Slow Brew

I love coffee.  My relationship with this beverage has dated back to my undergrad years, where I would spend many afternoons sitting at a coffee shop table talking about my day or other current events with close friends.  It woke me up in the mornings and kept me going late at night.  Caffeine was the soul drug that got me through most of my days in New York as well, where I would consume as much as 3 cups a day during finals season.

Last week was National Coffee Day (at least for us Americans)!  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a shot of coffee because of the sheer amount of work I had to do that day.  But I thought it would be a good opportunity to share my first shot I’ve ever taken with a DSLR camera.

This shot was taken on my friend’s DSLR that I asked to borrow for a week.  This was sort of during the stage where I was figuring out if I liked this photography thing at all, or if it was just a passing whim.  So you can say this shot was the one that really got me started down this journey.

This shot was also the first time I appreciated depth of field, as well as the rule of thirds.  What first caught my eye this morning was the pattern of diffraction the coffee pot made on the countertop.  Alone, it was a bit strange to just photograph.  But as a background, I think it’s a nice subtle touch.  Turns out my kitchen is pretty well lit at around 9 in the morning.

This photo is near and dear to my heart because this is almost the exact perspective I’d have on many quiet mornings.  And it’s a view I would cherish on my weekends, when I can leisurely sip my drink before I got my day started.  As an aside, I’d love to do a product photography shoot with coffee.  But the logistics of what I want to do seems too complicated for me to pull off with what I have.  Maybe one day I’ll have the resources and the time.

Let’s get the day started.