Lifestyle vs. Commercial Bottle Photography: A Clear, Honest Guide to Lighting, Compositing, Copyright & Licensing

Understanding what you’re getting, what goes into it, and why commercial bottle photography is a specialized craft.

When wineries or small businesses book photography, it’s easy to assume every type of product photo is created the same way. In reality, lifestyle photography and commercial bottle photography are two very different services — with different goals, workflows, technical demands, and pricing structures.

My goal with this blog is simple:to give you full clarity on how your images are created, what you’re investing in, and why certain results require more time and detail.

The more you understand the process, the easier it is to choose what works best for you and your brand.

1. Lifestyle Product Photography (What Most Wineries Need)

Lifestyle photography is about mood and storytelling.It’s warm, atmospheric, emotional, and editorial.

Lifestyle bottle photography focuses on:

• ambiance

• real textures and styling

• natural falloff

• seasonal feeling

• showcasing your wine in context

This is the style you see in:

• tasting room displays

• wine club emails

• social media

• seasonal promotions

• banners and website headers

• editorial articles

These images feel real and inviting, not clinical or sterile.

⭐ Why highlights vary in lifestyle photography

Bottles are reflective, curved objects. They sit at different distances from the light, with props around them, at different heights.

Because of this:

• highlights naturally shift

• brightness varies

• the shape of reflections changes

• the angle of the glass catches light differently

This is not “wrong.”This is normal and expected in storytelling-based photography.

To create perfectly matching highlights on all bottles, each bottle would need:

• individualized lighting

• multiple exposures

• and compositing

That is commercial bottle work — not lifestyle — and is priced differently because the time investment is much higher.

2. Commercial Bottle Photography (Precision, Control & Perfection)

Commercial bottle photography is what you see in:

• e-commerce listings

• catalogs

• packaging

• trade materials

• advertisements

• point-of-sale signs

• large-scale prints

• billboards

• national marketing campaigns

These images must be:

• evenly lit

• tack-sharp

• dust-free

• free from label glare

• symmetrical

• perfectly shaped

• consistent across the full bottle lineup

And this cannot be done in one shot.

⭐ Commercial bottle photography ALWAYS involves compositing

No exceptions.Not for me, not for major studios, not for advertising agencies.

A perfect bottle photo is built from multiple exposures, each lit differently:

• one for the capsule

• one for the label

• one for the body

• one for the highlight/reflection shape

• optional exposures for shadow control

These are blended together to create one polished, flawless image.

It is slow, technical work — and that’s why it is priced per bottle.

3. My Commercial Bottle Photography Workflow (Full Transparency)

To show you exactly what you’re investing in, here is my process for each bottle:

BEFORE SHOOTING

• Peel off back labels so they don’t reflect through the glass.

• Put on gloves to avoid fingerprints.

• Clean the bottle with alcohol glass wipes, then polish with a lint-free cloth.

• Apply photography diffusion spray when appropriate for softer, luxury highlights.

• Mark the table so each exposure aligns perfectly.

• Shoot in a completely dark room at night to eliminate stray reflections.

• Mount the camera on a tripod, using:

  • low ISO

  • slow shutter

  • controlled aperture

All of this ensures maximum clarity and consistency.

DURING SHOOTING

• Photograph the capsule, label, and bottle separately, each with its own lighting.

• Shape highlights with millimeter precision.

• Capture multiple exposures for perfect glass definition.

• Build the raw materials needed for the final composite.

EDITING & COMPOSITING

This is where most of the real work happens.

I routinely:

• remove dust

• minimize or eliminate seam lines

• smooth glass

• retouch foil imperfections

• straighten labels

• rotate capsules

• correct uneven gloss

• refine highlight edges

• even out wine color

And often, I correct printing flaws:

• filling pits where ink missed

• recoloring misprinted letters

• smoothing letterpress texture

• sharpening faint text

• drawing back letters that were misprinted

This is high-end retouching, and it’s what separates professional bottle work from lifestyle photography.

⭐ Each bottle composite takes about one hour of editing

This is why commercial bottle photography starts at $75 per bottle.

4. Can You Combine Lifestyle + Commercial Bottle Photography?

Yes — absolutely.

But this becomes two shoots in one:

• The warm, styled lifestyle environment

• The individual commercial bottle captures

Then the commercial composites must be blended back into the lifestyle scene.

This is technically possible, but the time investment is higher — so the pricing reflects both processes.

5. Copyright, Licensing & Usage Rights

This is often misunderstood, so I keep it very clear and simple.

⭐ I retain the copyright

This is industry standard across all creative professions:

• photography

• design

• illustration

• music

• film

Copyright means I legally remain the creator of the work.

It does not limit your usage — it only protects my ability to display my own work.

⭐ You receive a Standard Commercial Usage License with your session

This includes use on:

• your website

• social media

• print materials

• menus

• tasting room displays

• brochures

• in-house promotions

• small advertising

I also include your licensing level on your invoice so you can reference it anytime.

6. Why My Portfolio Use Does NOT Affect Your Marketing

This is an important distinction:

You and I have different audiences and different goals.

Your audience:

• wine buyers

• club members

• tourists

• distributors

• retailers

My audience:

• businesses wanting photography

• wineries needing brand imagery

• design and commercial clients

You use images to sell wine.I use images to showcase my craft.

These two purposes do not conflict — even if the image is wine-club-exclusive.

My sharing of your images:

• increases brand visibility

• reinforces your quality

• never targets your customers

• never competes with your marketing

• offers free exposure for your product

When someone sees your bottle in my portfolio, they are not buying your wine — they’re booking me.

No cross-competition.

7. Exclusive Licensing (Optional Add-On)

If you prefer that I:

• do not use your images in my portfolio

• never share them in my marketing

• remove them from any future display

You can purchase Exclusive Licensing for:

$50 per image

(perpetual use with vintage removal + portfolio removal)

This gives you total privacy and full publishing freedom while I retain the copyright (as required by law).

It is a very fair rate — commercial exclusivity elsewhere often ranges from $200–$2,000 per image.

Final Thoughts: Transparency Creates Trust

Lifestyle and commercial bottle photography are both powerful tools — but they serve different purposes.

Lifestyle is about warmth, story, and emotion.Commercial bottle photography is about precision, consistency, and perfection.Hybrid work is possible with a higher time investment.Licensing protects both your brand and my creative rights.

By understanding the difference, you can choose the right style for your next campaign, project, or promotion — confidently and intentionally.

And I’m always here to help you make that decision.