How to photograph glass like a pro

Photographing glass can seem tricky and difficult to do right. But in this video from Adorama, photographer David Bergman shows you that it’s easier than you might think. In only two minutes, you’ll see the lighting setups and a few tricks that will help you create different looks of your images and end up with professional-looking results.

In the video, David demonstrates taking photos of a wine glass. The trick with photographing glass objects is to place the light behind them rather than in front or on the sides. This way you’ll avoid the reflection of the light on the glass’ surface.

You can either place a softbox behind the glass, or it can be a piece of white foam core with the flash hitting it and lighting your glass from behind. Either way, you’ll have black edges defining the shape of the glass. To make these edges more prominent and symmetrical, use negative fill and surround your glass with black foam core.

Alternatively, you can have a black background and the glass with white edges. You will achieve this by adding a piece of black foam core behind the glass. The light slipping out from the sides will create a rim light and make the edges look white.

And finally, a bonus tip: if you want to get the “reflection” of the glass, just stack it onto another identical glass turned upside-down.

You can play with the setup, the light, and the negative fill, but these are the two basic setups that will help you achieve two different image styles, both very neat-looking.

[Photographing Glass: Two Minute Tips with David Bergman | Adorama]