vintage cocktail glasses

My third set of images that I’m sharing with you are favourites because of their composition, their bright and airy feel and because of the delightful memories they evoke.

Some months ago I wanted to practise photographing drinks in pretty glasses. Suddenly it seemed that there were a whole lot of amazing looking cocktails appearing in my Instagram feed. And retro glasses appeared to be a thing - with their cheeky decals, geometric shapes and nostalgic patterns. I wanted to get on board. I scoured around for some glamorous looking glasses because I figured that if the glass was pretty enough, the drink it held could be less so. Let’s face it, we don’t want two pretty things competing against each other for attention. My idea was to spend more time photographing and less time concocting the cocktail. Sadly I had some fairly ordinary-looking glasses at home. They needed exquisitely garnished ombre shaded mixtures that stood out from behind their unremarkable glasses - and I wasn’t prepared to spend a day messing up my kitchen for an outrageously good-looking cocktail.

So, to cut to the chase, I found these gorgeous retro cocktail glasses at my parents’ place. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them. They took me back to when I was a little girl. My parents did a lot of entertaining and these glasses came out frequently back in the day. I can envisage the food (so much food! - we do have a Slovenian background, after all) and the drinks and the singing and the laughter. Those of you who were born in the same decade as I was, might remember some of those drinks and cocktails of that era. Let me take you back to the deliciously creamy Brandy Alexander, the sophisticated Harvey Wallbanger, the exotic Tequila Sunrise, the Black Russian, the Grasshopper and of course, the turquoise coloured Blue Lagoon. And when I was a teenager with not a lot of money to spend on such extravagant delicacies, there was always the cheap and cheerful Passion Pop, the Chin Chin Chizano, the throw-in-everything-you-have-lying-around punch, the Ben Ean Moselle  and the Blackberry Nip. Serious no-nonsence drinkers guzzled bottles of DA or KB.  

And then there were the appetizers that went along with the drinks. Who can forget the cream filled vol-au-vonts, the cubes of cheese with cabanossi, pickled onions and Jatz, the spears of tinned asparagus rolled in crustless white bread, the devilled eggs, cheese balls and cheese fondue?  And we never underestimated the versatility of cream cheese. If we were ever in doubt of how to serve something, we knew we could always wrap it in bacon. Then all you had to do was fill your entertaining space with as many ashtrays as you could find, and you had yourself a P A R T Y!

Ahhhh, memories! Now where was I ? Back to me shooting these beautiful vintage cocktail glasses. 

I love the composition of these two shots.

There are some key elements here that work to make a pleasing composition.

1. the angle of the shots - the first shot is a 45° angle and the second is an overhead shot - both work particularly well for food and drink photography

2. both photographs have geometric elements

3. they’re balanced with repeating patterns

4. the main subjects of the photographs are positioned along the thirds lines

5. texture and contrast in the lemon wedges and the rosemary sprigs

6. using multiples (3 glasses) conveys a sense of sharing, togetherness and community.

The other thing I absolutely love about the first image is the depth of field, which produces this beautiful blurred bokeh the further away from the first glass you look. I just love how the gold rim on the glasses shimmers and shines as it softens and smears into the background.