Peanuts In My Pocket

I ordered a pour-over coffee at Solid Coffee Roasters in Artesia this morning. It was my first time ordering one in a shop. I’ve had a few at my son’s house over the years. He takes coffee seriously in the best way and consistently pours what I consider the benchmark cup. Today’s was close. It exceeded my expectations and was genuinely delicious.

But this photo isn’t really about the coffee.

I took a picture of the pour-over setup on the table. The steam, the glass carafe, the simple wooden tray. In the moment, it felt like something worth capturing. Unfortunately, the image didn’t land the way the coffee did.

That’s the thing with photography, and maybe with life. Sometimes you sip liquid happiness. Sometimes it’s just coffee.

Today’s photo is just coffee. I tried to capture motion and atmosphere, but it didn’t translate. I underexposed the shot and pushed the ISO too high. The result is noisy and flat. The image in my head was better than the one in the camera.

A few minutes later, I made an adjustment and took a better photo.

Such is life. Not every attempt becomes art, but every attempt teaches me something.