Mmmmmm. Coffee.

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Good selection, brown coffee!

The beans are dry compare to black beans that are "oily",
this make the beans less specular.

These pictures are rather flat offering no or little high keys and
little low keys except in the deeper spaces in-between!

You love, as I, coffee for its character… where is it, Carl?
 
Paul Iddon said:
Nice shots Carl, a bit different.

Prefer #2 for the focal point of the bean offset from the right.

Paul.
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Yes. That one stands out nicely. (I might even think of cheating a bit and giving the rest a bit of blur. Not too much, just to take the edge off of the sharper areas over to the left. Might leave the bean below as it is.)
 
Kodiak Qc said:
•

Good selection, brown coffee!

The beans are dry compare to black beans that are "oily",
this make the beans less specular.

These pictures are rather flat offering no or little high keys and
little low keys except in the deeper spaces in-between!

You love, as I, coffee for its character… where is it, Carl?
Click to expand...
Am going to have to keep an eye out for black oily beans (y)

Unfortunately, giving a coffee bean character, Im not sure how to do that. Im going to do some googling on coffee beans and see if I can pick up what you mean (y)

EDIT: Ahhh. You mean put them in a cup perhaps? I'll have another go (y) with something in the background as well perhaps. Was a REALLY good point Kodiak - its got the cogs in my brain clanging away. Thanks!
 
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Carlh said:
Am going to have to keep an eye out for black oily beans
Click to expand...

Taylors Espresso are much blacker and oilier than the ones you've photographed (which look dry and pale like Lavazzo (think that's my sister said I was drinking yesterday!).

Second photo is the stronger of the two.....and I like strong coffee ;-)
 
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Two good things to do with coffee:

1. Photograph it.
2. Process black and white film in it.

But drink it... No way!!


Steve.
 
Love my coffee in mornings in fact I'm off for one now :)
 
Steve Smith said:
Two good things to do with coffee:

1. Photograph it.
2. Process black and white film in it.

But drink it... No way!!


Steve.
Click to expand...

I never thought of running a B&W filter on it, might just see how it turns out - thanks steve - shame you dont like drinking it, tea person? I dont mind a cuppa now and again (y)
 
Carlh said:
…giving a coffee bean character, Im not sure how to do that…
Click to expand...

Carl, playing with the shadow to highlight ratio is the
better way. Bring your light source lower and behind
your brown coffee beans.
 
I have also used coffee to stain a friend's skirting boards before we fitted them (she thought I was mad). So there's another use!


Steve.
 
dan_yell said:
they look so weird close up!

taylors lazy sunday is one of my faves
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Ditto on the bean selection - makes a lovely rounded americano :)

But back to the photos, I like these Carl (I shot something similar-ish for the TP52 one year, I think). I think coffee beans as well as peppercorns make great macro subjects because they're so much more interesting at a micro scale. Lighting looks very natural to me for medium-roast beans. Obviously if you went full Italian then you'd get much more of that glistened look that Kodiak is perhaps thinking of?
 
pjm1 said:
Obviously if you went full Italian then you'd get much more of that glistened look that Kodiak is perhaps thinking of?
Click to expand...
I was just bringing Carl's attention on the better to control highlights on the
brown beans as they are not oily as the black ones are.
chris malcolm said:
Just roast some of your brown beans until they go black & oily. Best done in a dry frying pan, keeping them moving, and keeping an eye on the colour.
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Readily available on the market as black or brown coffee beans in the Java,
Mocha and Arabica variations among others.
 
Steve Smith said:
I have also used coffee to stain a friend's skirting boards before we fitted them (she thought I was mad). So there's another use!


Steve.
Click to expand...
I've staned the skirting boards. And walls. Not intentionally though, usually when I see something funny and cant help but expel it everywhere. The missus doesn't think its funny though :/ lol


chris malcolm said:
Just roast some of your brown beans until they go black & oily. Best done in a dry frying pan, keeping them moving, and keeping an eye on the colour.
Click to expand...
Ooooh. I fancy doing a bit of my own roasting, that would be something different to do.

Im not fussed on this following shot (I havent put it up for C&C), but this is the coffee I used, supposed to be the "worlds highest caffeine coffee beans" lol.You can get them through amazon, though they're very expensive. Think it cost me £18 inc postage for one bag, its a pretty big bag but still, expensive for a coffee - but with the title of strongest coffee in the world - I had to try it. Its not bad, taste is good but it hasnt keep me up for days. I drink cups of coffee before I go to bed (and sleep like a baby) so maybe Im just caffeine resistant lol

Knockout Coffee by Carl Harrison, on Flickr
 
Away from photography for a moment and onto coffee, do remember that roasted beans taste their best about 24-48 hours after roasting but then go downhill noticeably after about a week. They don't stay fresh for long. Protective atmosphere can help a bit (as can freezing - once and only once) but there's no substitute for recently roasted beans (after the degassing period has finished).

This is what a friendly coffee roaster told me anyway!
 
pjm1 said:
Away from photography for a moment and onto coffee, do remember that roasted beans taste their best about 24-48 hours after roasting but then go downhill noticeably after about a week. They don't stay fresh for long. Protective atmosphere can help a bit (as can freezing - once and only once) but there's no substitute for recently roasted beans (after the degassing period has finished).

This is what a friendly coffee roaster told me anyway!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip!
 
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