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Writer's pictureBiv Jones

7 Drink Photography Tips

Updated: Oct 21, 2023

Wondering how to take your drink photography to the next level?

Tried everything to get that perfect champagne fizz or sumptuous hot chocolate foam?


We’ll let you in to a little secret… things are not always as they seem!


We have a few expert tips and tricks up our sleeve to get our drinks photography looking perfect, and we’re willing to share!


Professional Drink Photography beer lifestyle

1. Crisp, Cold Drinks


There’s nothing like an ice cold drinks, but after a few hours under the studio lights, things start getting a bit warm. So how do you get that chilled, straight-from-the-fridge look to last?


Simple, use frosting spray!

Give your bottles and glasses a quick coat of window frosting spray for that perfectly chilled look.


To take it up another level, give it a quick spritz with a water spray for those perfect condensation drips.


Professional Drink Photography of cider

2. Perfect Ice


Speaking of cold drinks, working with ice can be difficult! You want those cubes to stay looking perfect, rather than melting and spilling over the sides!


So what’s the solution? Fake it!

You can buy some very effective fake ice, coming in all different shapes and sizes. Fake ice doesn’t melt, allowing you the extra time to build the perfect drink which will last until you get your shot.


Professional Drink Photography cocktails in studio

3. Colourful Cocktails


Everyone loves an instagram-worthy cocktail, but with so many different ingredients involved, it can get complicated and time consuming creating drinks from scratch.


A simple way to save time and costs is to use some good old food colouring!

Food colouring is a great tool to have in your photography arsenal. Use it for the perfectly coloured cocktail, or even to add it to soups, smoothies and food dishes.

Cheap and cheerful, a little goes a long way, and you can mix and match to create the perfect colour.


Professional Drink Photography hot chocolate

4. Decadent Whipped Cream


During the colder months we find ourselves creating warmer, cosier drinks.

Think about those luxurious hot chocolates, with perfect swirls of whipped cream, sprinkles and marshmallows!


But unfortunately, cream and hot lights don’t mix, and quickly result in a messy studio and sad looking beverage.. So what can we do instead?


Try shaving foam! It gives you a pure white, dense foam which you can shape and mould to perfection. And most importantly, it doesn’t melt!


Professional Drink Photography of champagne

5. Perfect Bubbles


Sparkling wine and fizzy drinks look great when first poured, with lots of tiny bubbles fizzing up the glass! But they don’t last time.


Try dropping an alka-seltzer tablet into your drink for extended fizz!


Professional Drink Photography rum cocktail

6. Fresh Fizz


Another little tip to keep your sparkling drinks looking fresh is to add a little foam soap to your glass. This creates a subtle froth at the surface of the drink, giving it that freshly-poured look!


Professional Drink Photography christmas cocktails

7. Styling


Now you’ve got the basics covered, you need to think about styling.

A fancy garnish is always a good idea, try using fruit and herbs to add colour and texture.

You can also add a nice reusable straw or statement cocktail skewer for the extra wow factor!


If you need help with a photo shoot, our professional drinks photographers would love to discuss your project with you. Contact our friendly team today about your plans.


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