Wine -- my friend's house red wine

[Mike Buckley]

My friend Kathleen keeps this wine in her home so much that she calls it her house red wine. It's a Valpolicella, which means that it is made in the Piedmont wine region of northern Italy from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes. (Those are the grapes used in the same region also to make the more expensive Amarone.)

Notice the unusual shape of the bottle.

Setup
The background is dark red art paper lit from below by a small continuous-light lamp. A medium continuous-light lamp fitted with a diffusion sock is in the right rear above the subject to create the bright rim lights on the right side of the bottle. A white reflector on the left side provides the reflection on that side of the bottle. Three small beige reflectors in front of the scene add warm light to the left, front and right sides of the label. A flag made of a black card with a rectangular hole in the middle was positioned in front of the lens to eliminate flare.

[TonyW]

Another cunning lighting scheme you have there. It makes me want to try the wine. I find that lighting the front of the curved object is problematic but your use of the three separate reflectors seems to work well. I don't think the texture or the label helps.

[IzzieK]

I cannot comment on wines because I would not know the difference anyway...if it is good to drink, then it must be good in the pot so to speak. But do tell me, is the reflection on the lower part of bottle intentional or it is easier to do it that way so you do not have to iron out the wrinkle on the cloth? Anyway, it is ingenious. I was just thinking out loud....

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

Tony: You mentioned the three reflectors that lit the label. The middle reflector is bent to create a slight V-shape. It occurred to me hours after I made the photo that another way of lighting the label would perhaps be to make one reflector and wrap it around the front of the bottle to create a curve that conforms to the shape of the bottle. I look forward to trying it someday.

You're correct that the characteristics of the surface of the label make it difficult to attractively photograph. Considering that that style of the label is too busy in my mind, I might be biased about it in the first place.

Izzie: The reflection of the fabric in the bottle is intentional. The fabric had been ironed by the cleaners and me immediately before shooting the scene. I might have induced some small wrinkles while arranging the folds but the fabric, a silk pocket square, was generally quite smooth.

[bnnrcn]

With the men on the label and the silk fabric , the image looks as if it is from Chavaliers' Age . So I would get dressed suitably to drink this wine Very nice image Mike.

[Rebel]

I am not a fan of red wine, but very nice image Mike.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Binnur and Matt.

My friend likes the photo so much that she is considering hanging it in her kitchen or dining room.

[Donald]

My friend likes the photo so much that she is considering hanging it in her kitchen or dining room.

And I can well understand why!

I'm not a studio photographer, so have no idea as to whether the lighting could be any 'better' than we see here, but I can't think how. I think the picture beautifully captures the richness and depth that I know will be inside that bottle (he says as he sits and enjoys a glass of much lighter Morgon Cru from Beaujolais).

[Mike Buckley]

I'm not a studio photographer, so have no idea as to whether the lighting could be any 'better' than we see here, but I can't think how.

The lighting can always be better. If I knew how to make it better, I would have.

[rawill]

I am intrigued but I like it.

I can't figure out if I want to see the top of the bottle or not!
I think I do.

Photo makes me want to try it,
but not till we are back there!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Mike,

More musings from me - being really nit-picky, not that you, or this excellent image, deserve it ...

To my eyes, I find the sheen highlights from the cloth mostly behind the bottle just a touch overpowering, going to peak white, instead of retaining some of the cloth colour.

My suggestion is that they should all be no brighter than that just to (our) front right of the bottle - probably just a darkroom 'burning' exercise.

HTH, Dave

[Mike Buckley]

Good eyes, Dave! The detail that you mentioned is the sort of personal choice that we make. I wanted the variation in color of the fabric to vary as shown in the image because that variation helps define the shape of the folds in the fabric. Again, just a personal choice, not a right or wrong choice.

[Rob Ekins]

Lovely as usual Mike, I hope Kathleen does print the piece and finds a nice spot for it.

If I were to nitpick, the flare? on the CR shoulder of the bottle seems out of place.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Rob! The spot you mentioned is a direct reflection of the lamp, not flare. It's just a personal choice that adds interest for me and apparently not for you. I completely understand, as I look through photos in wine magazines wondering sometimes what in the world the photographer and client were thinking when approving various characteristics that are unappealing to me.