Shooting Bottles Is Hard.
True statement. How many times have you shot your wine bottle for social media or at an event and you could see your shining face in the reflection, along with everyone and everything around you? Every time.
Shooting bottles is hard.
I should mention that I don’t use natural light for bottle shots or beauty images shot in the studio so I can control those creamy reflections. When I do shoot with natural light, it’s usually onsite at a client’s property using window light or just being outside in a more natural setting. In some cases I’ll still control the sunlight with bounce cards or diffusion, but it depends on the shoot! Content days are usually mostly natural light with little modification while onsite beauty shoots are very controlled - almost like a mobile studio with all the gear setup onsite.
I always joke that I’m a reflection manager more than I’m a photographer some days. Figuring out where that tiny hot spot is coming from or the way something refracts inside a bottle of liquid (wine, spirits, beer, oil, vinegar, you name it) can take some time. Smartphone or pro camera, light still needs to be modified and controlled to make a compelling image. Bottles and the wine itself present challenges with reflections and refraction. Here are a few tips on how to manage those reflections:
Diffuse, diffuse, diffuse. Take the cover off of a 5-in-1 reflector to use just the diffusion panel. Invest in high quality diffusion gel. Use tracing paper. Heck, use wax paper. Use anything between your light source and your bottle to diffuse the light.
Look at each reflection (overhead lights, windows, people in the room, other objects) and identify where they’re coming from. Use big black boards around the bottle to block every light source.
Manage those reflections with boards, diffusion, repositioning. Move yourself, move the bottle, move the light source. Find the light you like.
I setup a simple “set” to show how modifying the light can make a world of difference, especially if you like those creamy reflections down the sides of wine bottles. These images are SOOC (straight out of the camera) so just look at the light. Look at how the light hits a bottle when it is not modified at all, when there’s a bounce card on one side (bouncing the light onto the bottle from the light source (window in this case)), and when there is a bounce card AND a layer of diffusion between the light source at the bottle.
If you continuously bump into problems, get frustrated with those reflections (including seeing your own beautiful face in the bottle), or just do not have time to do this level of prep and setting up to shoot your bottles, reach out! I shoot bottles for a living and can help you create the images you need for your marketing.
