u/steveinatlanta

I’ve been doing portraits the past several years trying to get into the ad side with the work. Had a few jobs and still trying for that work. Last fall my local camera store closed its doors after 40+ yrs.

Took the opportunity to get as much stuff as I could to build out a studio for products work. I ended up with some Broncolor lights and pack as old as 1998 power pack but with only 27k flashes. That’s just starting to break in considering how it’s built for years of service in a working studio.

I started watching the learning videos on the Broncolor site which really got me started. I then subscribed to VisualEducation.com and have been learning all I can about lighting and applying it to whiskey bottles and glasses. Once I started understanding how and when to use gradient lighting has changed everything.

Now I’m putting together a body of work to practice what I’m learning as well as building a portfolio of work. My kid tends bar and got me a bunch of empties to work with.

I’m more focused on hero images that could work is ads, brochures, trade show walls, etc. I’m not interested in sterile pack shots that ai can readily do but more about lighting and points of view that aren’t what you’d prompt, at least I guess that’s what you do with it.

These are going from most recent to where I started a couple of Saturdays ago.

All done in the camera and edited in Capture One then cleaned up in Photoshop.

Sony A7iii
Sony 35/2.8 50/1.4 90macro
Broncolor lights

Shot with 4 lights. Hard strip light for the rim light. Light hitting the background a lil too bright. Main light to the right behind a scrim with a reflector and grid. Finally a snoot being aimed at the glass and a grid held in from to tighten the overspill of light.

All done in the camera and edited in Capture One then cleaned up in Photoshop.

Sony A7iii
Zeiss Batis 25mm
Broncolor lights

These are sneakers for one of my clients and I’ve had them for a few years. Today thought I’d try something new aside from bottles and glasses.

They’re not perfect and probably a little over saturated from trying out Capture One filters. Definitely made them grainy too.

Less expected more feeling and vibes I think.

Sony A7iii
Sony 35/2.8
Shot with three lights

I used to do graphic design for a living and still like to work in that capacity. I decided to put some of the bottle and glass shots into some framework of how they’d look in ads.

The first set I started looking up etiquette rules around drinking. I came across how you’re supposed to hold your glass in the left hand.

For the Jack Daniel’s and Johnnie Walker ones, I downloaded a logo from brandsoftheworld.com

They’re just comps so no need to put all the extra stuff you’ll usually have to put in on a paying job.

This time I borrowed an empty Sir Davis bottle. Shot on pink seamless paper.

Sony A7iii
Sony 50 1.4

ISO100 f8 5 stop ND filter

3 Broncolor Pulso heads with P70 reflectors and a snoot
Broncolor StripLite

I’m really starting to get this gradient light approach working for me. These were empty bottles a couple were from the bar kid bartends. I’m purposefully shooting these tight and letting what depth of field I’m getting be. Personally think it’s the people who can shoot and frame their pictures compositionally thats going to stand out from mediocrity that abounds.

There was a good bit of photoshop work but that’s the nature of the beast. Best thing I learned this year is gradient photography. I’ve spent the past several years doing portraits and the lighting is completely different. So I watched a lot of tutorials after coming across this video that explained it to me, https://youtu.be/sKrKRjknpB0?si=ZfFO6PL3J77OkfUs

I’ve since subscribed to visualeducation.com and watched enough videos to be able to do these consistently. Used a Sony A7iii with 90mm macro. Three Broncolor lights, 2 Pulso heads with P70 reflector behind sheets of diffusion paper that’s readily available on Amazon. Also a hard StripLite from the 90s. I made the frame with some wood from Ace hardware along with the bits for the corners and a handsaw. BTS pic at the end.

Seriously, I couldn’t do these until last weekend. I was in the studio a few times last month getting my ass kicked before I started getting it.

I did these using two lights with scrims to give me gradient reflections. I clean up the obvious dust and other imperfections. One thing I’m wondering about is where the liquid moves around the glass and leaves residue. I try to get it wiped out really well before I push the button. Does have to be all removed? I feel like that’s the nature of real life and something that might not be in generated images.

Sony A7iii

Sony 50/1.4 and 90mm macro

Broncolor Grafit A4

2 Pulso heads sometimes bare other times with a P70 reflector behind the scrims and some with a square softbox overhead.

Been working on some beverages with some glasses from the house. Feedback is welcome. Thanks. Pretty chuffed with these.