How can I light a wine bottle with a reflective gold label so the text stays readable?
Asked 2/2/2017
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2 answers
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I’m photographing wine bottles and some labels use reflective gold foil that becomes hard to read because of glare. My current setup is a Canon 5D, a 35mm lens, and two flashes with 80x120 cm softboxes. I sometimes add a reflector, which can help with white or very dark bottles, but not with these gold labels. What lighting approach works best for this kind of reflective label, and is my lens choice contributing to the problem?
Originally by Studio Mastro. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Studio Mastro
9y ago
2 Answers
6
I would leave the lighting in place and just use some small flags to block out the light falling on the lettering. Probably something small and close to the bottle, just out of shot. Hopefully you can substitute continuous lighting or have a modelling light to figure it out.
I'd recommend the book Light, Science and Magic. It covers all you ever need to know about this sort of thing.
Related Q&A: Avoiding reflections when taking close-ups of a wrist-watches dial
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For reflective gold foil, the main fix is to control reflections rather than add more light. Keep your basic lighting, but use small black flags/gobos placed close to the bottle and just out of frame to block the light hitting the gold lettering directly. This creates darker reflections in the foil so the text reads more clearly.
Also adjust the angle of your softboxes/reflectors. If they are reflecting straight back into the label, move them higher and slightly diagonal so the strongest reflections go above or below the text area instead of into the camera.
A second issue is perspective distortion: a 35mm lens used close to the bottle makes the shape look distorted. Back up and use a longer focal length if possible for a more natural product shot.
In short: flag the label, change the light angles, and shoot from farther back with a longer lens.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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