Hi guys i was wondering what you had for tips on taking better pictures of my cards. Id even be down to go as far as buying a little light box or display. I usually use my phone, a galaxy 21, but i shake quite a bit and its hard to get good,steady pictures. I really want to improve my overall picture quality because most of mine look like prison mugshots. Thanks!
1 Like
I would say that lighting makes the overall biggest difference in photo quality. I made a little cardboard light box for my cards with one of those LED ring lights on top of it, and it worked well. I almost solely use a scanner now, and take one off photos for people that request closer pics of dings, etc
9 Likes
He’s absolutely right, lighting = photography. Those ring lights pack an amazing punch and are super cheap. Any daylight (5600k) light source at 1000 lux or more will be all you need to set a few feet behind you as you photograph anything, minding glare by trialing angles and such.
Most phones these days have higher shutter speeds, so if you still find you are so shaky that even after the bright lighting crisping up your photos, you could always get one of those super cheap tabletop phone holders (the ones that can extend like a tripod up a few feet etc) for like $10. Accessories like these and the light are so much more useful than just picturing cards too. So much utility.
5 Likes
Agreed with everyone here. Lighting makes a huge difference. Before I bought my scanner, I would use a ring light and would set the cards against a black piece of paper. It was low-budget, but it made the cards look great.
5 Likes
Ill do some more research on the lighting stuff for sure. And @brendantheclayboy thanks for the tripod tip, will look into that.
1 Like
If anyone interested, I’ll create my own guide on how I take shots of my cards, was thinking about it just today lol
9 Likes
I would like to check that out
The biggest difference in sale photos is lighting and a good camera, definitely invest in your equipment and you’ll have excellent results.
25 Likes
Oh my goodness.
Um. Thanks for the tip. 
2 Likes
anyone who records card related videos have a good cheap tripod (or something similar) they recommend? Something that can hold an iphone and is ideally under $20
1 Like
Visit my linktree to see my Amazon wishlist
5 Likes
I sold scyther for waaaay over market, I attribute my success to the quality of the photo.
3 Likes
But actually great lighting 
2 Likes
Average Ebay seller when I ask for better pictures:
Seriously though, I hope they all read this thread. Good luck buying “the card not the grade” without scans and only hyper blurry filthy lens photos lol.
6 Likes
I should note im not looking for sale photos. I want to have really nice photos of my collection. Model shots
I actually took this photo as a joke in response to the eBay sellers that send additional photos lol
2 Likes
