How to achieve good coffee photos

Jan 28, 2021 | Curiosities

InicioCuriositiesHow to achieve good coffee photos

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More and more people, businesses, and brands are joining social media. And they all have one goal in common, to stand out over others.

Standing out gives you a clear advantage. But it is very complicated, considering a large number of users and content created at every moment.

Regardless of the social network you choose, both you and your competitor will have the same tools. So the best way to stand out is with great content, and that includes the photos.

In this article, the photographer Marili Ponce, shares some tips for making good coffee photos, which will help your content stand out from your social networks.

Factors to take into account to achieve good coffee photos

The main factor is the light. Without light, there is no photography. When you’re going to take a photograph, it is advisable to prepare the idea you want to develop in advance.

For example, take photos of coffee beans, a cup of coffee, a coffee maker, or a combination of these. If you are clear about your ideas, this will help you speed up the process.

Keeping in mind what you want to do, you should consider the colors you have to use. What colors will the principal element of the photo have? Do you want to use some contrasting colors, or do you want to use the same color palette?

Preparación de café - La historia del café parte 1

Good lighting to get good coffee photos. | Referential image.

On the other hand, we must pay attention to the type of lighting to use. Artificial or natural light.

Work with artificial light is much easier for me. I can control direction, intensity, temperature, use color filters. So I can put together the lighting scheme according to the needs of the work to be done.

Now, working with natural light is a bit more complicated. We must take into consideration the time of day in which we will do the session, in addition to the weather conditions, since we cannot control them.

For example, if we schedule the session outdoors and the sky becomes cloudy, the scene we wanted to recreate changes completely. Or if we choose a time of day that is not the most appropriate, then we have to use other resources also post-production to get the shot we wanted.

Preparación de café - La historia del café parte 1

Cup of coffee | Credits: Marili Ponce.

Camera settings

Camera settings will depend on the type of photography you want to take and other variables. As for an example of the location, if it is outdoors or in the studio, according to this, we will use additional accessories, such as a tripod, light bouncers, hot shoe flash, etc.

Digital retouching

In my case, I prefer not to use much retouching in the photos. Of course, it also depends a lot on the client’s requirements. I usually make small adjustments, such as correction of some imperfections, brightness, contrast, shadows, highlight some details that I think should stand out, in general, very basic touch-ups.

Are there differences in the quality of the photo taken with an expensive cell phone?

There are currently a wide variety of options when it comes to cell phone cameras. I would never compare it with an SLR camera and all its benefits, but we can find cell phones at a low price that will help us to take high-quality photographs.

For example, now I use a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, and the cameras are great, the recording quality is incredible, and the price is not so high. In terms of image quality, I can say that it is very close to the latest iPhone, and you can buy it at half the price.

Preparación de café - La historia del café parte 1

Use of smartphone. | Referential image.

You can do everything from your cell phone, take good coffee photos, perform some digital retouching if necessary and publish it on your social networks. The only thing you need is to prepare the scene, decorate with some elements like coffee beans or some cups, play with colors and pay attention to the lighting.

Recommendations to get good coffee photos

My recommendation for people who want to take photos of cafes is that, as in any discipline, practice a lot, take a lot of photographs. Currently, we have cameras in our cell phones that allow us to take good quality photos.

We can take an infinite number of photographs, erase and do it again until we get the desired result.

Preparación de café - La historia del café parte 1

Moka pot with ground coffee as decoration | Credits: Marili Ponce.

I always recommend looking for references, finding good coffee photos, and trying to imitate them. That helps us observe details and analyze how the photographer made the shot.

Also, study the light sources a lot. For example: What happens if I open a window, a door, or place something that only lets a ray of light filter through? How does this influence the object I want to photograph?

And of course, practice, take a lot of photos, let’s take advantage of the digital age and the tools they provide us.

About the Author

Marili Ponce Venezuela

Professional Photographer.

I grew up in an environment full of art, design, printing, screen printing, and colors. Influenced by my surroundings, I became a graphic designer, photographer, and brand consultant focused on supporting entrepreneurs and growing their projects.

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