Back to Work

[Loose Canon]

Its the weekend!

I think its high time these glasses do what they do best! Enough mamby-pamby!

I have a couple of suggestions for myself here.

Be glad to say what I think I should do a little better after I go squeeze some more oranges!

If anyone would like to add to that it would be most welcome!

[ShaneS]

Call Sky Vodka! I think that they have their next product shot

I'm no expert on lighting and/or photographing glass but think that this is really great and love the contrast between the orange and blue.

[Stagecoach]

Terry,

I have been following this series and you have done some great work with these. The only thing I will suggest is that although it's the weekend and they are now in use you are careful, otherwise we will be seeing a 'Mike Buckley' broken glass image impersonation on Monday

Grahame

[pasusan]

Hi Terry - Boy, do I agree with Shane! I'm not sure how I feel about the way the bottle neck ends, but the colors are beautiful and that little spritz of moisture under the orange half really adds to it.

[Mike Buckley]

Agreed with all of the above except that I'm very comfortable with the compositional aspect of the bottle neck. It's a superb image all the way around.

Just to make sure you fill every waking moment with something to do with no time to relax , you might want to consider a series of photos that continues to exploit the blue color of the glasses. You could look stuff up on the Internet for ideas. The American Express Blue Sky and Blue Cash promotions come to mind.

[flashback]

Terry,

Glad to see you're finally using the glasses as they were intended.

Not sure the best way to include the bottle but for the time being seems a good as any (did you try the bottle behind the glasses and a bit further back?)

Adding orange juice I think takes away from the blue in the glass. Would it work if it were just clear liquid in the glasses (I would suggest vodka and tonic). And maybe substitute the orange slice for a lemon (maybe lime but I don't know if the green would work well with the blues).

Maybe if you send me the glasses I could take a shot at it and show you what I mean

[Brownbear]

Hi Terry,

Gorgeous image... The only thing I can think of is that clear liquid with slices of lime and a half a green lime would also be very spectacular. and might place more focus on the glasses and the bottle.

Or perhaps red cranberry juice and strawberries, or clear liquid and blue strawberries (coloured to match the glasses)

[arith]

Superb. I just love it and their isn't criticism and the only different thing you could have done was preserve the colour of the orange rind.

[Loose Canon]

Call Sky Vodka! I think that they have their next product shot

I'm no expert on lighting and/or photographing glass but think that this is really great and love the contrast between the orange and blue.

Thank you Shane.

I pretty much imbibe in vodka when I imbibe. Hence, I can mix a World Class Bloody Mary or I can do a screwdriver (easy). I decided to go with the screwdriver since blue & yellow/orange are complimentary colors.

To be honest, Skyy would never accept this shot. The main reason would be that the label isn’t entirely accurate! The word “vodka” and the alcohol volume statement are the same color silver as the word “Skyy”. Just as an aside I also removed the rear label of the bottle to get a cleaner look (barcode and assorted detritus that threw some horrible shadows).

Also, and I am ashamed to even admit this (hangs head), but this shot is entirely alcohol free! There is water in the bottle and no alcohol in the glasses! I didn’t want to dilute the OJ! I did however, have a substitute jug and glass available in case things went horribly wrong!

I have been following this series and you have done some great work with these. The only thing I will suggest is that although it's the weekend and they are now in use you are careful, otherwise we will be seeing a 'Mike Buckley' broken glass image impersonation on Monday

Hi Grahame!

Thank you for taking the time to view and comment.

A “Mike Buckley”!!! Now that’s kinda funny (sorry Mike)! On the one hand I would cry for days over the broken glass and on the other I would jump for joy if I could shoot it like like he does!

I'll try to take your sage advice and be extremely careful!

Hi Terry - Boy, do I agree with Shane! I'm not sure how I feel about the way the bottle neck ends, but the colors are beautiful and that little spritz of moisture under the orange half really adds to it.

Thank you Susan.

I know what you mean and went around on this myself. I wanted enough bottle neck so that it would at least be obvious that it was a small neck bottle, but wondered if it would be better to include the whole thing. Maybe with the cap off and setting in the scene somewhere. I ended up going this direction because I decided I wanted to be tighter on the two glasses.

But you know, it would be a good idea to shoot ways both because with the entire bottle one might have more room to add some nice copy in a commercial use.

Agreed with all of the above except that I'm very comfortable with the compositional aspect of the bottle neck. It's a superb image all the way around.

Just to make sure you fill every waking moment with something to do with no time to relax , you might want to consider a series of photos that continues to exploit the blue color of the glasses. You could look stuff up on the Internet for ideas. The American Express Blue Sky and Blue Cash promotions come to mind.

Hey Mike!

Thank you for commenting sir. It looks like you are Famous man! Henceforth, a shot of broken glass will be known as a “Mike Buckley”! I know the next time I break a glass (God forbid one of these) I will think of you!

I appreciate you going out of your way to make sure I am sufficiently occupied! Its not like the Honey-Do’s aren't flying around here already! I do think I might take your advice though. The set is still up so I might as well browse around and see what happens!

Glad to see you're finally using the glasses as they were intended.

Not sure the best way to include the bottle but for the time being seems a good as any (did you try the bottle behind the glasses and a bit further back?)

Adding orange juice I think takes away from the blue in the glass. Would it work if it were just clear liquid in the glasses (I would suggest vodka and tonic). And maybe substitute the orange slice for a lemon (maybe lime but I don't know if the green would work well with the blues).

Maybe if you send me the glasses I could take a shot at it and show you what I mean

Hey Jack!

I haven’t really tried any other compositions including full glasses and the bottle yet. It took me a while to get this one halfway decent. I had to do two separate shoots and it took me longer than I expected. But I like your suggestion. I didn’t even think of vodka/tonic. I guess because I don’t really drink it!

One thing I found I should do differently?

I used real ice and OJ. In fact, I even attempted to make clear ice cubes for the shoot! (distilled H2O boiled twice and then frozen). The condensation on the outside of the glass distorted the blue swirls on the glass. I figured I would have three choices. One: mist the glass exterior to really make some nice, big, visible water droplets. Two: get some “theatrical” (i.e. fake) ice cubes and shoot lukewarm orange juice to completely avoid any condensation. Or three: forget the whole durn thing and just have a cocktail!

To me it doesn’t really look like a cold refreshing beverage if you don’t have the condensation! But in all honesty I haven’t tried the condensation-less route so who knows?

When you get done with the glasses just send them on to Christina!

Gorgeous image... The only thing I can think of is that clear liquid with slices of lime and a half a green lime would also be very spectacular. and might place more focus on the glasses and the bottle.

Or perhaps red cranberry juice and strawberries, or clear liquid and blue strawberries (coloured to match the glasses)

Hi Christina,

Great ideas! I think a lime in there would work. It just goes with vodka! Apparently brilliant minds think alike (you and Jack)! I’ll ask him to send you the glasses when he gets done with them!

Superb. I just love it and their isn't criticism and the only different thing you could have done was preserve the colour of the orange rind.

Hello Steve,

Long time no see. Hope everything is going your way.

Great call on the rinds. That really bugged me. My lighting was flawed in this respect. I thought I could pull them out in post and I still think its possible, but I got lazy!

I’m glad you called me on this. It really needed to be pointed out. You’re right on the $$ as usual.

Thank you Steve.

[Mike Buckley]

I know the next time I break a glass (God forbid one of these) I will think of you!

Don't just think of me. Send the broken glass to me. Seriously!

[Brownbear]

You're so funny and your threads are highly entertaining, but more importantly your photos are truly exquisite. Thank you for sharing. Just viewing your images is a privilege and helps me learn what perfection looks like. ie; by seeing perfect focus, DOF, lighting, detail etc... looks like.

[ShaneS]

Mike, you had better be careful with comments like this!

Send the broken glass to me. Seriously!

You could be getting a lot of unusual packages, I mean, challenges sent your way! What's your address?

[Brownbear]

Hi Mike,

Here's a challenge... Somewhere I recall your saying it was time for you to break a bottle...

How about a landscape formed by broken glass? Golden, beige or white glass in wee bits for the sandy beach... Blue glass like Terry's bottle for the ocean (made silky to look like water) and another bottle broken in large jagged bits to represent the mountains in the background... I think only you could manage something like this and that it could be very beautiful indeed!

Mike, you had better be careful with comments like this!



You could be getting a lot of unusual packages, I mean, challenges sent your way! What's your address?

[Mike Buckley]

It's a nice idea, Christina, but I'm not good enough at the design part of the requirement to think that I would have a reasonably good chance of pulling it off.

[Brownbear]

Thanks Mike...

I expect that it would be a challenge to design and I'm sure you could do it beautifully but no doubt it would likely be very time consuming... Looking forward to seeing your beautiful broken bottle.

It's a nice idea, Christina, but I'm not good enough at the design part of the requirement to think that I would have a reasonably good chance of pulling it off.

[ajohnw]

I feel that could do well in the product shot contest.

Colour of orange skins do vary and to me it's acceptable. I might think that because I'm in the UK and our oranges come from all over the place.

I wonder about the chopped off bottle. I think it's been done to sort of "make the glasses larger" for composition purposes and works that way. Another option might be to move it further back into the shot. to get all of it in.

I think I remember you starting on this type of subject - first class work now really. It even looks fit to drink.

John
-

[Loose Canon]

I wonder about the chopped off bottle. I think it's been done to sort of "make the glasses larger" for composition purposes and works that way. Another option might be to move it further back into the shot. to get all of it in.

Hey John!

Thank you for taking time to view this and comment. I appreciate that John for sure.

I was also wondering since you mentioned it?

If I were to reshoot, to get the bottle in it’s entirety do you think it better to move the bottle back and change the relationship with the glasses or better to reframe the shot and just widen the point of view?

For once I didn't shoot to crop. So I didn't shoot wide (which is what I usually do in a shot like this) and have no shot of the bottle in it's entirety.

[ajohnw]

Pass on if it will work out but I would have thought if the bottle is moved back all of it could be shot from the same distance and maybe the shadow length off the bottle would also tie in with the shot. Showing all of the shadows is another option as well. Shooting from a higher angle might be the easiest way to go - gaining more bottle that way.

Another option might be to chop off more of the bottle after drinking a bit more of the vodka but I feel you have the relative size of the glasses right - bigger so as to speak. - so it would have to be re arranged. I just feel that bottle behind glasses is the right way to go and that the general proportions are right. An add person might want to smack the bottle right into peoples eyes but I suspect drinks 1st bottle next is the way they would go.

Should add I don't feel that visualising changes is one of my strong points. I'm probably over awed by watching a friend of mine at work some years ago and seeing the results.

The trickle of orange juice is great. I suspect that adds to the realism. It might be possible to add to that but at some point it will run all over the place and spoil the effect. They might use some sort of carefully adjusted gloop.

John
-

[Loose Canon]

Hey thank you John for the feed back.

I might try another composition while the set is up and maybe take your advice about re-positioning the bottle. If I do I’ll definitely shoot wide, get the bottle in, and shoot to crop for options.

Thanks for the thought on the orange juice trickle! As an aside, the “gloop” used quite frequently is a combination of glycerin and H2O! If I were going to mist the glasses I would use that. It thickens the mixture, makes for nice clear droplets that has nice spectrals, and won’t “run” as readily!

Thanks again John.

Since I have a minute to get on the Forum, I want to say that my oldest granddaughter is taking a photography class! We have scheduled a location shoot tomorrow together and her BF (also into photography/videography) will be joining us!

She seems to know quite a bit after this far into the semester and seems to be quite excited about hooking up with her Olde Grandad for a shoot (I have had her in front of a lens a lot. Now she will be on the other end!) She has been asking the good questions and has already inquired about light painting. Seems she would like to do this tomorrow when night falls! She has a great eye and a fresh outlook!

My Heart Soars! If I never release another shutter, it will have been worth the Journey!

[Mike Buckley]

Have a great time with your granddaughter and her boyfriend! Sounds like fun!