TWiP Photo Competition

TWIP runner up

Extra Strength Coffee
Extra strength coffee
Sometimes one scoop just doesn't cut it.

Runner up TWIP's Photo Assignment Competition

People who know me and are interested in photography should have heard me talk about the podcast called "This Week in Photography" which is available for download free via iTunes. The podcast has ranked in the Top 10 on iTunes with over one million downloads, 150,000 a month. They have a couple photo groups on Flickr with over 10,000 subscribers total (including myself).

The podcast focuses on current developments in photography, as well as techniques, marketing and so on. The hosts are world renowned photographers who are brimming with tips for budding professionals and amateurs.

Every two weeks they run a photography competition judged by the hosts. The competition is based on a theme, the last of which was "Strength", and although I didn't win, I was runner up with my coffee image! The hosts of the show discuss the image in episode 37 of the TWIP podcast, the specific excerpt is available here. I encourage everyone interested in photography to subscribe to the whole TWIP show using iTunes.

Also from the TWIP podcast show notes:

Runner-Up: Extra Strength Coffee by neoporcupine (editorial note: this shot, in particular, is plenty technically excellent but was also chosen due to its unique take on the theme… so rewards for humor, insight and creativity)

The image is a composite of three shots, one for each spoon, that I merged together with Photoshop. I also lightened the image and amped up the colour on the coffee. The background is just a thin white piece of card board that I curved underneath the cup. I often use this setup for close ups of objects as it takes out corners and distracting background. I had two reflective umbrella lamps to minimise harsh shadows. You can see in the lamps reflected in the back inner edge of the cup. The camera was sitting on a tripod and I snapped 67 shots before I thought I had the three shots that I needed. Set up, shooting and cleaning up all the freakin' spilt coffee took about half an hour and another 45 minutes for the photo editing.