# Lighting tips?



## bottlenecker (Feb 6, 2008)

Any pro photographers out there with lighting tips?


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## idigjars (Feb 6, 2008)

Hello Andrew, welcome to the forum.  You didn't state what you are trying to use the lighting for.  If it's for taking pics of bottles you would want to use daylight type lighting to show true colors of bottles.  There are lots of nice folks on here that will be able to give you more exact information you might need.  Also in the category of "displaying and photographing" there are some great ideas for building lightboxes, etc.   Good luck with your project.
              Paul


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## tigue710 (Feb 8, 2008)

natural light is the best way go...  a good lens makes all the difference though...


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## kozmothewonderdog (Feb 24, 2008)

In case you haven't found it, there's a great thread on building a cheap light box right here...

 Have fun!

 - Al


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## buzzkutt033 (Feb 25, 2008)

i seem to get better results using the macro setting on my camera. also fool around with some of the shutter settings. welcome to our version of reality Al.

 Jim


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## chosi (Nov 23, 2011)

Any tips out there for how to photograph a shiney, clear bottle that has embossing on both the front & back?
 Every once in a while I get a bottle where the rear embossing bleeds through to the front, and it makes the embossing difficult to read.

 If I fill the bottle with milk, the embossing looks great.  But the color of the bottle becomes milky-white, which is not what I want.

 Is there some type of back/front/side lighting that will emphasize the front embossing while masking the rear embossing?


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## old.s.bottles (Nov 23, 2011)

When I really get into it or I am selling a bottle I lay out some 8x11 papers on a table out side and put the bottle on top. The more pictures you take equals more pics to chose from too.[]


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## Wheelah23 (Nov 23, 2011)

I realize this is an old old thread, but I'll still post my technique. I take a large sheet of white paper and lay it halfway against a wall, so that the other half is on the ground and there is a smooth curve instead of a 90 degree angle. When there are no edges in the background, the camera can focus on the bottle better. Plus I use the macro setting, that is a given when taking bottle pictures. For lighting, I use one lamp like you have on top of fish tanks. That way it's mobile, and I can move it around to try different shots. You absolutely can't use a yellow light bulb, it has to be as white as possible.






 Depending on the bottle, usually embossing doesn't bleed through with this method.


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## Wheelah23 (Nov 23, 2011)

back


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## Picklejar (Nov 23, 2011)

Using the correct white balance setting should eliminate any fears of "yellow" bulbs. The camera should treat all incandescent light as white light if set properly. Just saying is all... Also, old slide making setups are great for photographing small objects.- Joe


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## chosi (Nov 25, 2011)

This is the setup I use.  Backlighting usually brings out the embossing pretty well.  And a little front lighting can highlight the surface of the bottle. 

 But I've never used a "macro" setting before.  How close do you actually get the camera to the bottle when you use that setting?


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