Wine Bottles in Stark Light

[Mike Buckley]

It's very unusual that wine bottles are made of clear glass. These are the first five bottles of a case, so I'm getting all sorts of ideas.

C&C encouraged, though I have no questions to ask.

[rpcrowe]

Very creative Mike. I like them both but would lean towards #2 as my favorite - perhaps because I like diagonal lines. After emptying them all; was focusing difficult?

[pnodrog]

Very nice - I think a few drops of moisture in one would have been fine. I prefer the second one - no maybe not - if I make up my mind will let you know.

[Donald]

Very nice - I think a few drops of moisture in one would have been fine.

Don't tell him that, after all the hassle he went through to get the moisture out!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

After emptying them all; was focusing difficult?

Focusing was easy. Standing up was the difficult part.

[AB26]

It's very unusual that wine bottles are made of clear glass.

Interesting. In SA 90% of all white and Rose wine is bottled in clear glass and only the cheap ones come with a screw cap.

At least they make interesting subjects.

[Mike Buckley]

In SA 90% of all white and Rose wine is bottled in clear glass.

I wonder if they use different bottles for different markets. I've never seen a South African bottle of white wine in the U.S. that is clear. They're usually green. I just now checked three wines from Spier and Mulderbosch and they're all in green bottles.

Now that you mention Rose, I never buy it and wouldn't know the usual color of the glass.

The bottles in the photos are from the Rias Baixas region of Spain.

[Aforns]

Like it a lot !!! Both mighty fine do prefer the second !!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Alfred!

I also prefer the second one. Considering that I'm a sucker for diagonals, that's to be expected. I look forward to having enough wine bottles to extend them in a diagonal row all the way from the left side of the frame to the ride side, allowing the viewer to wonder how many bottles are in the row. I think I need two more bottles to effectively accomplish that.

[Bobobird]

Both, I like both. But I don't like you emptying them without our assistance..

[Mike Buckley]

But I don't like you emptying them without our assistance..

Considering that you just won a contest, you can celebrate without any assistance from me.

For those of you who haven't seen Bobo's thread about that, click here.

[AB26]

I've never seen a South African bottle of white wine in the U.S. that is clear. green.

Mike 90% applies to the cheaper wines.
Most Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc is bottled in light green. Most natural sweet, sweet and semi sweet is bottled in clear glass. Depending on the cellar.
Spier Chardonnay is bottled a light green bottle. Mulderbosch, I have never seen, probably a Celler only and export wine.
Don't think you will find a "cheap" SA wine in the US, they leave it to us pleps to drink.

[Mark von Kanel]

Mike, your work continues to inspire me. one more week and im home to have a go at this sort of work, cant wait and i hope i can pick your brains?

[Plumcrak]

Mike, superb photos again. I am going to have to agree with the majority ( I hate agreeing with the majority) as I also prefer the second shot over the first. I am sure that you will have plenty of empty bottles to complete the row soon, if you don't break any.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks to Mark and Jon.

Mark,

About picking my brains: Start with the book, Light: Science and Magic. Also get to my brain cells before too many more bottles of wine get to them.

[Manfred M]

Nice shots Mike. So which one of these is the famous bottle that (formerly) had the drops of water.

I personally prefer the first image; it reminds me of a group portrait.

I think the second picture needs to have a bit more of the bottle on the left; it looks a bit "cut off at the waist" to me. I like the idea of using the diagonal line, though.

[Shadowman]

Nice composition.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, John and Manfred.

So which one of these is the famous bottle that (formerly) had the drops of water.

I have no idea.

I think the second picture needs to have a bit more of the bottle on the left; it looks a bit "cut off at the waist" to me.

I appreciate your thinking about that. I was dealing with some unattractive patterns of light in other bottles that would have been included if I had also included more of that bottle.

Re-arranging the entire setup to deal with that situation wasn't a practical option because there are so many variables. Making just one change to improve a particular situation can so easily make many other situations worse.

As an example, after getting everything set up, which took a considerable amount of time, I had to spend another 20 minutes adjusting the position of just one particular wine bottle (I won't tell which one ) to ensure that it was properly spaced relative to the other bottles, revealed just the right amount of light on the rim of its opening, was displayed at the top at the similar angle as the other bottles, etc., etc. The really odd thing is that I actually enjoyed that 20-minute period, though I'm not sure I should admit that.

[jeeperman]

Nice work, Mike. Was worth the effort.

[teokf]

I love it, thanks for the inspiration. Now to find empty white bottle