Forgot to let you know the set up...A700 + 17/50 Tamron. Two HVL 42AM's Left Back/Right Back of the subject....No Key light. I had another HVL 42 on hand, but didn't end up using it.

DNA,

I like the second, low angle, image. It seems like it would be a tough shoot to me - a lot of reflective surfaces to keep clean and difficult to hide unwanted reflections. Was that difficult to manage?

Did the client provide the stemware? What did the client think of these? Will they go through more development on their end?

Hey DNA, the arrangement of the items looks good - this is all subjective and yours here look pleasant to me.

The dark background makes the product look very classy/expensive. Also has a contemporary look which is my favorite.

The picture brightness/balance looks pleasant too. Pictures with a lot of black are difficult to photograph - sometimes we'll have to use a manual setting or mess with the brightness balance in photoshop. Yours turned out just fine here.

There are a few ~bright circular dots/spots (reflection from the flashes) on the glass stem that may have to be wiped out with photoshop. But then again when we over-wipe this, it will kinda lose some characteristics. I use a pair of Smith Victor lights (cheap photo studio setup at the office) for lighting the products that we photograph. We can shift or control the lights all-around in until we're happy with the brightness and reflections in real-time. We use a totally dark room (happens to be our large conference room with all the ceiling/etc lights off) to photograph stuff, and we use a ~long exposure time. Some people use a softbox for a less harsh lighting which is probably good for highly-reflective items.

(I'm not a professional photographer...I could be all wrong!)

ps. I love all the pictures on your website.

Thanks Phil! We always shoot in manual for flash work, just the way I worked my way into it I guess. Likewise I used long exposure in a dimly lit room. I had the 42's on tripods with...hehe...white laser printer paper as my diffuser (the secret weapon)...We had a 9 foot roll of flat black (non-reflective) paper underneath a glass panel that the glassware was on which then also was made to be the background as well (9 ft by 5 ft).

I'm looking into studio lighting right now & I'm thinking of slapping down a grand just to get something very basic, but capable of amazing-ness.

B Shaw:::
A lot of reflective surfaces to keep clean and difficult to hide unwanted reflections. Was that difficult to manage?

We wiped everything down with window cleaner including the glassware. We used non-cotton? I can't remember, but we used special clothes to handle all the glassware when moving it about as to not fingerprint it.

What was harder was the fact that I was running out real estate. I had to be pretty conservative in the angles we shot at. If I had to do it again I would have had a larger piece of glass underneath the glassware. I would also would have had taller c-stands to prop my backdrop against b/c the reflection of the ceiling bounced into the front of the glass (which also limited my real estate) We prepped for an hour & shot for an hour 1/2. I also wish I took the time to move the 42's around due to the unwanted reflections. I didn't hit the zoom button (during review) once b/c I was concerned with getting the correct exposure/focus over checking for reflections. Once I saw the photos I did see reflections that I was definitely not happy with, but I learned a lot to help prevent that from happening in the future hopefully.

Did the client provide the stemware? What did the client think of these? Will they go through more development on their end?

Yes the client supplied the product/stemware, I just delivered them on a rush delivery job b/c he needed them same day to put into an ad over the weekend. I'm hoping the client will be happy. I was, but that doesn't count. They will go through a little more fine tuning once I get feedback from the client. The client only needed two to three shots & I sent them 10, so...I hope they find something usable for their ads.

Howdy Mr. DNA

“”””Would love the harshest C&C possible. That doesn't mean..."You suck"…”””””

No I think your well on your way, and I would never tell you that you suck. Since you have asked for the harshest of criticism here goes. NO pun intended!

1. Lighting and composure is spot on, however I think its soft. Soft photos from Sony have been an issue with several lenses. Its not (you) the photographer it’s the lens communication with the camera. Sony will make adjustments in the A-9 to combat this issue.
2. This is a great image but I might crop the left side of the image
3. This is also a great image but I would crop the left side to match the right. Open areas in a photograph tend to draw some unwanted attention. Other than that you have done a fantastic job.
4. This photo is simply amazing!!!!!! I really like this shot because it offers so much. The only thing that could make it better is sharpness. A faster lens may deliver a sharper lime on the glass.
5. Crop the left side to match the rt.
6. This is by far the best of your series. Its simply stunning! This is a photo you need to put in your printed portfolio. VERY WElL DONE and contrast!

If your going to continue to do this kind of work (what I call food photos) you may consider investing into some DC Strobes. Because they are so portable and a very large light box.

In Conclusion, personally I believe you did a fantastic job with this assignment. I really think these photos will sell. I think proper cropping will add to the resale value of these photos. A lot of photography takes most of us, self include, many shoots to produce the right sort of photos.

Thank you for sharing these photographs,
Keep up the fantastic work!!
AJ

I know you wouldn't, but there's some smart alecks out there in internet land...About the softness I've been thinking that my camera/lens has been missing focus ever so slightly as of late, but sometimes it's really sharp. Micro AF Adjustment per lens would be nice! Oh wait that's an A900...or could be user error (I shot most of the shoot at f/8 though). Now that I look at it, I agree with the cropping comments.

I'm looking into lighting right now. I think I've said that several places on the board by now...Having the proper equipment probably would help me cut down on reflections a lot.

Thanks alot for the C&C. Everything helps.