Devils Post Pale
One of the natural attractions in the Mammoth Lakes area of the Eastern Sierras in California is the national Monument called Devils Postpile formation. The formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60 feet high and display an unusual symmetry. A local brewery, the Mammoth Brewing Company, has come up with an excellent beer with the clever name of Devils Post Pale Ale. I stopped by the brewery's tasting room on our recent visit to the area, and after sampling the ale I bought a bottle to photograph, and to drink. Wast not, want not.
Strobist info: This is a do it yourself HDR composite of two separate images. The first image was lit with a 24 inch softbox behind the bottle to provide the rim lighting, with a black foam card, a little bigger than the bottle, acting as a gobo. The second shot was lit with two 24 inch softboxes, in front and on either side of the bottle, point at the center at a 45 degree angle. I then combined the two images in Photoshop, with the first shot providing the rim lighting and the second shot providing some detail of the front of the bottle. I used a YN560-II and a YN560, both in manual mode, in the softboxes, and they were triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N. If I had a 3rd softbox I could probably do it all in one shot, but I only had two.
I've been photographing beer bottles and labels from some time now, and I put the results in a set called (of all things) Beer. Here's a link to that set. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157634466859967/
Devils Post Pale
One of the natural attractions in the Mammoth Lakes area of the Eastern Sierras in California is the national Monument called Devils Postpile formation. The formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60 feet high and display an unusual symmetry. A local brewery, the Mammoth Brewing Company, has come up with an excellent beer with the clever name of Devils Post Pale Ale. I stopped by the brewery's tasting room on our recent visit to the area, and after sampling the ale I bought a bottle to photograph, and to drink. Wast not, want not.
Strobist info: This is a do it yourself HDR composite of two separate images. The first image was lit with a 24 inch softbox behind the bottle to provide the rim lighting, with a black foam card, a little bigger than the bottle, acting as a gobo. The second shot was lit with two 24 inch softboxes, in front and on either side of the bottle, point at the center at a 45 degree angle. I then combined the two images in Photoshop, with the first shot providing the rim lighting and the second shot providing some detail of the front of the bottle. I used a YN560-II and a YN560, both in manual mode, in the softboxes, and they were triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N. If I had a 3rd softbox I could probably do it all in one shot, but I only had two.
I've been photographing beer bottles and labels from some time now, and I put the results in a set called (of all things) Beer. Here's a link to that set. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157634466859967/