Monticello Glassware

I've always been an admirer of Thomas Jefferson and, as an engineering and architecture student, I've also always been an admirer of his home, Monticello, in Virginia. 

We have many things in our home with a relationship to Thomas Jefferson and Monticello. Among these things is some glassware. The latest additions to our glassware are two matching tankards and I thought I would try to capture some decent photos of them.

Shooting photographs of glassware (as well as jewelry) is difficult so I knew this would be a nice photography exercise in lighting. Getting light where you need it and where you want it while avoiding blinding reflections while, at the same time, keeping some reflections is crucial in effective glassware photography. I knew this would be a bit of a challenge since I have not attempted this type of photography in quite some time.

I pulled out some flashes. I pulled out a constant studio light. I pulled out a remote flash trigger to mount on my camera. I pulled out a light stand with a couple of adapters for mounting lights and flashes. And, I dug out an old honeycomb flash diffuser. 

After a couple of test shots, it turns out that my biggest issue was finding a way to block out sunlight that was flooding my tabletop scene and ruining all of my flash lighting and adding uncontrolled reflections. I quickly found a blanket to cover the problematic window. Then I adjusted the angle of the lighting.

Next, I found that I needed a different lens than what had already been mounted on my camera body (I was lazy and tried this lens even though I suspected it wouldn't work for this scene). Then I found that I couldn't get close enough to my glassware with this newly chosen lens so I had to add a small extension tube behind the lens. This allowed me to get closer to my scene to get the shots I had envisioned. 

Anyway, I like these tankards... and I thought the quote was very appropriate for today's world. Jefferson was well ahead of his time and accurately predicted the problems our new country with a new government would face in the coming centuries. These tankards remind me of Jefferson's foresight and the fragility of freedom in a world of selfishness, narrowmindedness and a world lacking integrity.