beverage photography

*annod* · 02-13-2009, 01:42 PM

Hi all,

I am a graphic designer who has experience art directing photo shoots (also took photo/studio light classes).

I have to do a product shot for a client soon (plastic bottled soft drink). It's gonna be shooting the plastic bottles (with fluid in it) against white background (clipping path will be applied)

I am thinking I can do it myself. But i want to make sure the results look as professional as possible...

I am thinking about getting a light tent, something like this:
Impact | Digital Medium Lighthouse Kit (120-240VAC) | DLH-KM

or

ALZO 100 Cool Lite Tent Kit for Digital Product Photography by ALZO digital

Has anyone used these models, or can recommend something better <$200

Is a light tent the best way to go (my space is limited)?

Also I have a K10D, wondering if I should upgrade to K20D. (for higher res.) Lens: I have a DA 35mm macro, and a FA 50mm f1.4

Any advice would be invaluable.

Thanks,
Donna

**Buddha Jones** · 02-13-2009, 02:15 PM

Both of those will do the trick, but I would highly recommend getting an underneath light source so that the contents of the bottle, the drink I suppose, comes to life. I bought a kit from Table Top Studio and was very happy with the amount of equipment I got for the price as well as the helpfull tips that the site offers.

*pingflood* · 02-13-2009, 02:19 PM

If it's anything like shooting glass, a light tent isn't really the best idea if you want really great results. If you have time, pick up the book Light: Science & Magic, which has some very good explanations and setups for shooting glass with liquids. I've done some and the techniques they suggest really work quite well. You can also google "bright field" lighting to get some ideas.

*annod* · 02-13-2009, 06:47 PM

Thanks for your suggestions.

I just got the Light: Science & Magic book from the library. Seems like to do it properly, I will need more equipments than I would like to invest in at the moment.

So I decide to go with a pro photog this time, and take mental notes how he does it. Maybe I will invest in equipments later.

*CalendarGuy* · 02-13-2009, 08:24 PM

Go to the strobist blog for practical approaches to lighting that will get the job done. The link below will save you time and money. You can build on this concept to light from below very easily.

Strobist: How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio

jct us101 · 02-13-2009, 08:30 PM

I had to spend an entire day looking for that link, and of course it's right here!

Simon23 · 02-13-2009, 11:30 PM

Ive been having a bit of fun with this website...Try episode's 1,2 and 6. CLICK

*pingflood* · 02-15-2009, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by annod

Thanks for your suggestions.

I just got the Light: Science & Magic book from the library. Seems like to do it properly, I will need more equipments than I would like to invest in at the moment.

So I decide to go with a pro photog this time, and take mental notes how he does it. Maybe I will invest in equipments later.

Probably not a bad idea. For future reference though, you can replace flash with regular hot lights in a lot of still photography (obviously if you're shooting icecream it might be a problem). So another light source might be as cheap as a $5 light from Home Depot.