'Kopi Tiam' is what the Straits Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore call Coffee Shop. It came to mind as soon as I saw this challenge, being from that corner of the world - could have been for the other challenge too ;) Anyway, the Kopi Tiams of old are a dying breed although some have been restored with a contemporary flavour. So this photo was basically set-up to evoke the nostalgic sentiment I was feeling.
Initially wanted to go with sepia or black and white. But found the effect of faded colour through some desaturation was more interesting, at least to me.
Up to the voters to judge. :)
Post-Challenge: Just wanted to thank everyone who voted well on this and appreciate that cultural differences could mean a coffee shop that would represent very different things to many outside the US.
The set-up was taken on the dining table in my little French apartment, using whatever I could find that reminded me of Asia. The coffee cup is actually from IKEA, bought in Malaysia. The bowl is made and carved out of yak horn in Nepal. The chopsticks are Chinese and that "fuzzy" wierd piece in the background is actually a chopstick rest from South Korea. The place mat is simply made of bamboo. Many such coffee shops serve a variety of food or hawker fare including bowls of hot noodle soup (very common). I had to keep the shot tight to eliminate the surroundings that would have killed the mood I wanted to evoke.
I'm just thrilled to be bumped up to 5.661 from my last challenge!
Statistics
Place: 33 out of 154 Avg (all users): 5.6612 Avg (commenters): 7.2727 Avg (participants): 5.4706 Avg (non-participants): 5.7155 Views since voting: 1265 Views during voting: 390 Votes: 307 Comments: 14 Favorites: 2 (view)
I like the composition and crop of this image. I would have probably discarded that object at the upper left just behind the bowl. Seems a bit distracting. Aside from that, the colors and rendition of this image is wonderful.
I like the lighting, nice job, gives the shot some nice texture. I am still not really fond of the cramped composition, I think I would have liked this shot more if it were further away or with a wider focal length, I can´t help being curious about the surroundings of the bowl and cup, especially since you placed that wierd object in the upper left corner that is out of focus.
One of the better shots in the challenge, I gave it a 7.
Interesting accessories. I don't think I have ever seen these used with regards to coffee but, that may just be my cultural exposure. Like the dark against the bamboo and green. It really stands out and compliments the gold trim.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
