Product Photography Secrets #1 - Light the glass bottle, then the label

When taking a photograph of a wine bottle or any other large product made of glass, I take a minimum of 2 shots - one for the bottle and one for the label and then Photoshop them together.

This is because properly lighting the label will require more lighting than I want on the bottle itself.

Take this bottle of Shiraz from Little Giant in the image below for example.

Bottle on the left - I want to light the bottle in a specific way, a large light on the left and a thin light on the right. But, as you can see, the label is too dark on the right hand side.

Bottle in the middle - I have added a light to the right hand side to light the label evenly. But, as you can see, there is now too much light on the bottle.

Bottle on the right - This is the final image. In Photoshop I have taken the label from the bottle in the middle and copied and pasted in place on to the bottle on the left. I have also edited the label to make it pop.

Left - Lighting for the bottle; Centre - Lighting for the label; Right - Final image. Label has been pasted on the bottle.