Picture taking advice
Photography was one of my hobbies since just after glass plates went out of fashion and I think I can give everyone a couple of hints about taking good pictures of their firearms for this forum.
It is most likely today that you will be using a digital camera. Many of those cameras offer selectable resolution settings and variable storage (compression) options. For the highest quality results always use the highest resolution your camera is capable of and the least storage compression possible - this is usually a .jpeg or .jpg format. Compression algorithms attempt to reduce file size by modifying the structure of the file. This results in quality loss. The downside to a high-resolution, low compression file is that it takes up more room on your storage device but that should not be important for just a few pictures. Before uploading to this site it would be advisable to use a photo editor to reduce the overall size of the picture and file.
The actual mechanics of taking the picture are still, basically, the same as with a film camera:
1 - Keep it steady. Use a tripod if possible. Any movement will blur fine detail and detail is what we need here.
2 - Do not use direct flash as it will cause glare. A separate flashgun aimed from the side is better and can sidelight important detail. Even better is diffuse, indirect or bounce light. A trick for photographing coins is to use a white Styrofoam cup placed over the coin with the camera sticking through a hole in the bottom. The light is then totally diffused by the cup.
3 - Close focus (macro) capability. Rule of thumb here - get close. Make sure your camera can do it or get the accessory equipment that will allow it to do it.
4 - Fill the frame. Pictures with unimportant details like a yard of your dining room table are a waste of pixels that could be used to render finer detail.
5 - A critical factor in firearm identification are the figures, words and numbers impressed into the metalwork. These are sometimes difficult to make out and need some help. Try side-lighting to cast a bit of a shadow into the depression or wipe a bit of talcum powder into the impression to bring up the contrast.
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