Item photography is perhaps the most important aspect of your shop.

Lighting: Use natural lighting. Either morning or early evening light works best. Avoid direct sunlight and harsh mid-day lighting. Inside, near a window, or outside (but not in direct sunlight) both work well. If the lighting is still a bit dark, increase the EV balance on your camera menu. This increases the "whiteness" in the photo. Avoid using the flash. If the photos look washed out, turn away from the sunlight.

Backgrounds: Shoot against a background that will complement your item. Think about colour: What colour background will create the mood that you are going for? If you're going for a sophisticated look, perhaps your dark brown item will look great against a pale brown background — think tone-on-tone, but make sure that your item stands out and is not swallowed by the background. Funky? Maybe try a colour that is opposite on the colour wheel, so a pale orange for your blue item. Modern items might look great with neutral colours, while natural and bohemian looks might look great next to natural materials such as plants, stones, etc. Maybe you'll have a collection of backgrounds with your colour palette, and you can choose the best one for each item. Simple white backgrounds can be great for just about any type of item as well, and this will put the focus on your item.

For smaller items like jewellery, try placing these on props such as papers, old books, and tabletops. You may have a variety of materials in your home that will work well.

For larger items, look around the inside and outside of your home for good locations. Think interesting architecture, beautiful natural settings, walls with interesting textures, or even plain white walls. Is there a location nearby that would look great — perhaps a church, library, or abandoned building that would capture the mood of your items?

Close-ups: Use the macro mode (flower icon) on your camera when shooting close-ups of jewellery and other small objects. This creates a sharp outline of your item. If the photo is blurry, try adjusting the zoom, or getting closer to or farther from your subject.

Angles: Most people start out taking product photos in the same way: They take the photo directly above, say, a piece of jewellery, and surround it with white space. You can make your photos more dynamic by taking the shot from a variety of angles and distances, and then choosing the one that best complements your item.

Cropping: Photos that crop in interesting places create movement in the photo. It may allow you to get closer to the item for a detail shot. If your item is symmetrical, do we need to see the entire thing to understand it? Or would cropping off 1/3 of the item let us see more detail and look more interesting?

Avoid crops that are too "tight." This is where just a bit of the top and bottom of the item are cut off — it looks squashed! Take the photo from a bit farther away if this is the case. Even better, turn 3D objects like handbags a bit to the side for a more forgiving crop. Try taking 2D objects like notecards diagonally — this makes the photo more interesting, and will almost always make for a nice crop.

Grouping: Try arranging small items such as pouches, soaps, notecards, and cookies into a group shot. Be sure to specify in the listing how many the customer will receive with their order.

Additional photos: Your potential customer can't touch your item or try it on. Show them everything they want to know in the photos! You can add additional photos by selecting 'detailed images' in the listing process

Show size by showing the item next to an object that everyone knows the size of. Human hands, flowers and objects that it would "belong" next to are great. Avoid unattractive items like paperclips and pennies unless they make sense. What does it feel like? Show the texture of your yarn or baked goods with a macro shot. What flavour or scent is it? Some blueberries and vanilla beans next to your blueberry-vanilla soap will look gorgeous and convey to your customer what it smells like.

Up selling: Would the item be perfect with another item in your shop? Show two necklaces worn together to encourage your buyer to get them both! Would your art prints look great in a grouping of three? Show the customer a photo of that to get her excited! Even better if you offer a small incentive such as free shipping for additional items. Just make sure to be clear about what exactly is for sale with this listing.

Editing: Use a photo editing program to touch up your photos if necessary. Gimp is a free download that you'll love if you know how to use Photoshop, Picasa is a great all-around free program for mid-level skills, and an online photo editor like Piknic is perfect if you're not particularly computer savvy. If the photo is too dark, increase the brightness and the contrast.