How to shoot glass products in the dark background?

This article is a continuation of the studio theme shooting series. In front of us, we learned the shooting skills of glass products in the light background. Now, let's take a look at the details and possible difficulties when shooting glass products in the dark background.

Nikon D800/85.0f/1.8ISO160, F 1 1, 1/200 s, 85.0mm

All glass objects have different degrees of transparency and can transmit light through themselves. In advertising subject photography, the photographer needs to convey the color of the content and the volume and shape of the glass object itself.

Sometimes in image shooting, the content of the bottle is not so important, first of all, the shape and outline, because this can constitute the bottle. Therefore, just put the subject on a black background, and then put two test chambers slightly to one side, which can produce beautiful uniform glare along the contour of the glass object (scheme 1). You can also take a big soft box and stick it with thick black cardboard in the middle (scheme 2).

Scheme 1

Option 2

When taking pictures with glass, only one ribbon box is needed on the left side, because the wine in the glass highlights the juicy scarlet glare on the right side due to the light refraction characteristics of the liquid, and the protrusion of the main contour on the left side of the glass is also reflected on the right side, thus highlighting the shape.

But what if you need to convey not only the shape and outline of the bottle, but also its contents?

In some cases, the contents of glass objects have enough density to be illuminated only by headlights or side lights, and cannot be removed in "light".

But sometimes the liquid density in the glass is very low, because the background is black, and it is not enough to rely on the front and side lighting.

In order to shoot this liquid "photography" on a black background, there is a trick.

You need to cut a piece of foil with a shape corresponding to the object but slightly smaller in size, and then put it at the back. You can try to stick the aluminum foil directly on the back glass wall with a small piece of double-sided tape. Or put it farther away, and use a small shelf for this purpose. Aluminum foil will reflect headlights and side lights, and protrude liquid from the inside. According to the position of the foil, the brightness and saturation of the liquid backlight can be adjusted.

I use Quan Huafu's Nikon D800 camera almost every time I take a photo. She always delights me with the excellent clarity and details of her photos. High resolution and good dynamic range supply make it possible to completely control and edit images in the post-processing stage.

I used Nikon AF-S Nichols 24- 120mm f/4G ED VR, Nikon AF-S Nichols 85mm f/ 1.8G and Nikon AF-S VR micro-single Nichols 105mm f/2.8g to take the theme photos, and I am also satisfied with their quality.

Nikon D800/85.0f/1.8ISO125, F 16, 1/250 s, 85.0mm

In post-processing, you can still use curves to slightly increase the contrast. If necessary, you can adjust the "color balance" in shadows and highlights, and use the "Repair Tool" and "Spot Repair Brush" to remove dust particles and small defects.

In the dark background, you will get bright and rich photos of glass products!