Photographing glass and dark liquid is always a  challenge. To illuminate the liquid without diluting it, required some creative lighting. The label was also a metallic foil which needed specific lighting to show off  the reflective foil. The overall general light was attained by placing the bottle within a translucent tent. The label required a metallic fill light very close to the bottle to provide the highlights. The bottle is on a clear glass pane with a hole cut in the black paper. (Same technique on black and white paper.) A light was placed below the base and then reflected thru the bottle back to camera with another metallic foil card, behind the bottle. This provided the translucent detail and color to the product.

A must have in your camera bag is a polarizer, it will allow you to see thru reflections like magic, and enhance color saturation by reducing highlights...... Here's an example of a polarizer, allowing the camera to see past some of the reflection of the water. These guys were only visible for seconds and then they were gone.
 

On These Airwaves

This was a fun shoot of some of my buds. A local band that needed some PR pics. The music studio where we shot was small and I had in mind a directional light but soft. Space simply prohibited umbrella or softbox so just hung a large white sheet on the wall and bounced a couple hand units. It gave a nice broad and directional light that gave the guys a little shape and is much more appealing than straight flash. Eric Long on the right just released the second album. (I also did the cover art) from On these Airwaves (OTA) Check out some great music and Like it on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/On-These-Airwaves/158574750925959

Geese

While doing some aerial golf work, we spooked some geese. A nice unique angle on these quite large birds. What struck me beside the water pattern was how they were already set up in their customary V pattern before even taking flight. A fast shutter and long 300mm again stops the action of not only the birds but the vibrating chopper.

Stop and smell the daisies

 I was contemplating how very brief we’re here. (Gasping for air will do that).  You know the old adages “its never to late”,.....”never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”...and most notably “live today as if it were your last”. Well I really don’t think they meant you should  go skydive or race indy cars or aspire to be Ms. America, I think it simply means to appreciate every single moment you have and to love and treat with respect the very next person you come face to face with, because bottom line is.... nothing you can do will make more of a difference than that.   So ... Don’t forget to smell the roses...er uhh..... Daisies, like these just below the treeline of the Alaska Range.

Androids everywhere.

 New phones are just amazing, 5 to 8 megapixals with flash and apps of all sorts. Had to just try it out! Just love the texture and color here!  I've seen a couple covers already! Just keep your lens clean, if you use yours.  It can make a huge difference when you see it large later!

Splash

Electronic Flash or strobelight is the method of choice for most studio photography. Cooler temps than using old tungsten lights, predictable and portable, with varying modifiers they produce light that at the disposal of a photographer can be used with unlimited possibilities. Filling dark areas, emphasizing shape, revealing texture, creating atmosphere, all exploit light. One of the often used technique of strobes is to freeze action. The duration of a discharged flash is very brief, from 1/1000 to1/40000 of a second at the instant when the camera shutter is open. Camera shutter speed you will remember does not control the flash exposure. Here is a use of flash to freeze liquid. Timing of course is critical, and variations are unlimited. I kinda liked this one. Complimentary colors add to the favorable outcome of this shot!