Find a background that offers reasonable contrast and is not distracting to the product. A dark product against a dark background will not offer enough detail. Create lighting contrast between the item and the background. If your product is small, create your own background with posterboard, matt board or draped fabric etc. Inexpensive commercial backgrounds are available through artist supply catalogs and stores.
Distance Get close to the object to show detail, and cut down on distraction.
The highest resolution viewed online is 72dpi. When taking digital pictures, standard resolution is usually sufficient. Smaller image file size will enable you to save your images to floppy disk or transmit as attachments to your designer, and potential customers. The best Image File Format for photographic images on websites is .jpg. This gives good clarity in the photo and a reasonable file size for transmission over the internet.