In honor of Halloween, here is more about my coffee shot from my about me section.
I knew I needed more than words to try and convey my passion for coffee. I took this image one morning in the kitchen of my apartment. I got that pumpkin mug almost a year ago at Market Basket. Although surprisingly NOT on sale, I knew I needed to have it as soon as I laid eyes upon it. I drink pumpkin coffee all year round, as long as I have a supply left. It's a perfect oversized and cheery mug that I've been using ever since I snagged it. It's one of my favorites, although, I can be quite an accidental mug collector (sorry, babe!).
I did drink my foamy latte after I finished shooting. I couldn't wait until I reviewed the pictures to sip away! The only lighting in the image was from the window. I wanted to experiment with natural lighting on indoor subjects, which I haven't done too much of. It needed a bit of help, so the nearest thing I could grab was a folded up white pillowcase from the dresser. I draped it over a step stool and used it as a really soft reflector. It helped a bit, but felt a tad comical. I always eye tinfoil when I am experimenting indoors, but the sharp highlights that result from it are enough to make me look the other way.
I played around with positioning for quite some time to try and get a great composition. I wanted a nice soft background to compliment the mug, almost like a supporting argument. I had a basket full of K-Cups, a mason jar of sugar, and a rustic looking tin that holds some latte mix-in packets in the corner of the room. I knew I wanted to make the final image light and feel uplifting. Here is the straight out of camera image before any editing.
Looks pretty murky doesn't it? I shot it this dark to make sure I had details in the highlights. When I shot lighter, it was a white slate where the sunlight peered in, and that wasn't what I was going for this time. I also had to make sure what I wanted to focus on wasn't getting cut off. Cropping the image for my about me page really makes me feel like it's cozy, warm, and inviting. We don't need to see the whole mug to explain that there is something in it. The rustic accessories in the back gives the image more dimension. I didn't need to have all of the room on the top of the image since it did not add anything. I also like the complimenting tones of the wood along with the campfire coffee tin in the background with the mug itself in the foreground. I love how it ended up.
Speaking of pumpkin, I happened to make a yummy pumpkin soup for dinner this evening. I paired it with some warm garlic bread (I friggen' love garlic bread right now). Soooo delicious! I roughly followed this recipe that I found in a search. Happy Halloween!!
