Question 1

How do you keep juice from looking flat in photos?

Accepted Answer

The key is backlighting. If you light a glass of juice from the front, it looks opaque and dull. By placing your light source behind the glass, the light travels through the liquid, illuminating the particles and giving it a three-dimensional, radiant look. We also recommend adding a few ice cubes to create internal reflections.

Question 2

What is the best lens for juice photography?

Accepted Answer

We've found that a 100mm macro lens is the gold standard. It allows you to get close enough to capture the texture of the fruit and the tiny bubbles of condensation without distorting the shape of the glassware. If you're in a tight space, a 50mm or 85mm prime lens also works exceptionally well.

Question 3

Should I use real ice or acrylic ice?

Accepted Answer

For professional juice photography, we often recommend high-quality acrylic ice. Real ice melts quickly under studio lights, diluting the juice and causing the color to change. Acrylic ice stays perfect forever, doesn't float (which helps with composition), and looks indistinguishable from the real thing when submerged in liquid.

Question 4

How do you handle reflections in the glass?

Accepted Answer

Reflections are the biggest challenge. We use large 'flags' (black boards) to block out the room's reflections and 'scrims' to soften the light. A circular polarizer is also an essential tool in our kit, as it allows us to rotate the filter to manually dial down the glare on the glass surface.

Question 5

Can AI replace a professional juice photographer?

Accepted Answer

AI is a powerful tool for background generation and color grading, but it has limitations with liquid physics. AI often struggles to render realistic refraction—how the background looks 'broken' or shifted through a glass of water. For high-end work, we use a hybrid approach: human-captured liquid with AI-enhanced environments.

Question 6

How do I make the juice colors look more vibrant?

Accepted Answer

Start with fresh-squeezed juice and photograph it immediately before it oxidizes and turns brown. In editing, we don't just 'turn up the saturation.' Instead, we use selective HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) adjustments to brighten the specific tones of the fruit while keeping the whites of the highlights clean.

Question 7

What is the most common mistake in beverage photography?

Accepted Answer

Over-filling the glass. We've found that leaving 'headroom'—about a half-inch of space at the top of the glass—looks much more professional and realistic than filling it to the absolute brim. It also allows space for the garnish to sit naturally without looking crowded.

Mastering the Art of Professional Juice Photography