Ardbeg Uigeadail

[JimG]

I should preface this with this comment. i have absolutely nothing equipment wise regarding lighting and i have very little access to natural light with my work schedule.

was reading about shutter effects and i figured id try something silly. I took that picture with the following specs in my basement with no lights on armed with my faithful mag-lite

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Model - E-420
ExposureTime - 10 seconds
FNumber - 16.00
ExposureProgram - Manual control
ISOSpeedRatings - 100
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Flash - Flash not fired
FocalLength - 20 mm

C&C are very welcome!




Edit: I must add that i'm currently drinking my subject matter and the night keeps getting better and better!

[Donald]

Islay whiskies are a little too peaty (flavour of peat is very definite) for my taste, but my friend who has Islay connections (and calls his house Ardbeg) is a devoted follower and consumer of Ardbeg.

As to the picture, am wondering if the top of the bottle and box being cut off weakens a bit?

[Harpo]

It goes to show you that you can have a light set up that does not require expensive strobes, light boxes, etc to start with … Maglites rule!

I would agree with Donald about the top of the frame. Since the bottom is dark, it looks bottom heavy. if there was more of the brighter backdrop above the box & bottle, the product itself will stand out more. I think it would balance the image better visually. I might also move the edge of the backdrop more to the left so there is no line in the image. Cleans it up. The wrinkles in the canvas give it texture and I think it looks good. What do you think?

Looking at the image again… Im wondering if the box itself should be removed- two labels feels redundant visually? Guess this set up gives you a lot of options to play with. I keep coming back to this image because I like it. It makes me want try what you did.

[Mike Buckley]

Considering the amount of time I spend ensuring that clear glass indeed appears clear and devoid of unwanted reflection though displays highly defined edges, your lighting setup accomplished all of that almost perfectly. Congratulations!

[JimG]

Islay whiskies are a little too peaty (flavour of peat is very definite) for my taste, but my friend who has Islay connections (and calls his house Ardbeg) is a devoted follower and consumer of Ardbeg.

As to the picture, am wondering if the top of the bottle and box being cut off weakens a bit?

Thanks for your comment Donald! I completely agree that the top of the bottle/box missing hurt the picture. i didn't realize it yesterday. I was in fact at the top of my makeshift backdrop which i was planning on fixing tonight!

As far as Ardbeg goes, I just noticed you are from Lowlands, i will use something from that regions for my next subject tonight

It goes to show you that you can have a light set up that does not require expensive strobes, light boxes, etc to start with … Maglites rule!

Thank you for all the comments Mike! While you are right about light box, before last week i had never had a camera or taken pictures so i need a bit more time to convince my better half that this is a worthwhile investment haha!

Looking at the image again… Im wondering if the box itself should be removed- two labels feels redundant visually? Guess this set up gives you a lot of options to play with. I keep coming back to this image because I like it. It makes me want try what you did.

Regarding the box, i mainly kept it to have a different texture then Glass but you are definitely right about the label being redundant, thankfully, most of the time, the labels are at different height on the bottle and the boxes, ill see how it goes with my next subject!

Considering the amount of time I spend ensuring that clear glass indeed appears clear and devoid of unwanted reflection though displays highly defined edges, your lighting setup accomplished all of that almost perfectly. Congratulations!

Thanks you very much, truly appreciated

[Karm Redland]

Hi Jimmy. I think the box makes it look like an advertisement. If that's your point then keep it. If you wanted to capture the mood of a man's evening pleasure then I would eliminate the box.

Karm

[JimG]

Hi Jimmy. I think the box makes it look like an advertisement. If that's your point then keep it. If you wanted to capture the mood of a man's evening pleasure then I would eliminate the box.

Karm

Legit... i will try again without

[Letrow]

Hi Jimmy. I think the box makes it look like an advertisement. If that's your point then keep it. If you wanted to capture the mood of a man's evening pleasure then I would eliminate the box.

Karm

I actually like the effect of seeing the label through the glass. That might be more difficult to realise with just the bottle and the glass composition wise.
The background distracts me a bit, part lighting, part edges. There are shadows on the right and the left side shouldn't be visible. And it is obviously a background that you put there. Given the size of the background it will be difficult to create distance between background and subject, but if you do that and use a lower aperture you might get a nicer soft focus. Donald also mentioned the top of the bottle, which I agree with.

[Dulaigh]

Superb contents in the glass. It has my complete attention.