Wine: Chateauneuf-du-Pape embossed bottle

[Mike Buckley]

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a regulated wine region in Provence, France. The primary grape is always Grenache. When the wine is not made entirely from Grenache, it is usually blended with three or four grape species chosen from about a dozen that are allowed.

All Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine bottles that I have noticed include embossing that indicates the wine region, a pair of keys, a crest and perhaps something else at the bottom of the embossing. In this case, the word, controle, displayed at the bottom indicates that the wine is made according to the regulations of that wine region.

I actually don't like Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine and only bought the bottle to photograph it. I decided a few weeks ago to take up the challenge of photographing the classic embossing and took advantage of a 20% off sale. Though this isn't my favorite photo I've made, I knew in advance that it would probably be my most difficult photo to make. The bottle didn't disappoint me in that regard.

Setup
The background is high quality black felt to ensure that all light falling on it would be absorbed rather than reflected toward the camera. Two small continuous-light lamps high above and slightly behind the bottle on each side were shining across the front of the bottle. The lamp on the right was fitted with a red gel. That lamp and a tall reflector on the left side of the bottle define that side of the bottle. The lamp on the left was fitted with a red gel and a blue gel. That lamp and a tall reflector on the right side of the bottle define that side of the bottle. Three small reflectors positioned in front of and around the bottom of the bottle illuminate the word, Controle. A reflector in front of and above the bottle illuminates the center letters of Chateauneuf-du-Pape surrounded by dark tones.

The photo was made with one capture. The reflectors were carefully positioned not just to illuminate the embossing and to define the sides of the bottle but also to make it easy to eliminate unwanted extraneous reflections during post-processing.

[Shadowman]

Nicely composed and exposed, nice treatment on the tones; any plans to print this one or a version of it?

[madcrow]

Mike, great image, fantastic lighting and all the information. Beautiful job, very well done.

[ST1]

Nicely crafted image Mike. Given all of the lights used (I assume on light stands?) how/what do you use to hold the reflectors in place. My reason for asking is I remember reading a previous thread of yours that described your studio and tabletop arrangements so I'm amazed at how much equipment you manage to position in a relatively (if my memory is correct) small and confined space.


Peter

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[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

John: I have no plans to print it. As I mentioned, it's not a favorite image, just my most difficult image to make.

Peter: I used only two lights and you're correct that they were on light stands. You're also correct that my makeshift studio is very small. The tall reflectors positioned at the sides are made of presentation paper folded to a triangular shape that allows them to be self-supporting while positioned on the tabletop. The reflectors positioned at the bottom were only about two inches high by six inches wide, so I leaned them at a 45-degree angle against a large binding clip laying on its side on top of a pair of pieces of wood painted black I keep around for situations such as this. Those contraptions were on the tabletop, which is not displayed in the image. I handheld the reflector positioned in front of and above the bottle because the only other method available to me was to hang it from the ceiling, which would have taken a lot more time and would not have produced a better image. EDIT: I might have had enough room to set two background light stands (very small light stands) on the tabletop and to suspend the reflector between those two stands. I also might have been able to suspend it between the two light stands that were holding the lights, but again with no improvement in the image using either situation.

[Arjung]

Nice work Mike. You have given me some ideas to experiment with...I will go through your website to expand my horizons

[ST1]

Thanks for the insight on your setup arrangements Mike I'm in awe of your ingenuity, well done.
I suspect that you may have been awarded a "Blue Peter" badge if you were in the UK and using the ingenuity as a young person in the 1950-60's.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peter_badge


Peter

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[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Peter. Indeed, the amount of ingenuity I apply to making photos in my makeshift studio would be worthy of awarding the Blue Peter badge to a six-year old.

Thank you also to Arjung!

[bje07]

nice results and thank you for sharing your set up.......One day I'll try

[bnnrcn]

I really like what you created with those lamps and reflectors Mike , very nice image

PS. I think the image has to be viewed at larger size in order to see the beauty of it. I would clone the most visible ones of those tiny white dots on the pink reflection on the RHS.

[mugge]

Mike, a different approach this time. Agree with Binnur regarding the dots RHS. I can't quite read the first three letters also. Can that be fixed I wonder? This is really a difficult one you got here. Have fun.
Cheers Ole

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

I can't quite read the first three letters also.

I don't have any trouble reading them. I wonder if part of the difficulty for you is that the first letter, a "C," is written in an old style that doesn't resemble a "C" written in today's style.

[bje07]

Thanks, everyone!



I don't have any trouble reading them. I wonder if part of the difficulty for you is that the first letter, a "C," is written in an old style that doesn't resemble a "C" written in today's style.

I agree, same shape used in "contrôle" under the keys