This is my last deviation in my martini glass series. This is my favorite, taken earlier today (3-25-2007).

A few people have asked my setup for this series of shots.

First off the background is really where I'd like to see some improvement in this series. It's really improvised with a blanket. Another item that I would like to improve on the next go around is to use some props, different style of glass, maybe use an olive or some ice cubes etc.

Onto the setup...

The glass sitting a few feet in front of the background, with 3 SB-800 speed-lights. 1 is positioned directly overhead firing downward, and two flashes are on either side about 3-4 ft away. The overhead flashgun and one of the side guns have colored gels attached. The flashes are using the Nikon CLS system of wireless control from a master. I am using a sync cord from my D200 to one of the side flashes which is acting as the master, controlling the other two flashguns in highspeed FP mode.

I shot this series in full manual mode, allowing me to control the brightness and the depth of field and general "mood" of the photo.

In this series, I was using a cork to create the splash. I got the timing down pretty good so I could throw the cork with one hand, and have the remote release cord in the other to snap the 2 or 3 shots during the splash.

Mixing it up with different color gels and shutter speeds changes the character of the image quite a bit.

Thanks for your comments and support!