Winery photography is fun and challenging. It’s fun because you get to hang out in, well, wineries! It’s challenging because most wineries share the same things—tanks, barrels, hoses, etc., but they don’t want their images looking the same. A barrel, it seems, is not just a barrel, despite the fact that it is.
In order to accomplish this task, wondering is important. There are some shots that you cannot avoid taking that will look similar, if not downright clichéd, but that doesn’t mean that there are not shots out there that people will love, that will tell the same story but in a different way. The key is not to give up, but, as it turns out, that cool next shot just might be right around the corner…literally.
I was working on some images in a winery, looking for a new shot or, in my mind, “something cool.” I had just finished up with the requisite barrel, tank, and cellar shots, and wanted to find something a little different.
I came around a corner and the floor was wet so I slowed my pace so as not to slip and bust my camera. Just as I was about to look away from the floor this reflection caught my attention. It provides nice textures, reflections and, because of the muted colors, an old time-y feel without any post-processing to give it that “look”.
– Bryan Gray, Napa Valley Winery and Wine Bottle Photographer