I’m especially proud of this image, created for Superior Cup Company of Warren, OH, a major supplier to vending machine and coffee service companies across several states. This was photographed back in the mid-1990s, when most of my commercial work was done on 4×5 sheet film—in this case, most likely Fuji RDP (Provia).
The photo was created in my 22,000 sq ft studio in New Castle, PA, around 1994 or 1995, for the cover of Superior Cup’s annual catalog. I was commissioned not just to take the photo, but to develop the concept as well. The theme we settled on was “Catch the Savings,” with streams of coins winding through coffee beans, flowing toward a central point.
To bring the concept to life, I worked with a staff artist to create rough sketches for client approval. Once approved, I reached out to a master glass etcher, who created the Superior Cup logo on a 20×24” piece of optically clear glass. The logo needed to catch light just right—lit from behind by a snooted strobe—to make it appear bright white in the final shot. The red color of the cup was added later during post-production.
The glass panel was mounted at a steep angle using clamps and stands, to create the feeling of coins rushing downhill. I positioned cups (glued in place), added coins (also glued), and finally used spray adhesive to hold down the coffee beans—by far the most time-consuming part!
The cascade of coins spilling over the edge and into a hand at the bottom was carefully staged. The nickel at the top of the hand and everything above it are glued together to make the cascade. The hand itself, holding a palm full of loose coins was photographed separately the next day, under the same lighting, and later composited with the main image. The coin pyramid sitting in the model’s palm was glued together for stability and set on top of the loose coins.
Camera:
Linhof Technikardan 4×5 with Schneider 150mm lens
Lighting used:
• A 50×50 softbox high and left for the main light.
• A white reflector camera-right for fill.
• Blue and magenta gels on strobes hitting the black background below the glass.
• A snooted light from behind to light only the etched logo.
• A black gobo to block light spill from the main onto the etched area.
The two images (main setup and hand) were scanned, composited, and edited by a trusted local imaging service. They changed the cup to red, added the coffee steam, and produced the final color separations, along with a 4×5 color negative for making large prints.
The final 30×40” display print was one of several I had in storage—until a storm destroyed nearly everything. This one survived, but it was a mess. I finally cleaned and restored it enough to re-photograph and preserve it. I’m incredibly happy that I did.
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