Red Wine Cover Shot

Recently, I was lucky enough to sell an image to The Beverage Media Group for the August edition of their magazine.  The image was simple enough to follow, having been provided with a pretty straightforward comp of what they were looking for.  Starting with the provided sketch, I compiled the few props needed for the shoot.

The hardest part of this entire shoot was finding the proper grapes for the image.  As I found out, wine grapes are not in season until the beginning of Fall.  Needing dark colored grapes, I searched around and eventually was lucky enough to find the darker variety used in the shot.  They were not exactly a wine making type, but worked great as a photographic stand in.  Using a little oil on the surface of the grapes as well as a spritz of water gave them a shine, and made them appear fresh.

Technically speaking, capturing the image was pretty straightforward.  I set up the shot as close to comp as possible, and Jenny was nice enough to hold a diffusion panel over the scene for me.  The reflections seen in the glass were somewhat of a problem however.  The round, clear, and clean surface of the crystal glasses reflected everything within sight.  Fortunately (or unfortunately for me) most of the items, as well as my own reflection, were easily removed in post. 

A little bit of work resulted in a great cover shot, and an inside piece to add to the resume…and you know, I got to drink the wine when it was all said and done.