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Old Wiltshire

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PHOTOGRAPHING BOTTLES

I do like the natural background images, I think that approach lends itself to some great artistic
interpretation and can show our collections in a whole new light so to speak.
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I have been asked several times on the UK forum about photographing
bottles, some because they want an accurate record of a collection and
some purely for the enjoyment of this aspect of the hobby.
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This is an extract of a post I put up sometime back and is a method which is simple, inexpensive,
uses natural daylight and works equally well with both ceramic or glass items.


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....I hope the following photographs are pretty self explanatory.
This is a south facing bay window in which, after removing the cushion from the window seat, I place a board as seen.
I then clip a cut length of heavy duty lining paper (about £5 or so a roll from B&Q) to it as shown.
I always use a tripod to mount the camera which is a relatively cheap Fujifilm Finepix S6800 (less than £100 when I bought it).
This gives a consistent distance and angle from the subject if taking photos of a number of items.
It takes a little experimenting to suit your own particular circumstances but with very
little effort or expense I think everybody could achieve reasonable results....





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It is a method which is easily adaptable to your own circumstances, you don't need a tripod,
just something to steady the camera and give a consistent distance.
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You also don't need a 'proper' camera, modern cell phone cameras are excellent and with a little practice
in focussing and framing most people can achieve professional looking results.


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:)
 
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sandchip

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Showoff! Just kidding. Thanks for the pictures and great tips. One question though: would I need to reverse the set up for glass bottles, so that the window is behind the camera giving a little more light to reflect off the paper to show through the medium to dark bottles? Thanks.
 

Old Wiltshire

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Hi Sandchip,

I think it is just a case of experimentation with the equipment and circumstances you have.
I have used different coloured backgrounds or additional small led lights to the side to reflect off the background to enhance or bring out embossing.
Once you have the basics together the only expense is time but I think it is worthwhile going that little bit extra.
It gives a great deal of satisfaction when something comes out right and you know you can repeat it.


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The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is very apt in our spheres of interest, a good quality image
saves a lot of writing and assists greatly if you are looking for an id on a particular piece.


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:)
 

hemihampton

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Nice Pics & Nice Bottles. LEON. AmberKochHutch.JPGP1070472 - Copy - Copy.JPG
 

RelicRaker

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These are all great—Screwtop's backlit Hutch and Leon's ambers are stunners.
My current fave...

Aschenbach and Miller et al.jpg
 

Harry Pristis

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Old Wiltshire's images are always a joy.

In recent years, my own images tend more and more toward the 'technical' rather than the artful.




Early:
pickles_gal_cath_pair2.jpg

Late:flask_whiskey_1900.jpg
 

Screwtop

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Technical photos are one of my favorites. Look at amazing bottles, and learn a little about them all in one picture. It's a win-win!
 

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