Guarachi Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir
Commercial Advertising Wine Photography
A few months ago the marketing director of a wine group in Los Angeles got in touch with me for a commercial advertising wine photography campaign. Turned out to be some of the nicest and most professional group of people I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate with. We set up a mini studio at their head quarters for the hero product shots and also went to a restaurant to do some life style photography for their brand. Ignited handled the art direction and layout. And art director was on set to coordinate and help style the shoot. It was great to have an extra set of eyes on set to pick up on the smallest details that can make or break a shoot like this. Our studio handled all post production and retouching.
Photographing Wine Bottles is a Tricky Affair: Glass in general and what appears to be black glass in particular reflects EVERYTHING. In reality, up close the glass is really green glass that contains red liquid, so it looks black sort of. To accentuate the shape and height of the bottles highlights are painstakingly placed to accentuate shape. So the shape of the light modifier that is used is critical. For the lighting: A four foot strip box was used to create the highlights on the bottles {camera right}. You can tell that is the main light by looking at the direction of shadows. No key/fill light was used because that would cause a reflection on the front of the bottles. A four foot soft box {camera left} was feathered towards the camera using only the modeling light for a faint highlight. We brought a Calumet Heavy-Duty Background Support set up with us and a four foot grey seamless. The seamless was sourced to match the mood board created by the Ignited team. The camera used is a Canon 1D Mark III locked down on a tripod, with Pocket Wizard Plus III’s to trigger the Profoto AcuteB2 600Ws heads. Sekonic L‑358 Flash Master with a Pocket Wizard Transmitter Module was used to measure the strobe at f8. We photographed our ColorChecker Passport by X-Rite in scene to ensure color accuracy. For the art director, and to view images and see that we nailed the shot we shot we tethered the camera to a 17″ MacBook Pro using a Tether Tools Aero platform and Adobe Lightroom 4 to ingest the images.
Photographing Wine Bottles: Since wine bottles will reflect anything white or anything that reflects light back towards the wine bottles, the best case scenario is to photograph in a dark environment. Windows blacked out. In our studio I use a simple set up. I’ve tapped together two 4×8 foot 1/4 inch black and white foam coar boards. One side is white the other side is black. The foam core boards are purchased at my local camera store. I use the two sets to flag off anything that will reflect back at the wine bottles. If you are on location I recommend having 4 pieces of 4×4 foot black and white foam core to flag and use as reflectors as needed.
What Clients Are Saying
Real Client Experiences
From commercial and product photography projects
“Marc is a consummate professional photographer. He always meets our deadlines and exceeds expectations. His attention to detail and open communication provides us with confidence that we have elected the right photographer for every assignment.”
Tanya von Marschner
Executive Production Associate, HFF Brokerage
“Marc is an exceptional architectural photographer. He has a strong ability to understand a project’s intent and translate it into clean, compelling imagery that elevates the asset. His attention to detail, professionalism on site, and consistency across large projects make him a go-to partner for architectural and commercial work. Highly recommended for anyone looking to present their properties at a high level.”
Terence Truong
Production Manager, IG1 Communications
“We have worked with Marc on commercial photo shoots, and he always maintains a sense of professionalism within our client spaces. He is very responsive with our various scheduling needs. Marc’s images are top-notch. Highly recommended.”
Alison Kermode
Clune Construction Company
“These are incredible. Our marketing team actually used the word ‘incredible.’ We are super excited to get these out there and get some tenants in this space.”
Rexford Industrial Properties
Commercial Real Estate
“Marc Weisberg has photographed over fifty interior remodeling projects for Sea Pointe Home Design and Construction across Orange County, and his real estate photography is at a level you rarely see outside of national design publications. His experience shooting luxury real estate photography for top Orange County agents shows in every frame, from the lighting to the angles to the finished detail. We recommend Marc without hesitation to any contractor, designer, or agent in Southern California.”
Sea Pointe Home Design & Construction
Interior Remodeling & Construction
Areas Served
Marc Weisberg Photography serves commercial and product photography clients throughout Orange County, Los Angeles, and all of Southern California, including Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Pasadena, and the greater Los Angeles metro area. Studio and on-location photography services available nationwide.
Orange County · Los Angeles · Southern California
Food and Wine Photography for Discerning Brands
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Commercial Photography · Food & Wine Photography · About Marc · Get a Quote
Marc Weisberg is an award-winning commercial photographer and food and wine photography specialist based in Orange County, California. With over 26 years of experience, Marc’s commercial work has been published in Wine Spectator, Food & Wine magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and over a dozen books on photography. Trusted by global brands throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. Learn more about Marc.
