Top 5 Drinks to Pair With Photography Post Processing

With the holiday season in full swing, I thought that it might be a good time for a fun article.

I don’t know a photographer that doesn’t enjoy a drink or ten in the middle of a marathon photography editing session, so here are my choices for the top 5 drinks to pair with photography post processing.

There are of course the obvious choices: white wine, red wine and beer.  However, the problem with wine and beer is that it is just as easy to drink one as it is to drink eight…which might lead to beer goggles and the occasional Photoshop horror.

So instead, I am going to concentrate on a few of the lesser know beverages that pair incredibly well with sitting at a desk staring at a screen.

1. Irish Coffee

Start your morning photography editing session off right – like the Irish.

Irish coffee is perfect to get your day started if you’ve got a tedious day of removing logos from stock photography ahead.

JP’s Irish Coffee:

French Press Coffee or Espresso (I like dark French roast – and no self respecting photographer uses a drip coffee maker).

2 Oz Cream or Milk (more if you use espresso)

1 Oz Irish Whisky

1 Oz Irish Cream (Or you can just add more whisky and cocoa and sugar – its pretty much the same thing)

Cocoa & Sugar to taste

If you want to be fancy (and you have the time), whipped cream and a little powdered cocoa on the top is nice too.

2. Radler (aka Shandy)

The heavenly combination of beer and grapefruit juice.

You get the goodness of beer and the healthy benefits of grapefruit juice in one delicious package.  I love these things in the summer, and the best part is they’re only around 2% alcohol – so you can drink them all day long without getting hammered.

Pair Radlers with editing sun-flare photos and summer lifestyle photography and you’re set.

Healthy Photographer’s Radler:

50% light beer

50% grapefruit juice

3. Scotch

Warning: drinking scotch often leads to an insatiable need to smoke a cigar.  Unless you can get away with puffing on a Cuban for an hour in your office, Scotch might not be your best choice.

Having said that, there is nothing like sipping on a single malt during a leisurely session of touching up business environmental portraits and architectural photography.

4. Sparkling Wine (aka The Beverage Formerly Known As Champagne)

Its like white wine, just fancier.

Sparkling wine pairs particularly well with editing boudoir photography and photos of pole dancing fitness instructors – I have no idea why.

5. Herbal Tea

OK, so not everyone is an alcohol drinker.  That’s fine, there are plenty of non-alcoholic brain altering beverage choices.  I like Green Tea for a steady low dose of caffeine.  You can pretty much drink cup after cup of green tea all day long to maintain a nice steady caffeine level.  Plus green teas are often blended with other herbs such as Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng that will help you focus for long tedious tasks.

I like pairing herbal tea with marathon wedding photography editing sessions and book keeping.

Of course if you are up against a deadline and are desperate – there is always the option to go with Red Bull and Vodka.

What is Your Favorite BEvERage To Enjoy Whilst Editing Photos?

My top choice is still beer: cause of…and solution to most of life’s problems.

But what’s yours?

Leave a comment and let us know!