All set with lots of sparkling clean glass ware? Ready to start pouring some brew? Make some decisions ahead of time as to the color of beer you want and how it will be lit (nice backlighting will bring up the translucent amber of darker beers)--unless you are shooting for a specific beer company. Room temperature beer will give the best foam as it's poured; be sure to have plenty of beer on hand (the amount depends on whether the beer is a background element, "prop" to a larger shot, or for advertising). Have a bulb baster on hand to carefully draw beer up and out of the glass if the head is not quite right (a bucket next to the set for "back wash" is important, too). But we really like to replace the glass with each pour if possible, to guarantee a clean inside glass surface that can affect how well the beer foams. So start pouring down the side of the glass--just going for it. If you must have more than one glass in the shot, have a second hand to help pour--you may find that pouring without hesitation will result in the best foam. Pour, pull away from the set, and let the photographer capture what's there. Then do it again...and again.

What about using a small sprinkle of salt to foam flat beer? This works, but is hard to control. And the salt is usually visible falling down through the beer, with the resulting bubbles that rise up through the beer for several minutes afterward looking like what happens when beer is poured into a dirty glass. One tool worth adding to your kit is a product called "Foam Booster", available from Trengove Studios, a special effects source. This product can help control the amount of head on a beer...bottom line? Going for real as much as possible and being ready to pour a lot will give you the results your client wants.

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