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.

-- Stefan E. Jones

A foam gray card is one of the cheapest useful photo accessories you can get. I use mine all the time. There are plenty of ways to enhance close-up shots, but none simpler or cheaper. If you want to get fancy in your clipping, you can try some green card, as in greenscreen.

-- KK

Foam Board, Graystone
20" x 30"
$9.74 (2 pieces)
Available from Office Depot

Also in quantities of 10 for $71 from Amazon