DSC05630
Roasting coffee beans in Guatemela
Roasting coffee beans in Guatemela
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May, 2016Views
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Awards
Winner in Still Life Coffee Beans Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in For Coffee Lovers Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Coffee Love Photo Contest
Top Shot Award
Peer Award
Superb Composition
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Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was shot a small coffee plantation - Cape Maya in San Antonio Aguas Caliente, GuatemalaTime
We arrived at the plantation around midday and were only there for about an hour.Lighting
Midday direct sunlight is not my favorite scenario, but sometimes you have to deal with the light you are given. I was lucky that there was a very thin veil of haze that helped slightly reduce the extreme harshness of the light.Equipment
For this trip, I traveled very lightly with the SONY DSC-RX100M2 camera and a small travel carbon fiber tripod. The camera has a built-in flash, which I rarely ever use. I try to rely on the natural light of a scene.Inspiration
At first, the smell of the fresh roasting coffee beans drew me to the area. The authentic and natural moment was exactly what I had hoped for. The woman both contrasted and complemented the blue wall behind her. I wanted to make sure I included some of the location information on the wall. I chose a lower camera angle to emphasize the large roasting tray and get a better view of her face. I was pleased that she didn't pose and smile for the camera. The exposure information was as follows: Aperture f/4 ISO 160?Shutter 1/640?Focal Length 1040/100Editing
All of my image preparation is done in Adobe Lightroom to process my RAW image files. Occasionally, I use Adobe Photoshop for additional image prepping. It is very rare for me to shoot JPEG images. This was a fairly simple preparation. I opened the shadows a little, some minor image cropping, and vignetted the edges. Do let anyone fool you into believing that images you shoot don't need additional post-processing enhancement. Ansel Adams felt the negative and the resulting print were 2 distinct processes. His goal was to reveal the information in the negative as he visualized it the moment when he shot it; much like a conductor who sees the musical score then directs the musicians to produce the sounds that make it come to life.In my camera bag
When it comes to photographing, I consider myself a generalist. I taught photography for 38 years and still do contract work for a variety of clients. Personally, I gravitate towards landscapes/travel/people images. The broad variety of subject matter and projects I do leads to having lots of equipment on hand. Currently, I'm using a Canon 1Dx and a Canon 7d for my DSLR's and I now use a Lumix G9 and a Lumix S1R for mirrorless photography. My lenses range from 8mm fisheye to 800mm telephoto. I like to travel with the Lumix G9 mirrorless camera, Sony rx100 point and shoot camera, and always a sturdy tripod (gone to carbon fiber to cut the weight!). I still occasionally shoot with film with 35mm/medium/large format cameras.Feedback
When photographing people (especially in foreign countries), be courteous and always ask permission. Take time and let them get back to natural poses before you shoot. Patience is critical. In general,if you want to get better, my advice to all my former students was to find subject matter that inspires you, pay attention to light, look for simplicity in your compositions, and don't stop shooting. I was a stickler for technical execution. Sharp, well-focused, and properly exposed images makes your life as a photographer so much easier. The word "photography" literally means "light drawing" so light is the essence to all your images. Pay attention to where the light is coming from, how it reveals your subject, and the mood/feeling it evokes. If you want to emphasize texture, look for angular/directional light. Low light intensity and back-lighting emphasize. mood. Revisit the times of day and year that you shoot a subject to see how it changes your interpretation of that subject. Most of all, have fun visually exploring the world around you!
