Cocktail Art

  Photography and Design


 Description of Style


The interest in shooting cocktail photography was a natural extension from the DVD series
of “Live and Close-Up” classic and specialty drink preparations that I produced in the last
few years. With a wide range of knowledge and experience in the world of cocktails and
their preparations, I have a lot of fun bringing an artistic still life to great looking drinks.
Simple to complex, I cover many different drink categories in this photographic series,
including several themed sets of drinks, exploring the beautiful colors and tastes with
recipes, using all real ingredients/garnishes throughtout. From the past, present, and
into the future.

Mixology is a culinary art, and I have brought together visual essences, creating little
“cocktail scenes” with each of them, where they have more of a reason to be, reflecting a
deeper feel to the look, some intrigue, an inner life. Using a wide palate of color ideas for
the floor choice of each drink shot as well as the use of different-sized textured and bright-
colored tiles, beveled mirrors of different shapes and sizes, a variety of standard and
custom bar tools, old world bottles, and antique cocktail shakers that I own from the 30’s,
40’s, 50’s, and 60’s.

The style and design for shooting is a mixture of light and dark, or “a light in the dark”.
I seem to feel comfortable with the shadows and lurks, not surprisingly, the identical
environment of the work I’ve done for over 25 years now – professional bartending and
bar mixology as art. All of the shots were taken in the coolness of the night instead of the
heat of the day, which is the most creative time for me to do the work, having more ideas
flow in, and a focus on detail.

Bartenders. We live in the dark. We thrive in the dark. Our best energies are communicated
under dim lights. There are points of light that beam the bartops in clubs, as hundreds of
drinks are being prepared on any given night. This is the look of a certain brilliance that I
see visually – the shine of the glass, the boldness of the cubes, the richness and variety
of liquid colors and tasty combinations, and the finish of the garnish.

And of course, the smile in the customer’s eyes, mouth watering for the first taste to hit the
palate, making them go ahhhh . . . . . as the completion of the preparation of a drink is not
the end, but the beginning journey of liquid pleasure for the one who requested it.

Contracting with Images.com for the use of this cocktail photography series allows me to
make them available for use all over the world instead of just here in the U.S. It also offers
me the opportunity to be fairly compensated for my work, creative effort, and intellectual
property, being a culinary artist and professional and private bartender.
Colonel Collins