Serendipity is a lovely thing. I didn’t always appreciate happy discoveries instead I preferred the control of planned spontaneity but my photography journey is changing me–for the better. Today I headed out to a coffee cupping at one of the coffee houses of a local roaster, JJ Bean. I had hoped to photograph the tasting of three coffees from Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia but when I arrived at the coffee shop on Main Street I realized it might not work out.
The place was packed and the tasting was conducted right in the middle of the coffee shop. I was the only person there for the tasting which ordinarily I would have loved but literally being the centre of attention made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Aaron, the Coffee Quality Specialist, brewed the three coffees in separate french presses and had placed them on the mantel of the fireplace. Now imagine a 1970′s living room with windows all around and a fireplace in the middle, just bigger–much bigger. I felt I had to apologize to Aaron and let him know that this wasn’t what I had in mind. He was very understanding and as we discussed possible opportunities to do this in a more controlled setting, I discovered that Aaron is not only very passionate about coffee but he is also quite a knowledgeable person. Our conversation wandered through what makes a great cup of coffee, how beans are processed, how coffee co-operatives and estates in Ethiopia, PNG, and Indonesia operate, the different business models in the industry, and the design and architecture of the nine JJ Bean locations. Before I knew it, an hour and a half had passed and I hadn’t shot a single frame but I had learned a grande amount about coffee. As I left the coffee shop with a lovely french-pressed cup of fruity Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from the Konga Co-op, I thought about the notion of getting close to create better images. In this case, it was not about my physical distance to my subject but rather about getting to know more about it.
Even though I did not meet my goal of photographing the tasting, I feel the morning was definitely a success. Still I did not have anything to post on my blog so I stopped off at Chapters later in the day and tried out a technique used by Mark Krajnak described in one of his posts. Because I didn’t want anyone to know that I was photographing books and magazines, I stuck my inconspicuous 50mm f/1.8 on my D80 and slung it over my shoulder. As I found things to shoot in Chapters, I just shot blind. Sure there were lots of really poor images but here’s one where I got lucky. Don’t you just love Serendipity?
Ha! Great!
Did you do any portraits of Aaron? Seems like he might have been interesting to shoot.
I did…several hundred but only in my mind. I kept on thinking how I’d love to do a portrait of him but I felt so self-conscious in the “living room”. Maybe if we’re able to do this again, I’ll ask him.
He is such a nice guy. If you had approached him for your 100 strangers project, I’m sure he would have said yes.
Beautiful post Sabrina. My view on anything has always been -the more you know the more you see. The more you see the better stories you can tell. Sometimes the learning and interaction is more important than the immediate photo that may have come out of the experience.
I think I need to get some of the Organic PT roast coffee to you. I’m sorta partial to what I call the 3-day roast (not their name) one cup and I’m awake for 3 days. I love coffee shops like the one you describe and spend as much time as I can in them. The local one in PT has even added Jazz on Friday nites so I feel an evening of photos coming soon.
That’s a great way to put it, Ray. It’s one of the many reasons why I enjoy photography so much. I’m a curious person by nature so if knowing more will help me see more, I’m fine with that.
Is there a good coffee place in La Conner or should we just rely on happy accidents this upcoming weekend?
SH…”Do or Do not. There is no try.” (my Lord, it must take a lot for me to quote Yoda….) Go back and shoot him!!!
Report back
Oh dear, that sounds like someone has thrown down the gaunlet!
I am looking into the coffee places in La Conner and waiting on an email about which one is best for us