Last Updated on 09/29/2015 by Chris Gampat
Today here in the US, it’s National Coffee Day; a day where we all pay special tribute and appreciate the little bean that keeps millions of Americans (and people around the world) ticking through their work day. As you may know, lots of folks love photographing coffee and posting images on social media. But getting that photo that tempts people can be tough to do; but we’re going to tell you how to make it simple.
If you’re all about using natural light, place your coffee near a large window and make sure that there is a lot of contrast in the scene. For example, if you have a white cup, then use a black background. This makes the human eye pay attention to the coffee much more than it would with a less contrasting background. The contrasting background also comes in handy when it comes to capturing steam in your image. But to reiterate the most important part, be sure to use window lighting; and lots of it! Getting a great coffee shot is simple to do with natural light and even something as simple as your phone; and we teach you more about that here.
For the more advanced amongst us, you can always emulate the look of window lighting. or you can check out the video below from Learn my Shot.
For even more advice, you should check out our interview with photographer Jon Low; and you can also use chemical reactions to get the look of steam.
Get rid of the ads!
Did you enjoy reading this article as much as we enjoyed writing it? There's a way to support us and our reporting, getting ad-free navigation and more as a bonus. Subscribe to us for less than a coffee per month —just $3.99— or take advantage of our yearly subscription with a hefty discount for only $25.- An ad-free experience
- A free mystery box for Lightroom or Capture One
- All the books in our store
- 20% discount on Capture One
- 30% discount on Imalume Photo Theft Protection
- 20% off Herbs and Kettle Tea Company.