Wine from Virginia

[Mike Buckley]

The number of wineries in Virginia has grown tremendously in the last 30 years. They seem to be particularly noted for two standard grapes typically used to make French wine -- Viognier and Cabernet Franc. The latter grape is usually blended with Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon such as in a Bordeaux blend but I am on a mission to find a 100% Cabernet Franc worthy of an everyday wine. So far the best one I've found is from France but perhaps Virginia will come through, which would be especially fun considering that I've lived in Virginia since 1972.

Please click the image to display it larger.

Setup
First capture: The background is black velvet. A diffuser is on top of a glass tabletop not included in the image. Black fabric and paper are positioned on the tabletop to create a strategically placed opening at the rear of the scene for a medium continuous-light lamp positioned below to shine light through the glass and diffuser. That light outlined part of the wine glass in bright tones and created the bright stripe in the wine. It also created flare at the bottom of the frame, so I placed a flag in front of the lens to prevent the flare. A small continuous-light lamp with two diffusion socks is above and behind the scene to add a touch of light to the center of the background.

Second capture: The lamp positioned below remains on and the flag remains in position. White reflectors on the left and right sides are lit by that lamp to add reflections to the sides of the bottle. A medium continuous-light lamp at the front and above the scene brightens the label.

The two captures were merged.

[Shadowman]

Very moody capture, nicely done.

[Kaye Leggett]

Lovely. I am particularly interested in the ratio between the glass and the bottle as it has an unreal quality to it - means I can sit and look at it for hours and wonder....

[mugge]

I like it and for no particular reason. Shapes and sizes I guess.
Cheers Ole

[Dave A]

Nicely done Mike.

Dave

[Sam W]

Hi Mike - great photography as always. I was wondering the purpose of the the touch of light added to the center of the background. Was it added it to provide depth? My eye travels from the bronze label then to the red wine then the background ending up on the side lighted bottle. Just personal preference, but I think I'd like it to stop more on the side lighted bottle supported by a less noticeable or more diffuse background lighting. Of course completely amateur comments.

[Rob Ekins]

Second capture: The lamp positioned below remains on and the flag remains in position. White reflectors on the left and right sides are lit by that lamp to add reflections to the sides of the bottle. A medium lamp at the front and above the scene brightens the label.

Mike,
I love how you used a single source to achieve two completely different reflections on the side of the bottle by varying the position of and perhaps the size of those reflectors. Very creative well done!

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

Kaye: You mentioned your interest in the ratio between the bottle and the wine glass. They are positioned side-by-side though the bottle is elevated to raise the label to the height of the bowl of the wine glass. If I was making this image to advertise the wine, the wine glass would probably have to play a more subordinate role rather than the relatively equal role displayed here.

Sam: The primary purpose of the light added to the center of the background was to separate the wine glass from the background on the left side of the glass. Notice that even with that light added, the separation is slight. In fact, anyone using a browser that doesn't manage color well or using a monitor that isn't calibrated may not see the separation. When I display the image on my television, which is not calibrated, there is no separation in that area or the bottom right area of the glass. In the end, I also liked the mood that light added to the image.

I'm happy with your description of how your eye wanders through the scene. You suggested more diffuse light but I can't imagine how to make it so. The rear lamp was fitted with two diffusion socks and the lamp positioned beneath the scene was shining through diffusion material made of fabric.

Rob: You give me too much credit for creativity. I simply set up the two reflectors hoping both would be amply lit by the lamp placed underneath the scene. Fortunately, it worked out well but I wouldn't have been surprised if it hadn't.

[NorthernFocus]

I like this one, Mike. The splash of red in the glass is really nice. Nicely conceptualized and captured.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Dan! That splash of red that you mentioned is the whole reason I made the photograph. I was making another photograph of the glass and bottle with the camera positioned above them. While setting up that photo I noticed the splash of color if the scene was viewed from the side. So, I knew at that moment that I had to make that happen once I finished the other photo. Ironically, though I wouldn't have made the photo shown above if I hadn't made the other photo, the other photo isn't good enough to display here.

[Donald]

Well done, Mike. Beautifully conceived and executed. Result? One very fine image.

[Wavelength]

Excellent image; you know how to achieve what you really wanted to; bravo !!!!

[Javier]

Excelent¡¡

[bnnrcn]

Very nice Mike Is the bottle a small one or is the wine glass a huge one?

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

Is the bottle a small one or is the wine glass a huge one?

The bottle is the standard 750ml size. The wine glass is the size always used in my household to drink red wine. If filled to the top it will hold a bottle of wine, though we use about six pours per bottle. The quantity in the glass shown in the image is the absolute most we would ever pour and we usually pour less.

Though that wine glass is apparently larger than used in most homes, more and more restaurants and wine bars serve glasses that size. In fact, we learned the joy of drinking from glasses that size in a wine bar in Hvar, Croatia. There are larger wine glasses on the market.

[Rebel]

Very nice Mike, you have created a mesmerizing image there!

[Sergio M.]

Very nice balance of light and dark. As you noted the separation of the glass from the background is very slight but noticeable. The dark color is very luxurious and silky.

Very elegantly done.

Sergio

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Sergio and Matt!