product shoot - wine aerator, glasses, bottle pouring

[Richard Gooderick]

I've got a product shoot to do for a wine aerator.
This gadget sits on top of a wine glass. You pour wine through it and it aerates it - in 8 seconds, instead of more like 40 minutes that it would take to breath naturally.
Here's a photo of it, sitting on its stand. The bowl part lifts off and you sit it on top of a wine glass or decanter.
I want to film it from all angles and have it spinning too.
There are streams of wine that emanate from the underside of the aerator and flow down the inside of the glass.
The idea is to film the wine being poured into it too, from a bottle.
As you can probably see, it's plastic.
I'd like to make it, the glass and the bottle sparkle as much as possible.
Against a white background.
I've never done a shoot like this before so if anyone has any tips I'd be really grateful to have them.
Many thanks.
BTW They come in different colours. And the core in the middle slides up and down and can be removed. I am planning to use coloured cores with a clear plastic bowl (the bowl with fins on that you can see in the photo).

[Steve Kalle]

For "sparkles", I know with still cameras that you can use filters to alter the reflections. Maybe there is something similar for video.

Other than that, I would assume there is a spray to increase specular highlights and give it more of a glossy look. In addition, hard light from a tungsten spot fresnel should further enhance specular highlights.

[Battle Vaughan]

Speaking as an old food photographer, there's one good rule when you are dealing with glassware: you light the area, not the glassware; the glassware gets it's character from the highlights and darks reflected in it. Tall, narrow strip lights put highlights where you want them, or light foamcore pieces and let them be reflected in the glass. Bubbles are best lit from behind or below as they diffract the light and give highlights and shadows that give them form, if you light them directly you just get glare.... Large, indirect light panels reflected into or behind/below are most effective (indirect: light the panel, let it show beside, behind, below the glass, if you see what I'm getting at) /Battle Vaughan, who misses his 4x5 view camera more than any other tool he worked with, even video....

[Jim Andrada]

I don't miss my view camera at all. Because I still have it! A nice 5 X 7 Linhof Kardan Bi in perfect shape that I bought new in 1970. Dragged it all over Yosemite when I took a course with Ansel Adams. Those were the days - of film! And of me being able to schlep the camera everywhere up hill and down on my back!

Sorry for the OT post but couldn't resist when I saw your tag line!

On topic - when I used to go to the Steuben glass gallery in NY I noticed that, as you said, they lit the glass plate that the display items sat on.

Also a nit picking comment if I may (no criticism intended, just clarification) I think you meant to say "Refract" instead of "Difract". Gas and liquid have different indices of refraction (ie bending the light rays at the interface(s) between the two materials) which causes the phenomenon you're referring to. Difraction would be caused by a slit or small (very small) hole.

[Richard Gooderick]

Steve
Good suggestion. Thank you. I will look to see if I can find any sprays.
Battle
Brilliant. That makes so much sense and I was going to do it all wrong. Encouraged by previous advice that I had received about lighting this situation.

[Dean Sensui]

Why white as a background?

Bright spots look brighter against a dark background. Keep in mind the human eye is dependent upon contrasts. And white sparkles against a white background just isn't as dramatic.

As Battle suggested, lighting from behind will provide some drama.

And as for 4x5, I miss my Schneider lenses. I don't miss handling the chemicals!

[Jim Andrada]

Take a look at the Steuben glass site - you should get lots of ideas. They use both light and dark backgrounds for different effects

Some of their products have entrapped air bubbles - whether it's wine or glass, the physics is the same - mixed materials with different refractive indices. (and glass itself is sort of a liquid - VERY viscous liquid)

Steuben Glass - Bowls

[Battle Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Jim Andrada

Also a nit picking comment if I may (no criticism intended, just clarification) I think you meant to say "Refract" instead of "Difract". Gas and liquid have different indices of refraction (ie bending the light rays at the interface(s) between the two materials) which causes the phenomenon you're referring to. Difraction would be caused by a slit or small (very small) hole.

Thanks for the clarification, refract is correct. Brain ***t on my part! /BV

PS: couple examples of what I was talking about...