The eBay phenomenon, where people around the world sell whatever they want to seemingly endless queues of eager online buyers, has become an industry in itself. One of the latest products to service online auction sellers is the ePhotomaker. The concept is simple: a kit to help you improve the photos you provide of the goods you're selling. A good photo can make the difference between a flock of bidders and little interest, so how do you improve things?

ePhotomaker comes in a round, blue, zipped carry bag and most parts of it literally spring to life as you remove them from the bag. They unfold automatically in the same way popular sun-hats did a few years back, as the springy wires inside try to relieve the tension of being twisted up.

The largest part of the kit is a white igloo, not unlike a miniature tent. With white floor, back and left side, its right side is silvered to reflect light. That light is provided by a humble desk-lamp, not included in the kit, which you shine through the side of the igloo to give diffused lighting. To improve the quality of the light, there's a sheet of blue 'gel' and a couple of crocodile clips to attach it to the desk lamp. This compensates for the yellow light of a typical incandescent bulb, giving something closer to daylight.

We're not finished yet, as there's a miniature tripod for you to fix your digital camera to and a grey sheet with a target printed on it to help set your exposure. You place the sheet in front of what you're photographing and half-press the shutter release on your camera to set both focus and exposure, before removing the sheet and pressing the shutter release fully.

So, what are the results like? The main improvements are in the lighting. The igloo diffuses the light and the reflective surface helps remove shadows. The blue gel removes some of the yellow cast common to product photos taken at home and you're likely to get better focus and exposure.

The results we got were impressive and worth the small extra time needed for set-up. We tested the smaller of the two ePhotomakers, suitable for objects up to roughly the size of a laptop PC, but there's a larger size, priced at £80, which can be used for bigger products.

Verdict
Whether you want to invest £50 in the ePhotomaker kit will depend on how many items you sell over the Internet and how important you think a good product shot is. The kit works well and resulting pictures are a definite improvement over what you can achieve with a hand-held camera under room lighting.

Company: Flexion

Contact: 01530 837143

Tags: igloo light ebay light fixture club penguin shopping electrical home and garden