Dina Ávila is curious by nature. Not in the inquisitive or impertinent manner of a nosy neighbor, but in the wondrous wide-eyed fashion of a newborn exploring the uncharted world. Or a traveler, for that matter. This disposition helped her get along swimmingly well with her subjects, despite it being during a couple of the hottest days in Portland last summer. She had done her research in advance, knowing each person’s history and background as much as the internet would allow, a gesture they all appreciated without reserve. The assignment? Photographing a niche of cafe owners in Portland, Oregon, for Virtuoso Magazine, which some might consider blasphemous since she doesn’t even drink a sip of coffee. Still, her friendliness, professionalism, and of course, curiosity, have made her a staple of the editorial landscape in the area.
For their Fall issue last year, Virtuoso was spilling the beans on a fledgling group of coffee shop owners, individuals who were staying true to the origins of the ingredients they brew. In her feature, writer Naomi Tomky explored the traditional flavors and recipes conceived in the regions that grow coffee, and Dina was tasked with photographing the beverages, the establishments, and their proprietors.
The goal was to capture the unique coffee culture here in Portland, specifically featuring immigrant and first-generation proprietors.
We wanted to capture their uniqueness and individuality, especially since they’re roasting beans from their native countries – Vietnam, China, Brazil, and Mexico. They’ve all embraced where they, or their parents, have come from, through not only the coffee they serve but in the design and aesthetic of their establishments. Being a child of immigrants and a first-generation Azorean, this assignment was close to my heart.
With Naomi’s copy, a shot list, and her homework on the various proprietors in hand, Dina ventured to the various coffee shops over two scalding hot days in July. Fortunately, the temperature was the only cause of anguish during the photoshoot. Everything else, as she put it, was magical.
Each cafe served as a teleportation device, with their proprietor whisking patrons away to a faraway destination in Mexico, Brazil, China, or Vietnam. Besides the novelty beverages on the menu, they had gone to painstaking lengths to recreate a piece of home away from home. It could be seen on the wall decor, heard via the music on speaker, and felt on the handwoven cloths protecting the table from occasional spills. There were a thousand or more details worth capturing on camera, sometimes in the smallest of spaces.
One of the cafes was very small and barebones. It didn’t have a lot of potential environmental shots, but the owner and the coffee drinks were beautiful, so I focused on that. Lighting is often a challenge in restaurants and cafes, so when shooting editorially, I always have my assistant holding a Profoto A1x and a small softbox to pop light on the subjects.
Dina was at each location for about two hours, careful not to get in the way of patrons and leave them to the drinking. Mostly, though, they loved being close to the action, replicating our photographer’s curious nature to a tee. Maybe they were in the presence of a celebrity or some ingenious blend of coffee set to break the news. But, unfortunately, their thinking was never made public.
There was only one concern. The feature would run in the September/October issue, even though the photography would be completed in the summer. No amount of post-production could hide the overbearing sun baking everything in sight with its bright and boisterous attitude.
We were shooting for the fall issue of Virtuoso, and it was impossible to convey that through the photos in nearly 100-degree weather. So, we decided to just make the most beautiful photos possible and not worry that our subjects may be in shorts!
In that sense, the editorial’s words and photos would mirror the function of its subjects, taking readers to a different place and time while they flipped through the pages with a cup of coffee beside them. And perhaps the warm summer glow of Dina’s images would make quite a persuasive case, encouraging them to visit a new wave of coffee shops and cafes to stave off the incoming winter cold. The milder tones of Autumn may not have done the trick.
See more of Dina’s work on her website.
Credits
Editor: Mary Risher (Virtuoso)
Writer: Naomi Tomky (Virtuoso)
Assistant: Eric Fortier
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