Is this how you capture the steam of coffee?

Dina Belenko, a photographer from Russia, captures a cup of coffee with steam rising from it.

equipment

Two lights and a tripod. Flash, LED light, or other natural light sources are all fine. One light (or light source) is placed at the back to backlight the steam; the other light is placed at the side to render the scene.

This example uses two flashes, two black flags and a small reflector.

step

1. Layout

Pay attention to the composition and leave space for the smoke.

2. The first lamp

Set at the side and rear, it illuminates the steam and outlines the still life. In order to focus the light beam on the steam and not illuminate other scenery too brightly, a "clown nose" is used on the lamp to control the light beam.

When testing the light, light a stick of incense and place it on the cup, and use the smoke it produces to adjust the light.

2. The second lamp

Fill light to soften the picture. The light source is placed on the left, and a soft box is installed. This light source will make the cup appear transparent when shooting.

With the light sources arranged, use black flags to control the mood. One black flag is placed between the softbox and the background to keep the background in shadow. Another black flag is placed between the softbox and the wooden box to reduce the light on the left side of the foreground.

Finally, when shooting, a small reflector was used to fill in the foreground to allow the front details of the wooden box to show.

Look at the light changes:

3. Shooting

Lower the light output when shooting to capture the bubbles as the coffee is poured into the glass.

Use continuous shooting, inject and shoot continuously at the same time.

4. Late stage

You can select a single picture to adjust, or you can obtain materials from multiple photos to synthesize the final effect.

Don't over-sharpen the photo, keep the overall details of the picture soft and beautiful, and control the noise.

Finished product picture

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