Known as calming and zen. Tea drinkers will tell you that pouring a cup of tea brings calm. Tea can be calming and even more so the image of a cup of tea brewing can bring a sense of calm. It’s earthy and natural and yes, calming. It’s called tea aesthetics and it’s more than JUST a cup of tea.
A picture is worth a thousand words
A picture of a cup of tea can calm the soul and make us want to drink more.
When we talk about pretty images of tea and tea products we are talking about aesthetics.
The definition of aesthetic is:
- Adjective – concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.
Aesthetics can also be referred to as esthetics. It is actually a branch of philosophy. This branch deals with the nature of beauty and taste and is an art.
When I am photographing tea and tea products I like to do several different angles of each shot. What I’ve noticed most is how I see it is not how it looks in the image. I review my images and choose the best one.
There are times I retake images until I am content with them. Aesthetics is important. Sometimes the eye view is not the best view.
Let’s be honest, tea is not the best subject. It’s a dried and sometimes roasted plant. The plan is to make that tea as appealing as its flavor. By adding design, and content you can showcase the tea leaves.
I have a beautiful crystal cup that I can showcase tea alone. The light reflects onto the tea and it’s illuminated and beautiful!
There are countless ways to photograph tea. You can purchase tiles for backgrounds but in all honesty, Use what is around your home. Inside and out.
What can you use with your content?
- Teacups
- Teapots
- Cookies
- Scones
- Magazines
- Book Pages
- Tea brewed in a cup
- Side by side tea brewed and dried
- Tea with the company logo written on a white or chalkboard
I have multiple backgrounds as well. My favorite backgrounds are nature and natural.
- Tea photo ideas
- Shooting from above
- Shooting at different angles
- Focus on the tea/blur the background
- Light up the background
- Use a white box
- Shooting in the woods
- Placing teacups on a log or branch
- In the grass
- Before and after tea leaves
- Up close and personal
- Magazine covers as backgrounds
- Steam from a hot cup of tea
Always take a few images of the same tea composition. Shoot from different angles and from the top. Review them on a computer when done.
Why?
The way you see an image as it is live before you and after it is captured are two different things. When you view it once it captures that is how your viewers or clients will see it. The tea aesthetics you want to capture are the ones that your client will view and connect with. By taking several images it saves time and gives you options. Options in photography are a good thing.
As a professional photographer
In my former life (about 10 years ago) I was a professional photographer. I shot until the 2009 bubble hit and the moms and their department store cameras won out. See people did not care if the color of the red was a true red. Nor the color of the sky. They no longer cared about professional processing. What they wanted was a great job done cheaply.
Nothing cheap is great, ever. It is subpar.
I stopped shooting when I realized the price I was paying for equipment and insurance was no longer worth my effort. So many of my fellow professionals did the same.
There used to be a time when you needed an expensive camera to take great images. Those days have passed. Most Phones can get you great images and with a little bit of editing, those images can really POP!
Lighting
- Natural, flash, or a creative light source or sources.
While there is no such thing as perfect lighting, perfection will be in the image. Lighting will change depending on so many factors.
- Direct lighting
- Indirect lighting
- Time of day
- Season
- The weather
- Artificial lighting
My love of tea and photographing a product that showed it in its best light possible.
The light became fun to play with again. Getting the perfect light, or lack thereof was now fun again and a challenge. I’ve taken countless images of tea and tea products. It’s important to get the best aesthetics for each item. Not all teas will capture light the same as others. Some teas brewed are the most elegant things ever.
Lighting, which can be either natural or a light source. I have a brown ottoman by my front window and I use it for a lot of my photos. Natural light comes in the window and the tea is enhanced. The photo is perfect.
Natural lighting is best when you can use it. If not there are ways to use the light sources around you. I’ve even used a flashlight to get an awesome shot.
What to watch out for:
- Shadows – You can use a piece of paper to block the shadow and create shading.
- Color Balance and Color correction – When using artificial light sources you have to watch your color balance. Make sure that the color of the tea is the color that people see naturally.
Focus
Focus is fun to play with as well. A crisp image is one thing but one with just the right amount of blur or bokeh. One of the reasons to play and take a few images, some all in focus and some with a background blur.
If you are shooting with your iPhone. There is always that fancy trick. Turn your phone upside down. Putting it into portrait mode and taking an image that way, giving a crisp image and a blurred background.
The aesthetics of tea is important. The value of a good image of tea is priceless. It can bring praise, recognition, it can draw people to your blog as well make a sell if you are selling tea or a tea product. A good image will draw people to your site and to your article. Sort of like this one right here. :-).
Tea is as individual as a fingerprint so no two teas will look the same or photograph the same.
Conclusion
The most important thing about tea aesthetics is capturing the beauty of the tea before you. But, not only capturing it but presenting it in such a way that the person that views the tea image is drawn to it.
To photograph an image of tea to show the intimate details of the leaf
Some other beautiful tea aesthetics
And just in case you want to purchase some of this amazing tea and check out their tea aesthetics. Life is busy, I’ve included some links for you
When most people think of “tea” they think of black tea or green tea prepared with leaves and shoots of the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal Teas, however, can be an infusion or blend of various leaves, fruits, bark, roots, or flowers from any number of thousands of species of delicious or healthful plants. At our Core, we are an Herb Company and we LOVE HERBAL TEAS!
When you need to be mentally alert and active but free of caffeine, Moringa Mint is the perfect brew for you. Moringa has been valued for its health benefits by generations of Sri Lankans and others in the Indian sub-continent. The leaves contain a host of vitamins and minerals that provide several health benefits, including controlling blood sugar and blood pressure.
Art of Tea is a tea importer and wholesaler based in Los Angeles, California. We hand blend and custom craft the world’s finest organic teas and botanicals. Our teas are carefully selected directly from growers, each one offering a unique story.
We have a personal love for and belief in the warmth and health enriching powers of a good cup of tea
Gokyuzyo translates literally to "The Highest Grade" in Japanese. One of the best green teas from a favorite in my cup.
