Studio drinks photography
The Drinks Photographer
Drinks photography has been a passion of mine throughout my career.
I have always love the way that light play through liquids and glass, the prismatic effects and colour transitions.
Over the years I have photographed drinks for many of the worlds leading brands from Guinness to Remi Martin from Dewars to Staropramen.
My approach to drinks photography
My approach when photographing any brand is always to make the product look as fantastic as I can. Drinks should be fun they are a celebratory part of life.
The packaging is often fun and imaginative and I love to show that off in my work.
There are many challenges photographing the products, reflections, different textures and accurate colours to name but a few.
An eye for detail
Photographically the my goals are to show my clients products in all their glorious detail.
Using my skill with lighting to reveal every texture and and form.
I am often amazed by the attention to detail that my clients in the production of these items and work to convey that to those that look at my work.
Crafting the skills of a drinks photographer
Having started my career in the film era when learning your craft was a key aspect of becoming a still life photographer.
At a time when retouching was a very limited and expensive safety net, getting it right in camera was the only way.
I still use those skills today. Instead of a large format camera film and polaroid it’s a technical camera and a digital back that provide the control and accuracy that I need to provide the best possible quality.
Lighting Is obviously the life blood of any studio photographer. Control of that lighting is key, whether using modifiers (some of which I have made to my own design), diffusion, power, and now and again bits of card and tape !
Styling
Styling is an important part of any studio shoot.
Knowing where to find the right props be it a particular whisky glass or a bright red sofa is not always easy.
I have used the super skills of Sophie Surridge for many years and she still amazes me on what great things she can find
https://www.sophiesurridge.com/
Post production and Retouching
Honing reflections to perfection and bringing textures to life are all part of the creative process that excites me still.
Composition is one of the key elements of still life photography that I really enjoy. Taking a sometimes everyday item and turning it in to a memorable and striking image is a challenge I love to take on. Making the ordinary extra ordinary.
Retouching is no longer the expensive last resort that it used to be. It is now part of my everyday work flow.
It allows me to hone and perfect the studio photography to a high level
I work with one of the best retouchers in London Nick Swaffield https://nickswaffield.carbonmade.com/
We have a working relationship of over 20 years. The luxury of having complete confidence if each others work has made many challenging shoots stress free, and means I’m able to concentrate on making the products look their best.
Nick is another man with an eye for detail, and colour, and tone, and imperfections, the list goes on. Suffice it to say that the result elevates my clients images to another level.