This Felt SO Good

Last December, I was in Dallas, TX, shooting a commercial project for a client. I had posted a photo on Instagram, mentioning that I was there, and a friend sent some coffee shop recommendations.

When shooting in a new location, my goal is to search out at least one new coffee shop to visit. But, unfortunately, it doesn't always happen - due to there being none in that particular town, or the production schedule doesn't allow me to break away. That's why I always travel with my Aeropress, a hand grinder, and coffee.

Thankfully, I had a bit of downtime after one of our pre-production meetings. So I jumped in the rental vehicle - and hit the road to try out one of the recommended shops, Wayward Coffee Co.

I got there, and even though we're in a pandemic - the place was packed, with every freakin' table in the shop taken.

I immediately noticed some excellent offerings of coffee from multiple roasters - everyone from Cat & Cloud, SEY, and Sweet Bloom, to name a few. So I knew I knew they had good taste.

I was greeted at the counter by Trevin Williston - one of the co-owners of Wardward. We spoke for a moment about their coffee selection - he recommended a particular coffee, and I was down to try it out.

It has been a while since I have been inside a coffee shop to capture images. But seeing as I was in Texas for a production that would be shooting over the next three days - I felt that drive to warm myself up creatively.

So I asked Trevin to photograph him while he made my drink. Thankfully - he said yes.

It was also an excuse to use my new Fuji X100V - a camera I've dreamed of owning through all of its previous iterations. The camera is a small, digital rangefinder with a fixed 35mm lens. It's freakin' amazing, it's beautiful - and I am so happy to have a camera like this for everyday carry.

I only captured 15 images during my time there - but it still felt good to get out - meet new people and capture some photos in a new location.

Thank you to the crew at Wayward for welcoming me. And for the good coffee.