or not and if that "blemish" is actually bubbling leather covering. And other issues similar to those.. Also if it's a lens they're selling and describe it as clean, I'd love to see pictures of the lens elements (maybe against a light or at least nicely showing the rear and front element), not only to see worn lens barrel 😀

 

[f16sunshine]

A proper and accurate description is equally if not more important.
This is the reason To buy on a camera forum.
There are photographers here 🙂

 

[jojoman2]

Quite frankly I'm more interested in photographing the real world than my own gear, even when I'm trying to sell it.

But obviously an honest, accurate and detailed description is extremely important. Pictures can't show everything, and you never know if they have been photoshopped.

 

[CMur12]

Perhaps I have seen this more on eBay than on this forum, but I am frequently surprised to see pictures of cameras that would be far more attractive to purchase if they were cleaned up a bit first. Dust and grime also make it hard to see the actual condition of the item underneath the schmutz.

- Murray

 

[Shac]

It's no so much the lighting issue as the totally out of focus images on comes across in any site's classified section. I don't see how this requires expertise🙄

 

[uhoh7]

The really bad photos are the exception here and at FM, at least in the gear I'm interested in. On Ebay poor photos are the norm. At least that's my experience.

 

[x-ray]

If there's not a clean clear series of images I move on to another source. I always wonder if there's something the seller is trying to hide. Also if the seller doesn't have the interest in making decent images how will they follow through on the sale.

I'll agree most here aren't product photographers but even a decent snap shooter can make a decent image if they want to take the time and expend the energy. If you want top dollar and to sell your items faster put out a little effort.