How to light a glass??

[Abdul Rahman Jamous]

Good day to you AWESOME people and hope that everyone is doing FANTASTIC!

I tried to do a stop motion consists of three photos but I am not happy with the result especially the way how the way how the glass of water looked.

may you please help on how I can place my lighting??

[Frank Wylie]

Others will perhaps chime in with better responses, but I suggest if you want to keep the black background, move the subject forward and apply a back light on the two items.

There is nothing to separate the subjects from the background.

Moving the subjects forward allows you to shine a light source on the rear of the items without illuminating the background.  This should bring out the shape and volume of the items and give you the separation needed to fully comprehend the shape of the items.

Be sure to use barn doors or flags to keep the light from spilling into the taking lens and onto the background.

Edited October 30, 2023 by Frank Wylie

[Stewart McLain]

This book has a really fantastic chapter on how to light glass:  
https://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9SUEI3Y0TTIJ&keywords=lighting+magic+focus+books&qid=1698672982&sprefix=lighting+magic+focus+book%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1

Essentially, a glass object is defined by it's outline.  You basically have to determine whether it needs a dark outline or a light outline.   In your sample photo, you're shooting against a dark background so you want the opposite element (light) to define your subject.  Right now, you only have light reflecting off the middle of your subject, which is why it lacks definition.  To define the edges, you want light to hit the sides of your subject from behind.   The book would suggest that you use something like a black card as your background.  The card should only be large enough to fill the frame.  You then you would set up some diffusion material behind the the card, and position a light behind that.   

I know there are other methods to accomplish this but I think the principles are basically the same if you're shooting translucent glass.  Define the edges of your object.  If you have a dark background, use light to define the edges.  If you have a light background, use darkness to define the edges.  

 

[Stewart McLain]

I realized I might be easier to show than tell.  Plus, it was something fun to do instead of work. 

[David Mullen ASC]

Basically soft cross-lighting to create reflections along the edges. Then however you want to light the label on the bottle. Plus if you want to glow the liquid inside from behind.

 

[Jeff Bernstein]

Now’s the time to mention the glass of milk in Hitchcock’s Suspicion (1941).

[Aapo Lettinen]

You may want to experiment with vertical led tubes to figure out what kind of reflections you would want on the glass and from which directions to bring out its shape. then you can use something larger to make the final lighting setup if led tubes are not enough to do the actual job as tubes may be too thin to get wide enough reflection (they are often great supplements though if you need a thinner reflection from the surface to for example bring out the edge etc).

as others said, lighting glass and metal is all about reflecting large bright surfaces from it to bring out its shape.

Adding just small specular sources does not help, no matter how much light you pump on it... you could use 100kW of light and at most it would just show more dust and fingerprints and the shape of the object still staying a mystery ?