Did anyone else just get a little thirsty? 🍻 Beverage shots can be tricky to dial in sometimes, but there are a few variables to remember that will make your life easier when setting it all up. The first thing to consider is the direction of the source. We want to show off that beautiful color inside the glass, and the best way to do that is to put the light behind the subject to really make it glow. The second thing to note is the quality of the light. Personally, I’m on a quest to find the softest light ever made, so it made sense to pump a high powered fixture like the Aputure 1200D through thicc diffusion and bounce it for the key light. This is totally subjective though. You can certainly use hard light for this sort of thing, it will just have a different vibe - and that may be what you want! Just know that generally speaking, if you don’t want specular highlights on glassware, a source that’s much larger than the subject is the way to go. (Check out the setups for cars in a studio for example) The last thing to remember is since your key is coming from behind, you’ll probably want a fill light to make the logo on the glass pop. This should be pretty subtle, just enough to lift the shadows so it doesn’t feel front-lit. To recap: our key light was an Aputure 1200D on the ground behind the bar pumping through a frame of 216 and 1/4 Straw, into 8x8 bleached muslin on top of ultrabounce (makes the bounce even softer. Try it!) There was also a 2x3 solid blocking that light from spilling on the bg. Fill light was a Litemat Plus 2L overhead and a little frontal with magic cloth and bleached muslin for a soft fill light. An Aputure 300X with spotlight attachment created that little slash on the back wall for some more depth and visual interest. And a couple 4x4 floppies blocked spill and window light. Cheers! DP @luke_askelson Director @canaanhurst Production @vineworksfilmco @citysixer
Tyler Kaschke is a freelance gaffer with a grip truck based in Lafayette, Colorado serving Boulder, Denver, Golden, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and the Rocky Mountain region at large.