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'Kopi Tiam' Nostalgia
'Kopi Tiam' Nostalgia
elee3009


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Coffee Shop (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Sony DSC-W1
Location: At home in Versailles
Date: Oct 2, 2005
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/4 s
Galleries: Emotive, Still Life
Date Uploaded: Oct 2, 2005

 '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: 1191
Views during voting: 390
Votes: 307
Comments: 14
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
 11/05/2005 11:06:13 PM
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.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/27/2005 05:00:25 PM
This is great...the crop is excellent and I love Japanese tea sets.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/22/2005 11:06:28 AM
I just ran across this picture again. I really learned something from your explanation of the 'Kopi Tiam'. Thanks for sharing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/11/2005 11:21:03 AM
love this
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/10/2005 01:35:24 PM
So intriguing...and the textures are just so nice...very nicely done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/09/2005 04:31:09 PM
Interesting composition
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/08/2005 08:00:56 AM
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.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/07/2005 11:40:40 AM
Nice composition
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/07/2005 07:51:43 AM
Very nice indeed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/07/2005 12:58:11 AM
Cool image,......different culture.........7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/06/2005 01:30:18 PM
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.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/06/2005 01:06:18 AM
beautiful pic
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/06/2005 12:22:14 AM
so, so pretty! love the composition of this photo! i would be interested in seeing this arrangement with softer lighting and richer tones.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/05/2005 07:47:32 PM
love this! I like the fact that it is not the usual white or off-white coffe cup.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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