Need Expert Help

[dmbai]

I am basically a beginner. Don't really know much and am learning on the fly. I bought a Nikon D90 and Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 DG Macro lens.

I am trying to photograph stationery items that have the text pressed into the paper. I have tried a handful of different methods to achieve this, including some advice from some pretty good photographers, and none of them seem to help much. The best I've been able to achieve is in a low lit environment (no more daylight) using my camera's crappy built-in flash. See the following picture:

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5828/dsc10473.jpg

However, I want to achieve the type of depth of impression and texture you see here:

http://dolcepress.com/products/custom/images/nexus_string_quartet_1.jpg
http://dolcepress.com/products/wedding/images/hydrangea_8.jpg

I just bought the following lights because I was told flooding it with light could help:

Interfit EZ-Lite 2-Light Kit INT160 B&H Photo Video

However when I do this I actually see less of the texture and debossing.

Any advice how to get it to look or look closest to the 2 pictures I linked? Mostly with lighting but just also general camera settings as well?

Thanks!

 

[Arkanjel Imaging]

The light needs to be coming in from almost the same plane as the card itself. Almost straight down. So on camera lighting isnt going to cut it.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yup! Angle your light to create shadow. Flooding it with light, kills the depth showing shadows.

Easy peasy.

 

[Marc-Etienne]

The light needs to be coming in from almost the same plane as the card itself. Almost straight down. So on camera lighting isnt going to cut it.

+1
If you are looking to get depth, you need shadows. The shadows on your goal pictures point straight down so the light as to be right above the card pointing downward.

 

[480sparky40 39]

The lights you got may be far too large to create the shadows you want, especially using reflectors/umbrellas. Shoot with just the light alone, and maybe even scriming it down some.... you need a very small (physical size) light source.

 

[dmbai]

Some updates, before I got any responses I actually tried using one light on and the second light off and that made a huge difference. Using only one light gave me shadows while using two lights facing each other gave none. However, it still doesn't seem to be what it should be even lighting it from the level of the card. I did use a better piece and got MUCH more texture, but feel I can't get what the person did in the links in my first post.

Should I be doing this in a dark room with only those lights? Or should I have some lighting in the room? And I was using a white background, would a black background help in any way?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[480sparky40 39]

 

[dmbai]

Thanks, that top angles seems to work well compared to side angle flat. So how about my questions regarding the rest of the room? Lights off? Lights on? Should the background that the card sits on be white as I've been using? Or would something dark like black paper do anything to help?

I've been using F-16, is there anything good/bad you're recommend there?

Thanks!!

 

[dmbai]

Can anybody help on a few of my final questions:

Should I be doing this in a dark room with only those lights? Or should I have some lighting in the room? And I was using a white background, would a black background help in any way?

Thanks!