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Using artificial light
Good lighting is critical for taking product photos that are properly exposed, blur free and capture product detail. Even when you use artificial lighting, augment it by letting natural light from outside come into the room. 
Avoid using the built-in digital camera flash. Uneven light and dark areas will appear on the product.
A flash can cause areas in photos to be washed out, void of detail. At may also produce harsh shadows around the sides of objects.
If the camera flash can't be shut off, carefully tape cardboard or a similar material over it.
If you take a lot of product photos and want the best results without buying special lighting equipment, use "white light" bulbs that are formulated to simulate natural daylight indoors. Whatever type of artificial light you use to illuminate a product, be it incandescent or florescent lamps, change the white balance setting to match the light source.
Make sure the light doesn't shine directly on the product so the surface is free from unsightly reflections. Take a few test shots and make any changes to the camera settings or placement of the lamps that may be necessary.
If lighting is such that you can't obtain a shutter speed of at least 1/60th of a second, or the camera shake indicator comes on, use a camera support. If your camera has image stabilization, you may be able to hand-hold the camera at slightly lower shutter speeds and still obtain acceptable results.
This article contains basic photo tips from the comprehensive, illustrated ebook Top Digital Camera Tips for Photographing Online Auction Products. The ebook also covers editing techniques for optimizing online auction images. More info >
