BEER PHOTOGRAPHY FOR REVOLVER BREWING
Shooting commercial beer photography for Revolver Brewing.
Commercial photographers have heard it said before, shoot the work you wish to have when you have some free time. Well, we have only had a couple commissioned beer shoots in the studio and yet Texas beer is very much apart of our culture. With Summer around the corner, we thought it would be appropriate to show you a glimpse into what it takes to capture one of Texas' finest beers.
GIF of our Photoshop layer build-out.
Final image after post-production.
Before the shoot began, we talked about what key elements of the bottle we wanted to capture. Revolver's Bock has a signature deep, amber color to it and we wanted to highlight this feature the most since it would bring the whole image together in the end. As we mentioned before, it's nearly summer so we wanted to make the bottle "sweat" as though it were just pulled from a cooler. Lastly, the label itself needed to be spot lit to show the branding and give it that final touch.
Like most shoots we do, this one presented it's own challenges. We used two grids and diffused strip boxes to rim light the edges of the bottle to give it dimension. From there we added a snoot to illuminate the front label and allow the branding to shine. Next was the trickiest step and where our magical powers shine through. We blended a mixture of oils and water to create a solution that made the "sweat" beads on the bottle. It sounds easier than it is, but trust us when we say it's tricky.
Now that we had all of our frames captured, we used a bit more wizard magic *cough* Photoshop *cough* and blended all of these elements together and added some contrast using a simple dodge and burn... and there you have it! A thirst-quenching hero image for Revolver Brewing of Fort Worth, Texas.
Tell us what you think in the comments and hit us up if you'd like us to shoot something on our next free day!
Product Imagery: 4 Reasons to Always Hire a Professional Photographer
When it comes to product imagery, DIYing it should never be an option. Sure it’ll save you a few dollars, but what will it cost you in the end? Think about how much rides on that photography: your sales, your customer leads, your website performance.
Product Imagery: 4 Reasons to Always Hire a Professional Photographer
When it comes to product imagery, DIYing it should never be an option. Sure it’ll save you a few dollars, but what will it cost you in the end? Think about how much rides on that photography: your sales, your customer leads, your website performance. Are you sure you have the skills, equipment and know-how necessary to make those all those a success? In truth, unless you’ve got tons of product photography experience under your belt, it’s likely you don’t. If you don’t want to jeopardize your sales – and your business as a whole – there’s only one option for your product images, and that’s to hire a professional photographer.
Not sure about hiring a professional photographer for your product imagery needs? Here are four reasons you should:
- They’ll know how to best capture your products and portray them in the best light. Thanks to years of experience, a professional photographer will know just how to shoot your products. They’ll know what angles work best, what lighting to use and how to show off your products in a way that makes them look great and, most importantly, makes them sellable.
- They’ll have all the necessary equipment. Product photography isn’t as simple as clicking a button on a camera. There’s also lighting equipment, tripods, flashes, lenses, editing software and tons of other accessories involved in making a product look great on film. Chances are, you don’t have all this equipment on hand, and to buy it, you’d have to cough up a pretty penny first – much more than it’d cost to hire a pro. Plus, when you hire a professional photographer, you can rest assured they have all the equipment necessary to make your products look great.
- They’ll be able to streamline the process and get you your images faster. A pro will have an organized, efficient system in place that will ensure your product images get shot, edited and delivered to you in no time at all. If you’re handling it on your own – especially for the first time – it could take weeks or even months to troubleshoot and get a system down. That will hold up your sales and affect your revenues in a major way.
- They’ll be able to ensure consistency in new and future product lines. Make sure you think about the future. If you DIY your product images now, what will happen down the line when you get more? Will you be able to recreate the same look and feel with each new product you shoot? Or will you be left with disparate images that look like they don’t belong? One of the biggest benefits of using a pro is that they can ensure consistency each and every time they shoot. They’ll keep your background and props on hand, and they’ll be able to configure the lights, angles and lenses the same, so that your images look cohesive today, tomorrow and in the future.
Are you in need of great product imagery? Then leave it to a professional photographer. Contact the Image Alive team today to get started.