Everything a buyer in this category wants to know is on the surfaces nobody photographs.
The shot that sells
Three-quarter view, whole piece, in daylight, with enough room around it to read the proportions. Shoot from roughly its own height rather than looking down at it.
The shot that prevents the dispute
The underside, the back, and the inside of a drawer. Repairs, replacements, marks and old labels are all there.
The list
- Three-quarter whole, plus straight on
- The top under raking light — rings, scratches and heat marks appear only that way
- Underside and back
- Joints and fixings, close
- Drawers out, doors open
- Any maker's mark, readable
- Every repair, loss and replaced part
- A tape measure in frame, at least once
Light
Daylight, indirect, from one side. For surface condition, low and across — raking light is the whole technique for furniture, and it is the difference between a listing that looks honest and one that looks staged.
Scale
Photographs lie about furniture size in both directions. Put a measure in one frame and write the numbers in the listing. Describing furniture.
What goes wrong
Shooting in a dark room with a flash, cropping so the proportions cannot be read, and polishing before photographing — which costs value and makes the surface look wrong. Common mistakes.
Questions people ask
Should I photograph it in a room setting?
One shot in context is fine. The rest should be plain.
How do I show a wobble?
Video, with a hand on it.
Is a dark piece hard to photograph?
Yes. More light, bounced, never direct.
More: selling antiques, what one is worth.