Rebecca Stumpf is a self-proclaimed coffee addict. She is also a Boulder, Colorado based photographer who happens to specialize in Food & Drink photography. So when Allegro Coffee reached out to Rebecca to do a shoot for their new roastery and café in the West Highlands of Denver, she knew she had to take the job.
Allegro Coffee was looking for a candid, photojournalistic-style shoot with minimal production, so the shoot was mainly Rebecca, her assistant, and Allegro’s creative director on set for the day. The style of shoot was a perfect fit for Rebecca, as she focuses on creating an uplifting, refined, and natural look while regularly shifting between lifestyle, travel, and food genres.
Documenting anything that involves trying a new restaurant or shop, laughing with friends, sharing a meal and so on allows me to share that beauty with people and hopefully help them discover or learn something new themselves.
After a few creative calls and a location scout day, Rebecca got to work documenting the coffee shop, focusing on creating a natural, raw feel within each image.
The client asked me to document the coffee shop as it was, and not bring in too many styled elements. Of course, we set up some things while in the shop, but most moments were already happening naturally. Working like this involves carefully crafting what is already there.
Although the shoot was relatively simple, it was not without its challenges. Rebecca worked to find a balance between controlling the set and styling elements, and letting moments happen naturally. Although Rebecca wasn’t able to style the shop with perfectly posed models and trendy props, she created a series of images that felt real, but still represented the ideal, quintessential coffee shop.
You learn to shape and refine that raw nature of things to make them appealing to potential customers, while maintaining their truthful nature.
So far the reaction to the images has been great.
The response on social has been very positive! The client was also happy which was great to see.
Rebecca is hoping to work with Allegro Coffee in the future as they expand their roasteries and cafés. She’s also in the works to do some shoots for another local coffee roaster in Colorado.
To see more of of Rebecca’s work, visit rebeccastumpf.com!