Tips for good quality photos to show of clothing for sale

A plain white sheet or poster board will work. Also if you don't want to take photos outside then why not try using a Reveal light bulb and taking photos with the flash off?
Example: Taken around 10pm with a 100 watt Reveal bulb.
For selling clothes showing them on a doll is best because it shows exactly how it'll fit.
Good luck ^_~

 

try to avoid backgrounds that are at all glossy. When white light hits a bright background (like white) it will cause the camera to close the iris, making the object you are trying to take a picture of darker. What Kaighn pointed out is a decent bulb to start with. I personally use Photoflood bulbs over 500watts. But I doubt you need to go to that extreme. I agree also, show the clothing on a doll.

 

If you're going to be doing a lot of photographing, I would say take Kotori's advice and invest in some quality lighting. Until then, take Kaighn's advice and use Reveal bulbs in non-shaded lamps. I do a lot of macro photography and despite the fact I have access to top-of-the-line light kits, I tend to use only Reveal bulbs coupled with the light from a tracing box. Of course, a tripod is a must.

Good luck...eileen

 

Well, I have used black backgrounds and white, and colors. I dress the doll and then pose her so that the clothing is displayed fully, and I also take a side or a back shot to show the accessories. You can get something like a nice but simple chair or stool and seat the doll on it for a more interesting composition.
I don't think people care about fancy or elaborate displays when looking at something for purchase- especially secondhand clothing. They want the picture clear as possible and showing how the clothing is to be worn and how it fits. That includes adjusting the color so that you can see what shade of pink, red, etc. really looks like. Set up the outfit so it lies smoothly and people can see its design, how it closes, the length, or anything else that is relevant. Obviously wrinkled clothing or carelessly dressed dolls will not help you sell. That means being sure the garment is pressed and sitting on the doll nice and straight.

On my Nikon camera I use a macro setting (scene mode, the little flower thingy) usu. around aperture 4.0 or thereabouts These require slow shuter speeds so I use a tripod. I use the white correction setting to get rid of any color casts. You can use any white setting that looks nice in your viewfinder (not necessarily the one that you are supposed to use) You can alo look at your histogram and see if you are getting too many shadows. The electronic viewfinder unfortunately tends to make things look darker than they will look in photoshop.

For a background use something like a piece of white foamcore or black foamcore. The black is for light color outfits. The white for...you guessed it. When selling strong contrast gets attention. This is not the time to be subtle or artsy.

On many cameras you can point the meter at the part of the picture you want the focus to lock onto, then hold the shoot button halfway down to lock the focus. If you have a lot of contrast look for a good mix of color somewhere in your pic and lock the focus on it, then pan to the composition you like while holding down the button. Then click.

 

Oh another thing, if you are taking macro (closeup) be sure all threads and bits of lint, etc. are brushed off. I once was stuck in Photoshop for ages removing a thread from doll's neck (do you know that threads and specks of dust cast shadows?). Finally gave up and retook the darned picture.