Our Food Photography Blog:
Focus on Beautiful.

What you’re looking at

This isn’t just one of our favourite client images — it’s now officially a shortlisted entry in the British Photography Awards 2025, under the Commercial: Product category.

The shot was created for Sarah Withers at Withers Gin, celebrating their home city of Derby. A city of industry, engineering brilliance, and heritage — all reflected in both the gin and its design.

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Lighting setup

• Strobes in soft boxes, through scrims, on each side, for consistent shaping across bottle and glass
• Strobes fast enough to capture the fizz coming off the glasses
• Snooted, gridded light behind, to give life to the glass and liquid, and to light through the bottle
• Spotlight from the front, to light the label without spoiling the background

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Camera settings

• Shutter: 1/200
• Aperture: f/11
• ISO: 100
• Lens: 85mm
• Tripod-mounted and shot tethered, for precision

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Styling and prep

• Hero bottle and glass polished for clarity
• Garnish and props chosen to echo the gin’s botanicals
• Fizz captured in real time — pour the tonic and shoot fast
• And yes — the duck! There’s one on the bottle label too — a nod to Derby’s favourite term of endearment
• Final image is a composite of several shots to control reflections and capture the fizz perfectly

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Editing touches

• Combined multiple images for best reflections and fizz
• Refined reflections to keep them deliberate and controlled
• Minor clean-up on the glass surface
• Balanced tones to keep the gin crisp and the background rich

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Why this works

It’s more than a product shot — it’s a brand story in a single frame.

The lighting shows craft.
The styling ties to place.
The props speak to flavour and authenticity.

The result feels premium, proud, and rooted in identity.

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Worth knowing

Recognition like this isn’t just about us — it’s proof that food and drink brands can stand out with imagery that captures more than the product. It captures pride.