Love books? Yes, we do! Tea or coffee to go with it? The age old conundrum that haunts book lovers. Hot drinks are always go-to favorites for reading time. What is better than a steaming cup of coffee by the side and a good book to get lost in? Here is how to style your bookish shots with cups of your favorite drink.
1. Books Books Books
If you have a lot of books in the picture, there is hardly need for any other prop except a piping hot cup. Cups pair up well with book stacks and book hauls. Pair up your current read with a mug of frothy coffee on the bed and see how it really lifts the mood of the picture. Or maybe add a tea scene to your stack and see how more intimate an ordinary looking stack becomes.
2. Open books
Coffee or tea are life savers when you have a bad book cover. A terrible cover no doubt spoils the aesthetics of the picture. Open the book, maybe the title page or a random page midway, and add a cup by the side for a simple but lovely shot.
3. Add texture
Texture is always good when going for minimalist shots with books and cups. Crumpled sheets, yellowed loose book pages, wooden trays, pillows and knitted blankets are great props that can add texture to a coffee-and-book scene and make it seem sophisticated.
4. Café shots
Who doesn’t love reading in cafes? Pictures in cafes add so much character to your Bookstagram shots. Try a head on angle with coffee and books. Or take a picture holding your coffee cup over a book and let the table or the floor do a small sneak peak in the shot. It gives a sense of the surrounding environment to the viewer which is always a good thing.
5. Experiment
If you are a beginner on Bookstagram, start small. Make yourself two cups of coffee. Take a book and place one of the cups and take a picture. Now move the cup around (and the book). Try pictures from different angles – a head on shot that shows your book and coffee clearly, or an angled shot that adds a mystery factor to your book and show off that coffee?
Maybe add one more book or another cup? Maybe add some spoons or spill some coffee powder on your tray? Or place your tea bag on the saucer after use? Perhaps you can add some cake or cookies to give the impression of an evening spent reading?
