Coffee Culture || Wes Taylor
Ben Ashby
This week's coffee culture Monday is dedicated to Chicago based photographer Wesley Taylor. Wesley makes special moments for coffee wherever his travels and photography take him.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP || My favorite shop in Chicago is Gaslight Coffee Roasters in Logan Square. I'm crazy productive any time I go there! Crema in Nashville holds the record for my favorite cortado, The original Sightglass in SF has my favorite ambiance.
WHAT CAMERA DO YOU SHOOT WITH || Canon 5D, 35mm 1.4
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK || My favorite drink depends heavily on the weather. When it rains, a dirty chai with oat milk. On any given day a cortado is always a good choice... On sunny days, either an iced matcha latte with oat milk, or an oat milk angeleno which is basically a vanilla latte with an extra extraction of espresso, shaken.
WHY DO YOU LOVE COFFEE CULTURE || I love coffee shop culture because it'shonestly for everyone. you can get as deep into it the brewing and tasting aspects as you want, you can be obsessed with coffee or get tea. but at the core it's about bringing people together, and there's not much better than that.
GIVE US A TIP FOR A GOOD COFFEE SHOP PHOTO || It's simple, but the best coffee photos just come from good light. stand by the window or go outside, I promise it'll be worth it. Also, work quickly! Latte art often has a short photo life, so get your shot set before your order so you can make it happen fast.
WHAT CITY HAS THE BEST COFFEE || San Francisco is home to some of my favorite coffee shops! But I may also just be smitten by the toast.
WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD COFFEE SHOP || Whenever I check out a new coffee shop, I tend to care about ambiance first. I want to make sure it's not too loud to have a conversation, and hopefully a place I can get some work done. comfortable chairs are also super important.
