Shooting first restaurant and bar tomorrow

[skraller]

Im trying thinking ahead about a good starting setting to get going with so I'm not fumbling around right away. It's a well lit bar area, but the restaurant area gets dimmer the further from the windows along the wall you get.

For the bar area prob 200-300 iso, depending on how the sun is at the time. f/8-f/10 maybe, and play with the shutter speed.

The dining area will be a little more tricky with the windows blasting sun, and trying to keep the deeper area with enough light.

I'm pretty sure I won't be able to use flash so I'm concerned about even lighting, if it's even possible. Maybe be able to have the light taper off in a pleasing manner. I thought about doing an exposure just for the window and add it in later; as time consuming as that would be, it might be the only option.
This is for a magazine, so the highest iso I can go is 800, not that I can see needing to go that high with it.

This is my first shoot like this, so I would love to hear any tips or advice.....thanks

 

[KmH]

Why are you pretty sure you won't be able to use flash?
Many interiors like that are shot for doing a realistic look HDR final image.

Dark interior (no interior lighting at all except what came in the door and windows) and bright exterior. I used 3 speedlights on stands with umbrellas:

 

[tirediron]

If you can't use flash, you probably shouldn't bother showing up!

 

[skraller]

If you can't use flash, you probably shouldn't bother showing up!

Setting up lights and umbrellas just didn't seem like something that was possible in a busy dining area. There is not a lot of room in there between the tables with people and waitstaff roaming around.

What's the best way with dealing with this.

 

[tirediron]

Shoot it at night, when the place is closed. If you need "customers" have the owner arrange for extras. Trying to shoot a restaurant while regular business is going on is begging for a disaster. You can't control the customers, waiters, etc... you can't ask people to move or "stay like that"... If the owner expects you to turn in a decent product shooting while people are dining, tell him to find someone else.

 

[tecboy]

Shooting at ISO 800 without a flash is hard especially indoor. You will get low exposure and blurry images depending on the shutter speed.

 

[Derrel]

Seriously...shooting this during regular operating hours, is as Tirediron said, "A recipe for disaster." Sounds like another clueless, cheapskate owner who wants great photos, done with no planning except to hire somebody to show uop and make great photos...while he does his business, as usual...

Your situation has been a common one ever since digital imaging came about. Restaurant owners/managers unwilling to pay for quality work, done the proper way, insisting that the photography can be done on the food served to paying cutomers, while they are there, eating, etc..

Flash would likely make this shoot a success, if you know how to use it well.

 

[tecboy]

Yep, gotta use flash.

 

[vintagesnaps]

How many pictures do you need? For an article do they just need a certain number to choose from to publish one or two? Or will it be a lengthy article that would need several photos?

I used to take photos for marketing for a local team and sometimes took pictures at one of the weeknight radio broadcasts held at various local sports bars and restaurants. It would depend on the place but I could manage to get something in existing light - a photo of the write on board/chalkboard listing the event, a table of fans seated near a window, fans at the bar if there was decent lighting and beer signs, the table where they were broadcasting from - just a few were enough and sometimes I couldn't get much.

Depending on the time of day (and time of year) if it was still light out maybe I could get a table shot near a window before I lost the light. So if you have daylight and a decently lit bar, meter and adjust for each part of the place (near windows, at the bar, etc.). Figure out which be the best way to face to use the existing light, or where the dark corners are to avoid. This might be tricky if you haven't done this before because it took me some learning how to do what I did.

I think for me this was workable in a casual sports bar hosting a team event. I've done banquets too and usually work my way around the room gradually and blending into the background as much as possible. For this what I can think to suggest is going early and getting some test shots, and finding out as much as you can about the place.

Before you go can you call and find out if you can use a flash? What's the article about? Is it a short feature? a review of a new restaurant? something seasonal? Maybe if you need food shots ask if they have a specialty and get that. Figure out what's important or special to this place that you need to try to get. Maybe some outdoor shots of the signage too would be expected.

And after this shoot you're already committed to doing, I'd suggest getting a lot more learning and practice in at various venues and events. And get better at knowing how to set the camera for various lighting conditions - that's basic and you need to know that to be able to do work in photography and produce consistently good results.

 

[skraller]

How many pictures do you need? For an article do they just need a certain number to choose from to publish one or two? Or will it be a lengthy article that would need several photos?

Before you go can you call and find out if you can use a flash? What's the article about? Is it a short feature? a review of a new restaurant? something seasonal? Maybe if you need food shots ask if they have a specialty and get that. Figure out what's important or special to this place that you need to try to get. Maybe some outdoor shots of the signage too would be expected.

They will probably publish about 6-8 photos and I plan on giving them around 12-16. Its an editorial, but I'm not sure about the length of information they will go into. They have two locations, the more important one being the one right on the beach.

Flash is not an option but I think if I keep the windows to my back and shoot with the light, I might be able to get good shot.

I'm attaching a shot I setup from their beach location. Let me know what ya'll think. I should have shot it with the pizza on the table as well, I don't really like the pizza shadow on the table. f/13, 26mm, iso 200, 1/250th

 

[tirediron]

Tough shot. I think this is really let down by having no one at the table; why is there a pizza in the middle of nowhere???? Good job on making sure the sign is visible and the cups are facing the right way, but the background needs (IMO) a lot of work. The garbage cans should go, the parts of people and hte lamp post aren't doing the shot any good at all. The pizza should definitely have been on the table, and if you couldn't have had anyone playing 'diner' then a slice on each plate, one with a couple of bites out of it.

 

[Designer]

Im trying thinking ahead about a good starting setting to get going with so I'm not fumbling around right away. It's a well lit bar area, but the restaurant area gets dimmer the further from the windows along the wall you get.

For the bar area prob 200-300 iso, depending on how the sun is at the time. f/8-f/10 maybe, and play with the shutter speed.

The dining area will be a little more tricky with the windows blasting sun, and trying to keep the deeper area with enough light.

I'm pretty sure I won't be able to use flash so I'm concerned about even lighting, if it's even possible. Maybe be able to have the light taper off in a pleasing manner. I thought about doing an exposure just for the window and add it in later; as time consuming as that would be, it might be the only option.
This is for a magazine, so the highest iso I can go is 800, not that I can see needing to go that high with it.

This is my first shoot like this, so I would love to hear any tips or advice.....thanks

Going in with a pre-determined ISO setting is one of the strangest things I've ever heard of. Aperture, yes, shutter speed, sure, in certain conditions, but the ISO adjustment is applied after capture, so setting it to begin with is just weird.

You haven't asked about flash, have you? If that is your approach, then the owner will very likely tell you "no". And that is because most people's impression of what flash pictures look like is the flat, hot center that you get with a camera-mounted flash. Of course they would say no. A professional photographer would use whatever he needed to produce good photos, including flash if he knew it would help. And a pro wouldn't ask.

Do magazines place a limit on the ISO? Why would they do that?

BTW: just my personal preference; I don't eat uncovered food out-of-doors unless maybe a sandwich at a picnic. Pizza open to the sky? Nah.

 

[Parker219]

Sooooo...can you show us how the photos came out?

 

[tirediron]

...Flash is not an option...

Can you elaborate as to why? This seems like such a strange limitation for this sort of work.

 

[tecboy]

Usually, a manager doesn't want photographer to use flash, because it distracting the guests. I was able to convince the manager to use flash. When I was photographing the party event in the bowling restaurant. I have to follow the guideline. I have to aim the flash to the people who participated in the party and not to other guests. So I used the flash and aimed in one direction where the participants were. I can't shoot another direction where the rest of the guests were.