Wine: Carnivor Cab

[bnnrcn]

Kim, I apparently got your point wrong . I realised it after reading Mike's explanation. You are right that that area is dark. Please see my answer to Mike

I have a MAC monitor -- I checked this week to see if it needed calibration, and I could see the varying shades of white and black on the test item... but I am wondering. :-)

[bnnrcn]

Mike , I have another question about the image. I'm seeing a hint of dark blue at the lower left side of the image ,next to the edge of the bottle. Do you think it might be some PP artifact?

[Mike Buckley]

There are two possible explanations, Binnur.

One explanation is that the color of the background is not so consistent that it stands up to the scrutiny that we photographers use when closely examining an image. The only background I have found that stands up to such scrutiny is high quality black felt, which absorbs so much light that we don't see any inconsistencies. Ironically, I chose not to use black felt in this situation because I wanted to be able to control just a very slight amount of separation between the subject and the background without using any rim lighting. My solution was to use black foam core because it reflects more light than black felt.

Another explanation is that I didn't mask the scene carefully enough when I changed the color balance on the left side of the bottle by adding mostly blue to that area of the scene. I did that because the capture displayed a green cast but only on the left side of the bottle. I have no idea why considering that all of my light bulbs are rated 5500K and that I have been using all of these bulbs recently without noticing anything of this sort. Light on the left side of the label was produced by shining a lamp through translucent mylar, so I wondered if the mylar was changing the color of the light falling on the label. However, I also use that mylar occasionally (though not as often as the bulbs) and have never noticed it introducing a color cast in the past.

One thing is very certain: you and I have our monitors calibrated very much the same and our web browsers are doing an excellent job of color management. (I'm using Firefox.) Otherwise, we would not be able to detect such a slight difference in color and describe it the same way.

[bnnrcn]

Thanks for the explanation Mike. I'm glad to hear that my monitor is OK

There are two possible explanations, Binnur.

One explanation is that the color of the background is not so consistent that it stands up to the scrutiny that we photographers use when closely examining an image. The only background I have found that stands up to such scrutiny is high quality black felt, which absorbs so much light that we don't see any inconsistencies. Ironically, I chose not to use black felt in this situation because I wanted to be able to control just a very slight amount of separation between the subject and the background without using any rim lighting. My solution was to use black foam core because it reflects more light than black felt.

Another explanation is that I didn't mask the scene carefully enough when I changed the color balance on the left side of the bottle by adding mostly blue to that area of the scene. I did that because the capture displayed a green cast but only on the left side of the bottle. I have no idea why considering that all of my light bulbs are rated 5500K and that I have been using all of these bulbs recently without noticing anything of this sort. Light on the left side of the label was produced by shining a lamp through translucent mylar, so I wondered if the mylar was changing the color of the light falling on the label. However, I also use that mylar occasionally (though not as often as the bulbs) and have never noticed it introducing a color cast in the past.

One thing is very certain: you and I have our monitors calibrated very much the same and our web browsers are doing an excellent job of color management. (I'm using Firefox.) Otherwise, we would not be able to detect such a slight difference in color and describe it the same way.

[Rob Ekins]

A reflector made of translucent mylar positioned on the front left side at a 45-degree angle brightens the left side of the label and adds a reflection to the glass part of the bottle to further define the shape. A small continuous-light lamp shining through the mylar toward the subject provides additional brightness on the left side of the label.

Very clever Mike.
You nailed the texture in the label...again. Well done. I am glad to hear that your WiFi set up is working well for you.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Robbie!

I am glad to hear that your WiFi set up is working well for you.

I'm in regular touch with the manufacturer about that. There are some intermittent issues that are not yet completely resolved. My contact at customer support is grateful for my information and I'm grateful for his responsiveness. If everything gets resolved in time to comply with the 90-day return policy provided by the reseller, I'll keep it. Otherwise, I'll consider not keeping it and moving on to a more expensive alternative used by Manfred that he explains is totally reliable when used with his camera and computer.

[Rob Ekins]

New products are always a risk, they should refund you for being a BETA tester

[Mike Buckley]

Indeed!

So many high-tech products are released just a little bit before they are ready for prime time and this product seems to be a perfect example. They released an update yesterday to their software based on my feedback. I asked how I would know the update had been released if I hadn't been in touch with them about it and was told they will soon add a page to their website providing a history of update releases. I suggested to them that they consider adding a function that the software checks to determine if the latest release is being used and they like the idea. Sheesh!

[Kaye Leggett]

I've just been given a bottle of this..............and as soon as I saw it had a vague memory I had seen it before - you make a good advertising man.

[bje07]

Beautiful rendering of detail of the label.
Very beautiful mastery of lighting

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Kaye and Jean!

Kaye: I'm surprised that you remembered the bottle, considering that it has been nine months since you saw my photo of it. That probably says more about your memory than my photo. Once you taste the wine, please let me know if you agree that it's unusually good wine considering the very low price. My first bottle of it was also a gift from some very close friends, so it became the gift that keeps on giving.

I actually considered making a photo of my most recent bottle of wine in the same style as this one. Both labels have similar characteristics (black, large and with lots of texture), so I decided to make things interesting by making my new photo in a completely different style.

[ST1]

Hi Mike,

Nice image and story.

I had a quick look, and the wine is even available in the UK, but at £10 a bottle

Dave

It seems that the price is coming down in the U.K. Dave. It must be Mike's tasting notes and wonderful images, increasing customer demand and reflecting (see what I did there) in a lower price to the consumer.
A large supermarket beginning in T (renowned for its accounting) has it available on line by the case for approximately £7.00 a bottle. I may have to indulge


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[ST1]

Thanks for the detail on your set up once again Mike. I may have to buy a case just to confirm your tasting notes. However I doubt I would be able to get anywhere near the quality of your Wine based images, either prior to or after sampling a glass of wine.
As always I'm in awe of your creativity


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[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Peter!

[Kaye Leggett]

Thank you to Kaye and Jean!

Kaye: I'm surprised that you remembered the bottle, considering that it has been nine months since you saw my photo of it. That probably says more about your memory than my photo. Once you taste the wine, please let me know if you agree that it's unusually good wine considering the very low price. My first bottle of it was also a gift from some very close friends, so it became the gift that keeps on giving.

I actually considered making a photo of my most recent bottle of wine in the same style as this one. Both labels have similar characteristics (black, large and with lots of texture), so I decided to make things interesting by making my new photo in a completely different style.

You know what they say Mike - a picture is better than words, hence that vague déja vue feeling I had which took about 24 hours to click into exactly where that feeling originated. I certainly will tell you how I like the wine and thanks Peter for the shopping notes.

I usually turn my nose up at Californian wine since we don't get much good stuff in the UK at a reasonable price - lots of cheap plonk. But the gift was from a friend who knows my tastes, so that was another reason I looked more than once at the label

[Mike Buckley]

California makes some of the best and most expensive wine in the world, not just the cheap plonk.

Wine making in California is also going through a change. Whereas the state, especially Napa Valley, was renowned for making big, bold wines whether Cab or Chardonnay, a lot of winemakers are now taking great pride in the finesse and sophistication of their wines even at the price range that most people are willing to spend for daily drinking ($20 and less). As a result, I am forcing myself to keep an open mind to drinking wine made in California when years ago I wouldn't risk my money on it. Last week I drank a $30 Cab on a special occasion that was so refined I'm thrilled that I have three more bottles left for other equally special occasions.