Dik wrote:
Can you imagine either Coke or Bacardi using this photo for an ad? I don't think so.
How many shots did you take to get this far?
How many times did you show the shot to someone and then reshoot, with improvements?
Reshoot before submitting!
Use the longest lens you have in order to get the maximum working distance. The perspective will be better, (tops and bottoms will be closer to parallel).
Make sure your camera is square to the back edge of the background or your background horizon and your liquid horizons won't match (that's a problem in your shot).
Lower the camera so the center of the lens is at the same height as the word "Bacardi", then tilt the camera up enough to encompass the view desired, and straighten the verticals in PP.
Rotate the Coke bottle so Coke is centered.
Move the Coke bottle to the right of the Bacardi so the picture reads as Bacardi & Coke, rather than Coke & Bacardi. Keep part of the Coke bottle behind the Bacardi bottle.
If you can get part of the Coke label to read through the rum, that would be great.
Prep the Coke bottle so that it looks cold. Mask the bottle at the liquid line, then spray light coats of matte lacquer or dulling spray until the bottle looks lightly frosted. After it dries, use an eyedropper to apply Karo clear syrup to simulate large water drops on the bottle, and a fine mist spray of water just prior to shooting will complete the "cold look".
Adding a few ice chips and some condensation runoff at the bottom of the Coke bottle would be worth another grade upgrade.
Position the shot glass in front of and covering parts of both bottles.
Instead of the plain white background wall, I would print a black to white gradient on matte paper and use that, white at the top. The reflection will be light in front and dark in back, concealing the horizon line.
Can you imagine either Coke or Bacardi using this ... (
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I just noticed the texture in the two bottles. The rum bottle will benefit greatly from black cards placed in front of the background, leaving only enough white to fill the camera frame, That will thicken the lines at the sides of the bottle, and bring out some texture. I'd have to see the Coke bottle in its new position to advise on it.
BTW, you might want to add focus stacking to the mix.
You should be able to do all the above in less than an hour. Don't say there's not enough time to improve...