Yes, and you should. A seller would far rather answer a question than take a return.
In a live show, ask for the thing itself
This is the part people underuse. You are not asking for a photograph to be taken later — you are asking somebody holding the object to show you now.
What to ask for, in order of how much it tells you:
"Can you turn it over?" The back is where everything is.
"Can you tilt it to the light?" Scratches, creases and surface wear are invisible head-on and obvious at an angle.
"Can you show me the label, close up?" Or the hallmark, the maker's mark, the stitching.
"What is the worst thing about it?" The single most useful question in any show. A straight answer tells you the item; a dodge tells you the seller.
Hosts expect these. A good one will already be doing most of it. How a live auction show works
On an ordinary listing
Send an enquiry and say what you want to see. "Could you photograph the base and the inside rim?" gets a better response than "more photos please", because it is two minutes of work rather than an unbounded request.
A listing can carry up to six photographs, so if the ones you need are missing, asking is reasonable rather than demanding.
What a seller can attach to a reply
A seller answering a question in a show can attach a photograph to the answer, so what you asked for ends up visible to the room rather than only to you — which is good for you and good for them.
If a seller will not
That is information, and it is the clearest signal available on Metzee. Someone who will not show you the back of a thing on camera, during a live show, with the item in their hand, has a reason.
Do not bid. There will be another one. Should I bid with a seller who has no sales yet?
What photographs cannot tell you
Colour, reliably — screens differ and lighting lies. Weight. Smell. Size, unless something is beside it for scale.
So for anything where those matter, ask for the measurement rather than a better picture. "How long is it, in centimetres?" beats any photograph. What do NM, VG and the rest mean?
For sellers
Every question answered in the open is an answer for everybody watching, and it is the cheapest way there is to reduce returns. Treat the awkward question as the useful one.
More: how a live show works, what is provenance, how to describe condition.