Create the sun
Difficulty level: Advanced
Time taken: 3 hours
Main
Coffee morning Though shot entirely in the studio, the lighting structure creates a believable outdoor environment for this advertorial image
Autumn is here and no day out during the season is complete without the ubiquitous pumpkin spiced latte. It has become a staple of this time of year and now is the exact moment all of the major coffee shop brands roll out their advertising campaigns. Whether you consider it a guilty pleasure or nothing more than an overpriced, sugar-filled glass of milk, it makes for an intriguing thematic image.
Autumn is known for its fiery colours and low, raking sunlight, which combine to make a dream scene for photographers. When we started planning our brief for this advertorial image, we knew they had to be integral components. One option was to shoot outside, but this would have required waiting for the sun to rise or set. A key skill for studio and flash photographers is being able to overpower ambient light and mimic any natural light source, with artificial units.