Travis Harris wrote:
...Question is this.. I will create a "Bright Field" setup using one light as I have done for just the glass itself.. now I want to illuminate the "contents" of the glass (liquid & olive in this case) without any distractions, and without ruining my light setup for the glass.
"Liquids in Glass" -- pages 172 - 176 in your book.
Short answer: for the classic "beer mug" shot, I have used the old trick of cutting out a mug-shaped piece of white carboard and standing it up behind the mug. Then, because the liquid acts as a lens, magnifying the image of the card to a different degree than the mug alone, moving the card back and forth and trimming it as needed to get the correct image.
For clear liquids, like water or a gin & vermouth mixture, you may not need any change in setup. At most you may want a light or reflector to illuminate objects in the liquid -- like the olives in your example -- and the basic lessons on lighting objects to reveal their shape and texture apply. But set up the scene for the glass lighting first, then decide if supplemental lighting is needed. A reflector may provide all the additional light you need.
Interesting... but, what about a martini glass? Will a cutout still be an appropriate option? I do remember reading about the beer glass.. I will take another look tonight, and maybe shoot a test for fun...
Okay, I will try to play with this over the next few nights, and I will post some results. I will try both a reflector for fill and a low power snooted 580 for some fill...
nycfirefighter wrote:
I must be an abject idiot but I have this book and it is way too complicated for me. I understand what is trying to be accomplished -- explanation of how light behaves in lighting products -- but I cannot grasp the concepts and explanations. Maybe someone can recommend another book I can look at (being written for a 4 year old and in crayon is ok).
Thanks for the help.
Light Science and Magic is a great book but it approaches lighting in what a would call a very clinical and abstract way, with a few very controlled examples to illustrate specific concepts. You are left to your own to apply the concepts more generally. I can see how this presentation would be difficult for some people to grasp.
Creative Lighting Techniques for Studio Photographers (I think that's the right one) in my opinion covers essentially the same concepts but from a more practical standpoint. I think these two books compliment each other nicely and might help people who are struggling with LSM.
Velu01 wrote:
... " family of angles" ... one of those interesting and useful topics !
Rgds
Velu
+1 - I found myself looking at shiny stuff for a month and thinking in terms of family of angles. Damned good book. I wish I knew if the 3rd ed is better enough to replace my 1st ed.
