I always say that photographers, and creative people in general, can find beauty in anything. Ernie Button is a prime example I’m right. Phoenix, Arizona-based photographer takes fascinating photos that look like distant planets or hidden alien worlds. Only they’re none of that – they’re ordinary objects present in our everyday lives. They’re dried whisky remains!
Like many great discoveries, this project also came to life pretty much accidentally. “After enjoying a dram of Scotch whisky the night before, the glasses were left out on the table overnight,” Ernie tells DIYP. When he collected them in the morning to put them in the dishwasher, he noticed something that caught his eye. When held against the light, in the bottom of the glass, there were fine lines that Ernie wanted to explore further.
Since his studio is typically set up for close-up or tabletop photography, he went to his studio and shot off a roll of film. It was back in 2008, while he was shooting with a medium-format film camera. So, Ernie had to wait to have the film developed before he could see if there was anything interesting in the photos. And there sure was!
Glengoyne
The science of dried-out whisky patterns
About three or four years into the project, Ernie began to wonder why this phenomenon was happening in the first place. At roughly the same time, Dr. Peter Yunker’s paper on the Coffee Ring Effect was published. Ernie reached out to him via email to see if there was a connection between the Coffee Ring Effect and what is happening with the drying of whisky. However, the effects weren’t connected.
“Eventually I found and reached out to Dr. Howard A. Stone who is the director of the Complex Fluids Group at Princeton University,” Ernie tells us. “He was nice enough to entertain my questions, to take them seriously and facilitate some research into why this is happening.” The result? A research paper titled Controlled Uniform Coating from the Interplay of Marangoni Flows and Surface-Adsorbed Macromolecules, published in the physics journal Physical Review Letters in 2016!
Glenfiddich
Photographing whisky (and other spirits)
Ernie tells us that the residue dries, on its own, isn’t as interesting. When it dries, it’s kind of whitish-gray in color, which can only be interesting for an image or two. “The patterns are interesting on their own, but the project would be very monotone if I used the same color of light,” he tells DIYP. So, he decided to introduce color, and he did it by adding colored lights to the mix.
What I find fascinating is that there are very few whiskies that don’t leave a pattern. Ernie shares that he’s tried hundreds of them, and less than five ended up with no pattern to photograph! Still, he discovered that different types of barrels help to create different patterns.
Ernie’s exploration has expanded to an array of mature spirits other than whisky. While Ernie’s initial focus was on Scotch whisky, he’s also delved into Anejo Tequila, rum, vodka, cognac, and aged gin. Lately, he’s been experimenting with Japanese whisky, which is typically made with rice instead of barley.
Highland Park
Even though it started 16 years ago, Ernie still finds beauty and joy in photographing this subject. He brought his images together in a project named Vanishing Spirits, and it’s still ongoing. “I would say at this point, I’ve photographed thousands of glasses/patterns with tens of thousands of images taken,” he tells us. The images also live in his book The Art of Whisky, published by Chronicle Books.
“The first run of the book has officially sold out, and the book is listed as Out of Stock on their website,” Ernie reveals. There are still a few left out there, mostly on Amazon or and Barnes & Noble. There won’t be a second edition, so it’s officially become a collector’s item. “Get it while you can,” Ernie concludes, and I urge you to do it, too!
I leave you now to enjoy more of Ernie’s magnificent photos from The Art of Whiskey series. Let them be a reminder that beauty lies everywhere, even in seemingly mundane objects. Make sure to take a look at more of Ernie’s creative work on his website; you’ll enjoy it!
Clynelish
Aberlour A’bunadh
The Balvenie
Aberlour A’bunadh
The Macallan
Aberlour A’bunadh
Laphroaig
The Glenlivet
Aberlour A’bunadh
Glengoyne
Aberlour A’bunadh
Bruichladdich
Dalwhinnie
The Balvenie
Aberlour A’bunadh
The Glenlivet
The Macallan
[via PetaPixel]
