On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:59:35 -0400, Alan Browne
wrote:

On 2012-06-11 19:39 , Chemiker wrote:
On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:23:15 -0400, Alan Browne
wrote:

On 2012-06-11 18:53 , Chemiker wrote:
Advance comment: How to make a photograph of a cocktail in which the
only source of illumination is the cocktail itself, which is *not*
naturally a light source. A few solutions come to mind. This one will
be explained after the comments begin, if no one figures it out. I
suspect some, if not all, in this group will figure it out before
then.....

Alex, who doesn't mind sharing tips.

No this was not an ad for Bombay.....


If you're referring to your SI shot then this posting should have been
pre-fixed: [SI] Food - etc.

I see stray bits of white light in there, so I assumed there was a tight
light beam above.

Making that "glow" can be accomplished with UV light and tonic water
(simulates Cherenkov radiation look - used in movies.)

Congratulations, Alan. I knew someone would sniff it out.

I learned about it while reading about the "making of" some movie
(possibly K-19) some years ago. It's an effect I've wanted to try but I
don't have a UV light and it's very low on my list.

Actually, there are literally thousands of materials that exhibit this
property, notably a class called "flavones". FE: Riboflavin (the
vitamin) glows yellow-green. Some laundry soaps with brighteners will
glow an intense white. For forensic microchemistry, this technique is
just about indispensible..... i.e. Thin-layer chromatography, with UV
visualization. It's also a neat test to see how effective your UV
filters *really* are.

I guess I need something that will focus a spot, from, say, 4 inches
down to 1 inch. I don't know much about lighting systems, but I'm
thinking maybe a Bower or Flashpoint with a snoot would work. I just
don't know. My lightstands with umbrellas are way too broad in
coverage, as is bare flood.

My other shortcoming is lack of a point-light (like a halogen bare
bulb) for real macro work. I have 10 portable flashes, and none do
this well. Vivitar 252, 283, Nikon SB-20, SB-28DX and SB-700.

Well, “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a
heaven for?”, Browning said. It gives me something to work toward.

Alex