Gewehr98, great lighting on your posted pics. Too many of the others posted don't control the lighting contrast or just let the shadows block up too much. I'll have to find a way to post pics so I can put my money where my mouth is.
To some of the rest of you, try bouncing your light off the ceiling or any large flat (white or silvered, I've wrapped tin foil around a 3-ring binder in a pinch) and, for-the-love-of-pixels, use a tripod.