How can i take professional looking pictures of everyday objects?

I work for a small telecommunications company and i am wondering if there is any way for me to take professional looking pictures of telephone handsets to use in training manuals with a normal digital camera? The pictures should have a plain background with minimal light reflection (The handsets have quite a glossy finish) and good detail (Similar to all of the everyday images of mobile phones etc on any website). Can anyone offer any advice?

There are factors you have to consider:

1) The camera you use must have a "macro mode" so you can take close-up photos*.

2) For best results your camera should be mounted on a tripod.

3) Lighting. This is the most crucial part of product photography and will require some research by you. Poor lighting will result in unwanted shadows and/or glare.

I suggest a call to your library. Ask if they subscribe to Shutterbug Magazine and, if they do, if they have the Oct. 2007 issue. The Oct. issue is always devoted to light and lighting and features products such as light tents, flash units, constant lights, etc.

You should be able to find the articles from the Oct. 2007 issue at shutterbug.com if the library doesn't have back-issues.

These books would also be useful to you:

"Photographic Lighting Simplified" by Susan McCartney

"Beginner's Guide to Photographic Lighting" by Don Marr

* If the camera doesn't have a "macro mode" you can always position it farther away and use the zoom to isolate your subject.

This is a bit of a complicated one and will really take a book to explain. Photography can be very complex.

Aesthetics from framing to light can also be very complex and sometimes takes personal talent.

Get a good book on digital (there are many&cheap too)
Digital cameras these days are advanced, even the most simple ones.

For light, experiment with some shots. Do this indoors, more control. Take it with the flash or good lights over it. The flash will have different results on the gloss.(different angles)
Take it in very high pixel quality or raw
The final editing will have a huge effect on the final product.

Too complex to fuully answer. Good luck

Become a professional ... Wait ... I don't mean give up the day job, I mean approach the subject in a professional manner.
You MUST know your camera and associated equipment.
You must understand how important lighting is.
You must understand how important compositional elements are.
You must THINK and not be predictable.
You should get the idea in your imagination before you pick up the camera.
Regarding your specific example of telephone handsets where there will be some reflection, spray the handsets with a fine mist of hairspray, just a touch and only where it is needed. Then it will be down to your light. Diffuse the light. No direct light at all. Reflected light is good.
Let's face it. I can't be there. It's down to you.

Aside from making sure your camera lens can take the picture at the distance you need, lighting will be your main concern. Purchase a kit like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Light-Tent-Ez-Studio...

Also, a knowledge of Photoshop helps.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/perki88/385...

Yes, I think you need to concentrate on lighting as this will differentiate what you do from other peoples work - you can make simple objects look amazing just through the use of light.

For that you need to know about exposure, composition, lighting itself and a range of other basic issues - equipment selection may come into it. So I suggest you start here, 750 pages of free tutorials which are step by step and kick off from the basics...
http://www.image-nut.com/spip.php?rubriq...

I'd suggest you consider a single flash unit with a soft box and a set of reflectors and some black and grey boards - you can get great results with such simple kit if you get a feel for how light works. eBay would be a good place to lok for that kind of kit and the main aim would be to bounce the light from your softbox onto a reflector and then onto your subject as one option to reduce shine and create soft overall lighting.

http://www.image-nut.com/spip.php?rubriq...

Also consider getting your hands on a close-up filter. They magnify and give a really beautiful depth of field look to still life objects.