How can I create a convincing frozen-ice look on a glass bottle for a product shoot?
Asked 9/16/2011
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I’m photographing a glass vodka bottle and want it to look frozen, with frost and icy shards attached to the surface. I first considered using real water and freezing it onto the bottle in a freezer, or even freezing the bottle into a block of ice and then shaping it. Before I start experimenting, what’s the most practical way to achieve this effect for a product shoot without ruining the frosted look during setup and lighting?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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I don't know how the kids are doing it these days, but in my day we used acrylic resin (available by the bucket in larger craft shops) for "ice" and clear Krylon (misted with water from a plant mister when necessary) for "frost".
Unlike food maquettes (such as using coloured Crisco and icing sugar for "ice cream") you aren't breaking any truth in advertising laws, and the "ice" will survive the lighting and staging process. Real ice poses a lot of problems. There is a relatively narrow range of temperatures in which it looks right (too cold and it lacks gloss, too warm and it melts too quickly), it takes textured fingerprints (or gloveprints) that you're forever having to torch out (while carefully trying to avoid soot deposits -- which can never be removed completely, and therefore mean starting over again).
In the end, the fake stuff usually looks more believable than the real.
Originally by user2719. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2719
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a product shoot, the most practical approach is usually to fake it rather than use real ice. Real ice is difficult to control: it only looks good within a narrow temperature range, melts under lights, and easily picks up marks that are hard to remove.
A common solution is to use acrylic resin or another clear fake-ice material for the “ice” effect, then add a frosty look with a light coat of clear spray and, if needed, misted water droplets. This gives you much more time to style and light the bottle, and the effect stays consistent throughout the shoot.
If you try real ice, expect repeated handling problems, melting, and surface damage to the look you’re trying to preserve. For clean commercial results, artificial ice and a controlled frost effect are generally the better choice.
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