Foamcore Gray Card: “It sounds so trivial, but a simple piece of gray-colored foamcore, purchased at a local craft store, is a godsend for digital photography. The board's flat surface serves as a perfectly uniform, non-glare background for shooting gizmos and stuff. Stuff, as in stuff you want put up for auction on eBay, stuff to illustrate articles, stuff for your blog. The stiff gray card — 20 by 30 inches — produces no highlights, even in full sunlight. The objects appear to float in limbo (or all white). Moving and removing objects from the image using Photoshop is a cinch.”

NB: In the UK this stuff is called Foam Board and can be picked up at craft stores or art suppliers. It isn‘t all that cheap but still cheaper than specialist stuff. If you’re doing lots of photographing objects, it is probably worth making up a 3 sided box, and lighting it properly (for a really pro look!).

(Via Kevin Kelly — Cool Tools.)