One of the most memorable projects I have worked on at the Powerhouse Museum was photographing an extensive range of glass bottles from The Tooth & Co Collection that has been inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. Everything from amber, green, and brown glass to clear bottles, each with its own quirks and character.
Photographing glass is always a bit of a challenge, but this shoot had the added complexity of cultural heritage standards. Unlike commercial photography, there is no post-production allowed on the object itself. The goal is to represent each item exactly as it is, scratches, bubbles, fingerprints from the past and all. That meant getting everything right in-camera, controlling reflections, dealing with transparency, and making sure the lighting brought out the details without altering the object’s appearance.
It was a slow and careful process but really rewarding. There’s something quite special about seeing these everyday items through a historical lens, each one telling a small part of a bigger story. These bottles are more than just containers, they’re part of Australia’s brewing history and pub culture and capturing them felt like documenting a tangible piece of the country’s social fabric.
86/3607: Beer Bottle, amber glass, NSW, 1919
86/3410: Tooth Collection, Cordial Bottle, frosted glass, 1914-1919
86/4322: Advertising statuette, plaster, of "Jack Daniels"
86/4299-2: Tooth Collection: Bottle 1 of 2, green glass, broken neck, 'Zetz Spa'
86/4025: Grappling Irons (4), assorted sizes