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A Special Tipple
My first venture into product shooting of a rather nice, aged to perfection, Jack Daniel's
My first venture into product shooting of a rather nice, aged to perfection, Jack Daniel's
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Sep, 2014Views
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Awards
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Contest Finalist in Commercial Shots Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Commercial Style Photo Contest
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ShaunWhitePhotography
March 12, 2015
Thank you all for the praise and support, it is really appreciated
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I had always wanted to try a product shoot and this, along with a few of my children's toys, made great props. Before moving back to the UK, I had set up a small studio space in my basement, this is where the image was taken. Many items where home made as I was on a tight budget, for instance, the diffusers were made from sheets of tracing/ greaseproof paper hung over the lights and the lovely warm glow from the liquid was injected by utilising golden christmas gift wrapping paper to reflect the light through the bottle from behind. To be honest I didn't like this image at first, my own personal favourite is one that evolved again from this shot some days later that I called "Poker Night", purely because I thought it told more of a story.Time
I began shooting around 10 AM but by the time I was happy with my set up and having played with many surfaces, I guess this shot evolved around 2'ish. The time of day wasn't really an issue as I wasn't restricted by any light conditions due to the fact that I was in the basement and the natural light that was available wasn't very much, I even posted some earlier 'taster' shots on social media to ask for constructive criticism and nearly everyone said not block the natural light and go with just the studio set up.Lighting
The lighting set up was tricky as anyone who has tried to shoot glass will know. Too much of a wrong angle and there will be glare off the glass, not enough and there is no definition to the objects. I bounced light from two speed guns, one set on the camera bouncing off the ceiling and another under the table bouncing off the black back cloth. From the side I used two studio lights, both were double diffused by the lightbox diffuser and greaseproof paper draped about a foot in front on both sides. I manipulated the light from behind with Golden Christmas wrapping paper, set at an angle to push light through the back of the glass and the bottle, while not allowing the camera to see it. This gave a fabulous warm glow to the liquid inside.Equipment
I shoot a sony A77 set on a Manfrotto tripod with a pistol grip ball head mount. I love this set up as it gives me so much freedom of movement, on all axis, and allows me to reset the camera quickly and easily so as to move on to my next angle, landscape or portrait. Attached to the body was my 100mm Macro lens, awesome for still lifes. For this shot I used two speedlights, two very inexpensive studio lights, a portable backdrop set up and a portable picnic table. The reflective surface I spotted while shopping in a local haberdashery with the wife. It was on a roll and is usually used for windows and at twelve bucks for a square meter, it was a hell of a lot cheaper than smoked perspex/ plexiglass. The finishing touches were fake ice cubes and distilled tea for inside the glass.Inspiration
I was in the mood to try a product shoot and this image basically evolved from just the bottle at first, to the bottle with it's presentation box and many other settings. I had always wanted to shoot a bottle of Jack Daniels and to hopefully do it justice when one day I noticed this special edition 'Nova Scotia' select sitting on the shelf at the local liquor store, all the Planets had aligned and I knew I had to use this as my muse.... I do have a very soft spot for Jack Daniels, who doesn't???? In fact it has been said of me that I know Jack Daniels so well, I can call him John....Editing
If I am completely honest? I thought that I would be in post for several hours cleaning up glare from the glass and dealing with colour issues etc., but, and not wanting to sound as though I am blowing my own trumpet here, apart from some cropping and burning in the top corners to help with the vignette appearance, I had pretty much nailed it in camera with this shot.In my camera bag
When I go out and about, unless I am in a mind to shoot something specific, I usually have my A77 body with a long lens attached 70 - 200mm f2.8, as well as a wide angle 10 - 28mm and my 100mm macro. A set of CP filters for each of the lenses (You never know right?). Along with this I have a speedlight with tether and radio control, coloured gels, stand and a small lightbox for the speedlight. I like to have my Laptop for viewing in the field and a small, lightweight tripod. Oh! and spare batteries and yes, I am ex military and therefore used to carrying a lot of kit on my back....Feedback
The best advice I have for shooting something similar would be to manipulate the light yourself, diffuse it as best you can because I found that hard light causes a lot of glare. Also have the patience to try different set ups, use a good depth of field, allow the shot to evolve. Shoot something you have a passion for or an interest in, it doesn't have to be a bottle of alcohol, it could be a really pretty cologne or perfume bottle (though the shape of some perfume bottles would be difficult to light, glare from all angles). Kids toys make great props also and can be positioned seriously or in comical positions, bring them to life. Most of all, enjoy what it is you are doing, if you feel it's getting too stressful, take a break, it should be fun....
