When it comes to beer photography, the pint of possibilities is overflowing! If you're looking for some inspiration on ways to take your beer photography to the next level, you're in the right place. A big aspect of photographing any product is showing your customer how it relates to them and fits into their life. Also not being scared to get creative and capture some attention grabbing imagery!
Lifestyle photography will bring a lot of realism to your shots and really ground your product in the different ways it can be enjoyed. One great way to do this is a classic POV image, having the camera at an angle where it looks like the customers perspective holding the beer. This can be elevated by incorporating a cheers with a person opposite!
Action shots are a great way to make your images more dynamic and exciting. Movement can create interest and energy in a photograph, making it that little bit more eye catching. Adding in some motion of the beer can be done with a cheers, or with a single beer and a bit of creativity!
Pour shots. Depending on whether your beer is in a bottle, can or on tap - a pour shot can be done in so many different ways! Not only is this a great opportunity to capture movement in your image, but it's also a great way to bring a friendly face into frame.
Gravity defying shots! Whether the beer is tipping off a table or flying midair, this type of image is really eye-catching. Most of these shots are thanks to a fast shutter speed, a sneaky metal wire (with a touch of photoshop) and a lot of towels!
Beer is often enjoyed with a bite to eat on the side, and it's a great way to add a sense of realism into your images by showing the different scenarios in which it could be enjoyed. Incorporating food also adds another exciting element to your image, more for the eyes to feast on!
Tips of the trade:
Bubbles! A fresh beer always has a lots of a life to it, however as you may know if you've attempted beer photography before, it doesn't take too long for the beer to go flat. To make sure your beer always looks as fresh as it possibly can, keep a wooden skewer or straw on hand! This is a lot easier if you have a second pair of hands, but you can also use this technique solo. Simply dip the straw/skewer to the bottom of your glass and strike along the widget. It won't bring the bubbles back permanently but it will for long enough for you to get that perfect shot! There is the alternate option of using Alka seltzers, if you break off a little piece and drop it to the bottom on the glass, you'll get bubbles for a lot longer, the only drawback is the seltzer can be visible at the bottom of the glass and often will float to the top - but if you don't mind a bit of extra photoshopping then this is a great technique too!
Having a good backlighting to your beer can really lift your images. Not only does it highlight the lively bubbles, but it shows off the colour of you beer much better. There's lots of ways to do this, whether it be a lighting tube or using natural light. It will completely depend on the location of your shoot and whether you're on location or in the studio - but either way it's a important tip to remember!
Making sure your beer has a nice full head adds that extra freshness to your beers appearance. Your can buy a foamer device than can attach to any can of beer and use this to top up the head when it inevitably fizzles down after a couple of minutes of shooting.
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