Need to photograph greeting cards in really imaginative ways

Hi,

As per title, I need to take loads of photos of a load of greeting cards (Not photos to go on them, but photograph the cards themselves)- they need to look really good/ presentable.

I have the following equipment:

Nikon D80 DSLR
Nikon f1.8 50mm lens
Nikon 70-300mm VR lens (Useless for this)
Sigma 10-20mm lens (useless for this)
Nikon 18-120(?) el cheapo lens that came with the body

Now I want to do a mixture of 'shop- window' style shots where they are arranged in a group/ set- I can do these myself using the 50mm lens. But I would also like to do a range of closeups, photos of details, etc. For this, I will need a macro lens I guess. Any ideas?

Also, would you recommend any particular flash equipment? The camera's on- board flash was terrible for this. I did some tests using the 50mm, a tripod, and a desk lamp with the 'light' end covered in white paper. The results were 'ok', but not quite what I hoped for. Even playing with the WB, it either came out looking a bit yellow or a bit blue. Obviously neutral, natural looking colours (so the card looks 'correct' are REALLY important for this.

Also, if there are any people in London (We are based in Greenwich) who are looking for a little photography project to take on, we might be interested in talking.

Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks

I'd be using the 50mm out of those (actually personally I'd use a 24-70 to give me options but the 50mm should do the job). Off camera flash would help I think and give you some options in the look you're going for - SB600 would do the job fine.

What are you planning on using the shots for? I'm south west London myself so if you're struggling I could probably spare a few hours sometime - but you've got most of the kit so see what you can come up with.

Thanks for that. I find the camera struggles to focus on some of the 'close shots' I want using the 50mm, hence me asking about a macro lens. i.e. if I really want to get in close or photograph it down at an angle. Will check out the flash now. is there any good websites/ books I could have a look at to get me up and running quickly on the flash front?

Thanks

I'd go for the 50mm.

If you want natural stuff then i'd probably try and go without a flash but use a tripod.

That's an option of course, you have a subject which isn't going anywhere, no harm setting it up on a tripod, choosing your aperture and letting the camera calculate exposure as a test. Most commercial product shots are done with flash but it's not mandatory at all and it depends on the effect you want. Just turn off auto ISO and (on a D80) keep it down to ISO400 or lower (I'd be thinking no higher than 200 myself)

Sounds a great project Bes, so do post up some images as i'd be keen to see the finished product as i'm based in London.
Are you going to use the images for marketing the cards or is this purely for documentation and not commercial?

I'd not rule out the 70-300, just get some distance and then use it on a tripod and zoom in for those detail shots. You can always add in some selective blur after in post. Shooting in natural light would work but you could also check out a DIY lightbox. 3 x lamps and a cardboard box will get you most of the way there and instructions on the web are easy to come by.

For some inspiration on display ideas check out some folio sites with Typography. Something like this or this could work depending on your usage requirement.

Thanks Oxygen- those are great links- also looking into lightbox creation, as it looks like it will give me one of the effects I want