Pack shot photography is a tricky affair and there are many photographers out there delivering inferior bottle shots. Do you know a good from a bad pack shot? At Bakkes Images we take bottle pack shots very seriously and pride ourselves on high quality shots. This post aims to show the difference between The Good & The Ugly.
When commissioning studios for pack shots we urge clients to request samples of the photographers' previous pack shots in order to compare different styles and techniques and ultimately acquire the best results in pack shots to be distributed into the public domain. As Bakkes Images Photographer Riehan Bakkes always states: "Quality standards should be withheld throughout the production process at wineries. Quality doesn't stop at bottling and it must be ensured throughout marketing and PR exercises so as to ensure the message of quality ultimately reaches potential buyers".
What makes wine bottles hard to photograph? Well, the obvious is that we are working with glass. We take great care to soften the light on the bottle to provide a subtle highlight on the glass for definition to the bottle. At the same time we aim to accurate represent the colour of the glass combined with the wine content so that buyers will recognize the product on the shelves after viewing a pack shot. Care is also taken to remove all scratches and blemishes from the surface of the bottle to ensure a clean beautiful photograph.
Wine labels and caps then further offers unique challenges that we need to overcome when producing pack shots. Many labels are embossed, have textured paper and/or often have silver or gold foil incorporated in the design. Here it is important for us to capture the shiny glow of the foil without losing detail in those areas of the label. Our goal is to show the detailed complexity of the design in its full glory respecting the designers and the winemakers.
As pictured above, the pack on the left is clearly inferior in comparison to the beautifully lit and detailed bottle on the right. The difference is lighting and post-production techniques perfected over many years at Bakkes Images ensuring high-end pack shots to all our clients.
When commissioning studios for pack shots we urge clients to request samples of the photographers' previous pack shots in order to compare different styles and techniques and ultimately acquire the best results in pack shots to be distributed into the public domain. As Bakkes Images Photographer Riehan Bakkes always states: "Quality standards should be withheld throughout the production process at wineries. Quality doesn't stop at bottling and it must be ensured throughout marketing and PR exercises so as to ensure the message of quality ultimately reaches potential buyers".