s. martinelli & co.
150TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY
publication / photography
S. Martinelli & Co. had a big year in 2019. It was their 150th anniversary of being in business! Many know the brand for their sparkling cider, especially for special events and holiday toasts (especially for the kiddos). They’ve spent the last 150 years perfecting the art of sparkling cider, pure apple juice, and even hard cider. To celebrate and commemorate, they imagined a book documenting their history.
What We Did
We were tasked with photographing dozens of their historic bottles and labels. Each one is unique, and hand illustrated by a past family member. It was a treat to work with their archivist and see firsthand, bottles that are over two times my age. The labels were amazingly well preserved for their age, with some still containing the original juice inside. As we photographed the bottles, we figured out a way to have the glass area of the bottle show through for transparency with the background. We were then able to creatively feature the photos in the book we designed for their anniversary. When we photographed the bottles, we didn’t clean them, or try any restoration, as the beauty in their decay was meant to be captured.
