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Best ways to photograph beer


jennyss

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I was looking on the Coopers Community for glamorous and eye-catching ways to photograph beer that we are proud of. Lately I have been admiring all your outdoor shots, often including wooden fences. I have also just re-discovered the galleries of @Shamus O'Sean, @Classic Brewing Co, @BlackSandsand @Brauhaus Fritz. Some very creative and smart work there! But inside or out, what are some of your basic tips about lighting please?

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1 hour ago, jennyss said:

I was looking on the Coopers Community for glamorous and eye-catching ways to photograph beer that we are proud of. Lately I have been admiring all your outdoor shots, often including wooden fences. I have also just re-discovered the galleries of @Shamus O'Sean, @Classic Brewing Co, @BlackSandsand @Brauhaus Fritz. Some very creative and smart work there! But inside or out, what are some of your basic tips about lighting please?

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for the kind words, it all starts with the camera, most mobile phones have pretty decent camera's with great & creative lenses.

Having said that you can still take great shots with a basic camera.

Below are some tips for you but I have had a lot of experience photographing Hotels all over Australia for advertising purposes & speciality product like Stubby Holders/Bar Mats ect.

In the early days I used an EOS 6D & EOS 60D for the work & of course I had all of the lenses for Wide Angle, Telephoto, Macro etc but my favourite was a Sigma prime lens ( Multi Purpose )  In the later years I used the Mobile Phone as they got better & better.

Simple Tips are;

Be creative with a background, nothing too cluttered to distract from the subject, a clean background is best without mess, coffee stains, stuff all over the table or bench/bar etc.

Clean the lens, try to use creative modes where possible, don't shoot into the light, use the available light wisely by placing the subject/beer glass where the light falls on it.

Be perfectly still & make sure the focus ring informs you that best shot is when the yellow & white rings are aligned & the time is now to shoot.

There are endless opportunities for great shots just be being creative, place the object where it compliments the photo not necessarily in the centre, read this for more info.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6d1b9d89aded5742JmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xMDdmMzQyMC02ZTAyLTY3ZTctMWRmYy0yNjNhNmZkNzY2ZDMmaW5zaWQ9NTQ1OA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=107f3420-6e02-67e7-1dfc-263a6fd766d3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmZpLmVkdS9ydWxlLW9mLXRoaXJkcy8jOn46dGV4dD1TaW5jZSUyMG5vJTIwaHVtYW4lMjBmYWNlJTIwaXMlMjBwZXJmZWN0bHklMjB3ZWxsLWZvcm1lZCUyQyUyMGFwcGx5LHNob290aW5nJTIwYSUyMGhvcml6b250YWwlMjBpbWFnZSUyMGZvciUyMHByaW50JTIwcGhvdG9ncmFwaHkuJTIw&ntb=1

I use a Samsung S21 Ultra 5G  with very powerful cameras, the main lens is a whopping 102mb !!

@BlackSands on the other hand is a commercial photographer so I am sure he will contribute.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=b041ef0a8f9cf37eJmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xMDdmMzQyMC02ZTAyLTY3ZTctMWRmYy0yNjNhNmZkNzY2ZDMmaW5zaWQ9NTIzMw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=107f3420-6e02-67e7-1dfc-263a6fd766d3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Ftc3VuZy5jb20vYXUvc21hcnRwaG9uZXMvZ2FsYXh5LXMyMS11bHRyYS01Zy8&ntb=1

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=54a79796ec59fbbeJmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xMDdmMzQyMC02ZTAyLTY3ZTctMWRmYy0yNjNhNmZkNzY2ZDMmaW5zaWQ9NTQzNQ&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=107f3420-6e02-67e7-1dfc-263a6fd766d3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9pcGhvbmVwaG90b2dyYXBoeXNjaG9vbC5jb20vbW9iaWxlLXBob3RvZ3JhcGh5LXRpcHMvIzp-OnRleHQ9MTIlMjBNb2JpbGUlMjBQaG90b2dyYXBoeSUyMFRpcHMlMjBFdmVyeSUyMFBob3RvZ3JhcGhlciUyMFNob3VsZCUyMEtub3csVG8lMjBab29tJTIwSW4lMjBPciUyME91dCUyMC4uLiUyME1vcmUlMjBpdGVtcw&ntb=1

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Phil

Edited by Classic Brewing Co
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21 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for the kind words, it all starts with the camera, most mobile phones have pretty decent camera's with great & creative lenses.

Having said that you can still take great shots with a basic camera.

Below are some tips for you but I have had a lot of experience photographing Hotels all over Australia for advertising purposes & speciality product like Stubby Holders/Bar Mats ect.

In the early days I used an EOS 6D & EOS 60D for the work & of course I had all of the lenses for Wide Angle, Telephoto, Macro etc but my favourite was a Sigma prime lens ( Multi Purpose )  In the later years I used the Mobile Phone as they got better & better.

Simple Tips are;

Be creative with a background, nothing too cluttered to distract from the subject, a clean background is best without mess, coffee stains, stuff all over the table or bench/bar etc.

Clean the lens, try to use creative modes where possible, don't shoot into the light, use the available light wisely by placing the subject/beer glass where the light falls on it.

Be perfectly still & make sure the focus ring informs you that best shot is when the yellow & white rings are aligned & the time is now to shoot.

There are endless opportunities for great shots just be being creative, place the object where it compliments the photo not necessarily in the centre, read this for more info.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6d1b9d89aded5742JmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xMDdmMzQyMC02ZTAyLTY3ZTctMWRmYy0yNjNhNmZkNzY2ZDMmaW5zaWQ9NTQ1OA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=107f3420-6e02-67e7-1dfc-263a6fd766d3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmZpLmVkdS9ydWxlLW9mLXRoaXJkcy8jOn46dGV4dD1TaW5jZSUyMG5vJTIwaHVtYW4lMjBmYWNlJTIwaXMlMjBwZXJmZWN0bHklMjB3ZWxsLWZvcm1lZCUyQyUyMGFwcGx5LHNob290aW5nJTIwYSUyMGhvcml6b250YWwlMjBpbWFnZSUyMGZvciUyMHByaW50JTIwcGhvdG9ncmFwaHkuJTIw&ntb=1

I use a Samsung S21 Ultra 5G  with very powerful cameras, the main lens is a whopping 102mb !!

@BlackSands on the other hand is a commercial photographer so I am sure he will contribute.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=b041ef0a8f9cf37eJmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xMDdmMzQyMC02ZTAyLTY3ZTctMWRmYy0yNjNhNmZkNzY2ZDMmaW5zaWQ9NTIzMw&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=107f3420-6e02-67e7-1dfc-263a6fd766d3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Ftc3VuZy5jb20vYXUvc21hcnRwaG9uZXMvZ2FsYXh5LXMyMS11bHRyYS01Zy8&ntb=1

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=54a79796ec59fbbeJmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xMDdmMzQyMC02ZTAyLTY3ZTctMWRmYy0yNjNhNmZkNzY2ZDMmaW5zaWQ9NTQzNQ&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=107f3420-6e02-67e7-1dfc-263a6fd766d3&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9pcGhvbmVwaG90b2dyYXBoeXNjaG9vbC5jb20vbW9iaWxlLXBob3RvZ3JhcGh5LXRpcHMvIzp-OnRleHQ9MTIlMjBNb2JpbGUlMjBQaG90b2dyYXBoeSUyMFRpcHMlMjBFdmVyeSUyMFBob3RvZ3JhcGhlciUyMFNob3VsZCUyMEtub3csVG8lMjBab29tJTIwSW4lMjBPciUyME91dCUyMC4uLiUyME1vcmUlMjBpdGVtcw&ntb=1

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Phil

And there is more 🍻

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=11f61b4b6d385514JmltdHM9MTY2MjY4MTYwMCZpZ3VpZD0wOWM4ZDk1My1mNjMxLTY2NWItMTA2OS1jYjQ5Zjc1MTY3NzYmaW5zaWQ9NTE4MA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=09c8d953-f631-665b-1069-cb49f7516776&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9leHBlcnRwaG90b2dyYXBoeS5jb20vYmVlci1waG90b2dyYXBoeS8&ntb=1

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On 9/10/2022 at 10:23 AM, Classic Brewing Co said:

 

@BlackSands on the other hand is a commercial photographer so I am sure he will contribute.

Well, occasionally commercial!  I've been particularly lucky and scored a few paying gigs over the years.  

I think you have summed things up pretty well.   Most, but not all of my beer shots are snapped on an old Nikon DSLR.  I usually use a prime lens at a low f-stop to really limit the depth of field, blurring out background distractions.   Having said that though... if I did have an appealing background I might be more inclined to include that - adds some context,  and a bit more "eye candy"  Some of my quick 'off-the-phone' shots are actually more like this - usually taken in my immediate surrounds.   A phone pic generally though is always going to give considerable depth of field so best make sure your background is photo-worthy!  E.g. I've generally found a pile of dirty dishes stacked up on the kitchen bench does little to add to the appeal of the beer image!  

Also, always keep the beer - the main subject in sharp focus.  I often see phone pics where the beer is out of focus and the background is actually what's crisp and sharp in the photo.   🙄

While there's plenty of cool environment/scenic spots near where I live I'm rarely prepared to walk a few km's down the road with beer and camera gear in hand just to grab a scenically-enhanced beer shot!    😄   So I usually shoot at home in my dining room or lounge!  Generally I do pay attention to lighting and composition and do what I can in the situation to try optimise the natural light that is available at the time, that's habit but I don't really go to extremes - it's not a commerical or a photography competition after all - it's a homebrew forum.  🤓   

 

 

 

 

Edited by BlackSands
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3 minutes ago, BlackSands said:

Well, occasionally commercial!  I've been particularly lucky and scored a few paying gigs over the years.  

I think you have summed things up pretty well.   Most, but not all of my beer shots are snapped on an old Nikon DSLR.  I usually use a prime lens at a low f-stop to really limit the depth of field, blurring out background distractions.   Having said that though... if I did have an appealing background I might be more inclined to include that - adds some context,  and a bit more "eye candy"  Some of my quick 'off-the-phone' shots are actually more like this - usually taken in my immediate surrounds.   A phone pic generally though is always going to give considerable depth of field so best make sure your background is photo-worthy!  I've generally found a pile of dirty dishes stacked up on the kitchen bench does little to add to the appeal of the beer image!  

Also, always keep the beer in sharp focus.  I often see phone pics where the beer is out of focus and the background is actually crisp and sharp.   🙄

While there's plenty of cool environment/scenic spots near where I live but I'm rarely prepared to walk a few km's down the road with beer and camera gear in hand just to grab a scenically-enhanced beer shot!    😄   So I usually shoot at home in my dining room or lounge!  

Generally I do pay attention to lighting and composition and do what I can in the situation to try optimise the natural light that is available at the time, that's habit but I don't really go to extremes - it's not a commerical or a photography competition after all - it's a homebrew forum.  🤓   

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I agree with that, if you know your way around a camera it's not hard to get the sweet spot on the main object for a sharp focus & end up with a nicely blurred background.

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