Wine label in a horizontal orientation

[Mike Buckley]

I bought this bottle of wine for one reason: its label is in the horizontal position. I don't remember previously seeing a wine label made to be displayed in that position, so I just had to photograph it. Fortunately, the wine is enjoyable and is a reasonable value.

Bolgheri is a regulated wine region in Tuscany, Italy that allows the wineries to use blends of grape species commonly used in Bordeaux, France. The regulations came about only after wineries successfully made Super Tuscans beginning in the 1970s from those grapes. That was their way of rebelling against the strict regulations preventing them from making Bordeaux-like blends and labeling the wine Chianti. Ironically, the famous and expensive Super Tuscans don't use the Bolgheri label even when they make their wine according to the requirements of Bolgheri.

My neighbor behind my home recently threw away an old picnic table. I rescued it with his permission by dismantling the top and by cutting the table into parts for use in my tabletop photography. This is the first photo made using those parts.

Setup
As mentioned above, the tabletop is made of a disassembled old picnic table. A medium continuous-light lamp fitted with a diffuser to soften the shadows was above and behind the scene. A white reflector in front of the bottle brightened the bottom half of the label and added a reflection to the shoulder and neck to help define the shape of the bottle.

[bje07]

Very nice soft lighting, we can see the grain of the paper. Wood is also perfect.

[Shadowman]

Nice find and capture.

[John 2]

Nicely lit and captured. My only thought is that you could tone down the Prosciutto and cheese in the BG. It's a bit distracting partly because it's a bit bright but mainly because of my fondness for both.

[billtils]

Mike

This would be the first of your "Wine" series that I was not sure about ... I'm not sure about the complete lack of delineation between the bottom of the bottle and the wood, and about the wine glass stem. "Not sure" is the key and I can't really come up with any suggestions, other than perhaps to lose the wine glass in the 'V' between the bottle and napkin?

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

you could tone down the Prosciutto and cheese in the BG.

I desaturated both a bit for the reason you mentioned. I could have also created a flag that would have cast a shadow over them much like a tree branch at a picnic would have done.

When I view the image in the small size automatically displayed here, I agree that the meat and cheese are a little distracting. However, when I view them in the Lytebox, they work fine for me because they are more obviously out of focus and thus more separate from and less important than the wine bottle.

the complete lack of delineation between the bottom of the bottle and the wood

They are completely separated when viewing them on my calibrated monitor whether using the post-processing software, the cataloging software or the browser.

about the wine glass stem

An issue about that bothers me that you didn't mention. I hate that the base of the far wine glass is tangential to the other stem; I can't believe I missed that until it was too late to fix.

[Mike Buckley]

I forgot to mention that I'm going to make another photo of the same wine bottle in a completely different style. I simply can't pass up the opportunity to photograph this unique label again.

[billtils]

They are completely separated when viewing them on my calibrated monitor whether using the post-processing software, the cataloging software or the browser.

I suspected that that would be the case!

[Rainforest]

It is a very nice label. I can feel the paper. I'm hungry and thirsty. I can't see the delineation on my calibrated monitor... For some reason I think one glass would work better and less cheese with that amount of prosciutto ;-)

[Mike Buckley]

I think one glass would work better

Nah. Anything this good, especially wine, should be shared.

[bnnrcn]

A lovely label Mike, can't wait to see the other image

[mugge]

Mike, how about leaving the classes out and simplify the Prosciutto and cheese by scattering them around a bit in the background.
Cheers Ole

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, Binnur!

Ole: I don't know that your idea would simplify anything but I do think it would work for other reasons just as well as the current image. However, we won't know for sure because I have broken down the setup to make a much more dramatic image in a completely different style.

[Digital]

Mike, at first I was not sure about this whole setup; however the more I studied it, the better I liked it.


Bruce

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks for the comment, Bruce, and especially for taking the time to study the photo and think about it.

[Mike Buckley]

Another very different image of the same bottle of wine can be viewed here.