2016 was probably the hardest year to pick a “best of” given how much I was able to shoot that year. That year saw me getting out of the Army, driving across the country (a couple of times), multiple foreign trips, and extensive work on covering forgotten corners of Chicago. But since I had to pick one, it had to be the portrait I shot of a coffee farmer in Thailand.
The story of how I found myself in the Inthanon mountains is an interesting story itself, but not really relevant to the photo. The short version is that I was able to spend the afternoon with Mr. Somsak Sriphumthong where he showed me his farm and how he roasts and bags his beans. After the tour, he offered me a cup of his coffee and we hung out in this shack adjacent to his roasting operation where I managed to snap this photo of him. I’m not sure that I’ve ever taken a better portrait.
(and if you’d like to know more about Mr. Sriphumthong, there have been stories written about him: https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/433561/the-brewing-of-change)
