How to Light Beer: A Photographer’s Guide to Working with Cans, Bottles, and Pours

Different Glassware

The Beer and Glass Partnership

Early in my beer drinking days, I thought that all beers must be poured into a mug freshly rescued from the freezer or, on special occasions, into the stein my sister brought back from Germany. Fortunately, I was wrong. Any beer aficionado or patron of a local pub knows that beers are poured into a variety of glassware. This ranges from the delicate flute glass to the American pint glass to the hefty Krug (aka the dimpled mug). Pairing a specific glass to a beer has a significant impact on what you are saying about the beer—plus, it affects the direction taken when lighting the set. All combined, you are telling a story, and two of the main characters are the beer and the glassware.

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