Steam, Glass, and Morning Rituals

Breakfast is the most photographed meal in the world and the least photographed well. The problem is steam: the moment you frame it, it has already changed shape. It is a subject that demands a different kind of patience — the shutter speed of a held breath. This story began as an exercise in cold glass and hot coffee, and grew into a small catalogue of mornings. A baker's first cup at five. A child's bowl of porridge in a kitchen the colour of weak tea. The geometry of steam against the window is never the same twice. What I learned is that photographing a ritual is a ritual in itself. The kettle must be at the boil; the light must be at the window; the photographer must be calm enough not to fog the lens.