In this tutorial, we will share the lighting settings of our glass goblet with minimal equipment. To imitate this photo, you need a black background, a striped box, and a flash.

We first used two strip boxes (8 inches x 36 inches) to modify the flash. Stripbox helps to shape the light into a tall vertical surface, which will help us illuminate precisely the part of the glass we want to define.

The most important aspect of catalog photography is to accurately convey the product to the audience. By placing the bar box symmetrically behind the glassware, facing inward, we can create bright highlights on the pole, reveal the shape and beautify the glassware.

In order to get more 3D appearance, we can use a single strip box to illuminate the edge of the glass, so that we can give priority to the second light in front of the wine glass bowl. By placing highlights on the bowl, you can give the viewer a three-dimensional sense of space and better convey the smoothness of the glass material. By adding gradients (plus cheap nylon diffuser), we further modified the glassware and complimented it by the opposite reflections.

In post-production, we have some options when dealing with symmetrical glassware. For example, if a particular area is unpleasant due to the asymmetric lighting method, we can use a feather mask in Photoshop to flip the lighting from the other side. In addition, we can introduce lighting from additional exposures, such as base lights or edge lights that we may not want to trigger during the main exposure, to avoid accidental reflections in the glass.

By spending some time moving the strip lights around the room, you can intuitively place lights to decorate certain areas of the glassware. Whether you are lighting up glassware for a white or black background, the most important aspect is to accurately convey the edges of the glassware while trying to flatten it in a flat canvas.

About the author: Dustin Dolby from workphlo is a Canadian product photographer and YouTube educator. You can find more tutorials on Dustin's workphlo YouTube channel or Skillshare, and purchase their custom light mount accessories at the workphlo online store.