Lighting A Wine Bottle

[Don Homewood]

I'm shooting a commercial for a winery in two weeks time and I need advice on how to light the product shot. I've lit product shots in the past, including wine bottles, but I've always had a dot and finger set. This time I do not. A colleague suggested making my own (solid) dots and fingers out of blackwrap, which sounds like it will work and I may use, but I'm curious as to what other solutions are out there. So come one, come all, and share your wisdom.

[Richard Andrewski]

I remember an article within the last year in DV magazine that showed just what you're talking about--lighting a wine bottle. They used a fluorescent fixture to light the bottle. Anything black and/or shiny usually benefits from having a large surface area of light to light it like a softbox or the naturally diffused light of fluorescents. Gives a really nice and pleasing effect with lots of highlights against the relatively dark surface (I'm assuming red wine though) of the bottle.

[Michael Nash]

Just google/images "wine bottle" and you'll have thousands of reference pictures to look at.

 

There are two different things to deal with: the reflective surface of the bottle, and the translucence of the wine inside it.

 

For the bottle it's all about the reflections. You can experiment with getting a nice vertical "strip" highlight by bouncing light off a piece of foamcore with clean, straight edges. Add more highlights of various sizes around the bottle for more shape

 

For the wine you'll probably want a soft backlight seen through the bottle. Red wine will look black without some light coming through, and white wine will look more "pure" with a smooth background seen through the bottle instead of a busy one.

[Jonathan Bowerbank]

Ever try lighting a wine bottle from underneath? I know it works well with beer bottles & glasses, but was curious how well it shows up with wine.

 

S'pose you'd be cutting a hole in the table and blasting a lil par or something from underneath to illuminate it "from the inside out"...seemingly.

[Richard Andrewski]

Ever try lighting a wine bottle from underneath? I know it works well with beer bottles & glasses, but was curious how well it shows up with wine.

 

S'pose you'd be cutting a hole in the table and blasting a lil par or something from underneath to illuminate it "from the inside out"...seemingly.

 

Interesting but I wonder if it could work with red wine. Sounds like he may need to try it to find out unless someone else around here has experience lighting from beneath like that.

[Walter Graff]

Interesting but I wonder if it could work with red wine. Sounds like he may need to try it to find out unless someone else around here has experience lighting from beneath like that.

 

I don't think there is a wrong or right way to do it. For me it depends on content and how that bottle is shown for that content. I've lit 50 such set ups and probably did them 30 different ways depending on the situation, my mood and what equipment I had available at the time.

 

While it's a simple set-up designed to give insight to a newbie using as little equipment as possible, perhaps this may help.

 

http://www.bluesky-web.com/tabletop.htm

 

 

My preference on such things as bottles is a combination of large soft reflections and specular highlights when called for.

Edited March 18, 2007 by WALTER GRAFF

[Frank Barrera]

but I've always had a dot and finger set. This time I do not.

solid dots and fingers are easy enough to rig but the nets would take too much time and energy. maybe you could just buy

some nets. It would always come in hand in the future and then there's the kit rental...

[kpv rajkumar]

I don't think there is a wrong or right way to do it. For me it depends on content and how that bottle is shown for that content. I've lit 50 such set ups and probably did them 30 different ways depending on the situation, my mood and what equipment I had available at the time.

 

While it's a simple set-up designed to give insight to a newbie using as little equipment as possible, perhaps this may help.

 

http://www.bluesky-web.com/tabletop.htm

My preference on such things as bottles is a combination of large soft reflections and specular highlights when called for.

 

loved your third pic, wal . the 2k kick from frame left makes a good wine light already(reminds me of grover washington jr's wine light album ! ) even without the red flame slashing through-which looks too 'sloshed' though ! :P rajkumar

Edited March 18, 2007 by kpv rajkumar

[Rich Schaefer]

A trick I have used is white tape on some or all of the back of the bottle. It helps lift the brightness of the fluid inside. It should work well with white wine and it may help with reds so they have some red color instead of appearing black. Otherwise the glass bottle is like lighting a car, expect to see many/all reflections. Use large/close sources like chimera boxes or foamcore. Good Luck!

 

Cheers,

Rich

[Don Homewood]

Thanks for all the help guys. B)