The Project:
Vietnamese coffee collaboration cup photography for Ahn and Chi
Ahn and Chi launched a collaboration cup with a coffee brand, and I photographed the product for their website. The project centered on capturing the cup alongside the elements of Vietnamese coffee preparation: brewed coffee and condensed milk. This was a paid collaboration between Ahn and Chi, another restaurant, and the coffee brand, resulting in a co-branded product available for purchase online. My role was to create product photography that showed the cup itself and the ingredients that define the Vietnamese coffee ritual.
Working from Vancouver as a Vietnamese coffee product photographer, I approached the shoot with two priorities. First, the cup needed to read as a design object with clear branding and form. Second, the coffee and condensed milk had to look authentic and appetizing, not muddy or flat. I built the shot list around product angles for e-commerce and styled compositions that connected the cup to the ritual of Vietnamese coffee. The goal was a photo collection that worked for online store listings and supported the brand's storytelling across their website.
The Execution:
Product angles for e-commerce with controlled lighting
I started with product views designed for their online store. The cup was photographed from multiple angles to show shape, logo placement, and finish. I used soft side lighting to define the cup's form without creating harsh reflections on glossy surfaces. The lighting setup balanced specular highlights so engravings and typography stayed sharp. Each angle was composed with negative space to accommodate web crops and banners. These images gave customers the visual information needed to understand the product before purchase.
Vietnamese coffee ritual photography with phin filter and condensed milk
For the Vietnamese coffee ritual shots, I integrated the phin filter, condensed milk, and brewed coffee into styled compositions. The phin filter is central to Vietnamese coffee preparation, and I wanted to show it as part of the product story rather than as background styling. I photographed condensed milk pours and the finished coffee served in the collaboration cup. The condensed milk needed controlled lighting to capture its texture without washing out to white or reading as dull beige. The coffee itself required precise exposure to show richness and depth without falling into flat brown tones.
The color palette across the set leaned on muted green backdrops with the dark metal of the phin filter and the red from the brand packaging. This combination gave the images a consistent look while keeping focus on the product. I used shallow depth of field to isolate the cup and ritual elements, with just enough context to ground the compositions. The styling was restrained, avoiding props that would dilute the cultural specificity of Vietnamese coffee preparation. Every element in the frame served the product or the ritual.
Technical Approach:
Surface rendering for reflective materials and liquid textures
Surface rendering was important for this project because the cup, phin filter, and condensed milk all have reflective or glossy qualities that can create visual problems under the wrong lighting. I controlled reflections and highlights so the metal filter showed detail without glare and the cup's branding remained legible. The condensed milk pour required timing and lighting adjustments to capture the stream texture without overexposing the whites. Each image was color-managed to ensure the coffee tones stayed rich and the condensed milk read as cream rather than gray.
The Outcome:
Product and ritual photography supporting collaboration cup launch
I delivered a collection of images covering product angles, ritual moments, and detail shots. The brand is using these photos on their website to support the collaboration cup launch. The photo set includes images formatted for product pages as well as compositions designed to work across different channels. The consistent lighting and backdrop system means future collaborations can match this visual language without starting from scratch.
This project reinforced the value of understanding product photography for food and beverage brands in Vancouver and beyond. Vietnamese coffee has specific visual cues that customers expect: the phin filter, the layered pour, the condensed milk. Capturing those elements accurately requires technical control over lighting and timing, but also familiarity with how coffee and milk behave on camera. The result is a photo collection that supports both product sales and brand storytelling.
If your coffee or beverage brand needs product photography that shows ritual and design together, let's talk about your next project.
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