Perhaps my favorite photo of glass so far

[Mike Buckley]

This photo was made with one release of the shutter. I am actually shocked that the sides and top of the glass in the rear are not refracted by the large glass in front of it. I think the stem and base of the rear glass are made to appear smaller due to refraction but I'm not positive. I can't explain any of it (because I'm not a physicist) but I'll take all of it.

Please click the photo to appreciate the mid tones in the larger size.

[Bobobird]

and..... I agree.

[Colin Southern]

Looks good Mike. Would be interesting to see a companion shot with some liquid in the glass.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, guys!

The setup is still intact, Colin. I might try your idea. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Colin Southern]

Thanks, guys!

The setup is still intact, Colin. I might try your idea. Thanks for the suggestion!

No worries - if it wasn't me, Bill would have suggested a nice red ... and drunk it afterwards!

[deetheturk]

Cracking shot Mike!

David

[Wavelength]

Really envious; the concept is awesome

[ShaneS]

Fabulous Mike! I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment of this shot.

[tbob]

Beautifully composed Mike. Love the elegance and simplicity (of the image; I am sure the set up and skill where not)

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

Love the elegance and simplicity (of the image; I am sure the set up and skill where not)

You would probably be surprised about that. Considering the complexity required of many studio shots, this one is relatively simple: A continuous light placed behind the subject shining through a large diffuser. Black felt background (though the effect would have been the same if I had used any material of any color including white) placed between the subject and the diffuser. The camera is positioned so the background fills the field of view -- no more and no less. The two glasses were then positioned to be aligned with each other and at the distance from the camera that produced the composition. A flag was placed very close to the lens to eliminate flare that is so prominent when using this lighting setup. The only cropping during post-processing was to use an 8 X10 aspect ratio instead of the 8 x 12 ratio of my camera's sensor; doing so eliminated unwanted negative space on the sides without affecting the top or bottom.

[Mike Buckley]

Click here to see the companion piece suggested by Colin.