Shooting a restaurant room.

[glamy]

A mate of mine owns a restaurant and would like me to take a picture at night to reflect the atmosphere. Any tips regarding metering or filters (lights on the wall +candles)?
Cheers,
Gerard

[losfp]

For a biggish room, I'd be inclined to go with a tripod shot, slow shutter speed. A flash wouldn't have a hope of lighting it all.

Maybe one of those wanky cross-highlight filters if you want that sort of look

[wendellt]

dont use flash

maintain the mood

if it's lit with irradecent lights dim them as much as you can then use a tripod and do a long exosure, try to maintain the mood

it helps if the restaurant has a lot of redish tones that wets people's appetite

if i were you i would even tweak the colour balance to get a more redish shot

also shoot the place at night

[birddog114]

Glamy,
Come over and pick my 28/1.4 up, you can do the good job with it without flash.
Or I come with you and we will have a free meal + few bottles of Beaujolais?
Is that a French cuisine restaurant?

[losfp]

Oh, you will have to make sure that people stay as still as possible, otherwise they will go all blurry, esp if they are walking around.

But THAT might be a cool effect anyway

[glamy]

Thanks for the input,
I agree flash would be no good for a big room. I was thinking that maybe a graduated ND could balance out the lighting on the walls...

Come over and pick my 28/1.4 up, you can do the good job with it without flash.
Or I come with you and we will have a free meal + few bottles of Beaujolais? Laughing
Is that a French cuisine restaurant?

No Birddog this is an Italian restaurant. If that's OK I do not mind borrowing the 28 1/4 when I pick up my new toy . I'll bring you a bottle !
Cheers,
Gerard

[birddog114]

Thanks for the input,
I agree flash would be no good for a big room. I was thinking that maybe a graduated ND could balance out the lighting on the walls...

Come over and pick my 28/1.4 up, you can do the good job with it without flash.
Or I come with you and we will have a free meal + few bottles of Beaujolais? Laughing
Is that a French cuisine restaurant?

No Birddog this is an Italian restaurant. If that's OK I do not mind borrowing the 28 1/4 when I pick up my new toy . I'll bring you a bottle !
Cheers,
Gerard

Yes, more than welcome to confiscate my 28/1.4 for the job.

[glamy]

Oh, you will have to make sure that people stay as still as possible, otherwise they will go all blurry, esp if they are walking around.

But THAT might be a cool effect anyway Wink

Everybody gets free dessert to be in the picture and be still .
Gerard

[glamy]

Thanks very much Birdddog, you really are one of a kind...
Cheers,
Gerard

[shutterbug]

Use a tripod and NO FLASH. Get birddogs 28mm or something wider if you can.

[phillipb]

I agree flash would be no good for a big room.

Not necessarily,
Put the camera on a tripod, set the lens to f32 shutter speed 20 sec, walk around with a flash in your hand and fire off left right and center and you'll get a well lit restaurant.

[birddog114]

I agree flash would be no good for a big room.

Not necessarily,
Put the camera on a tripod, set the lens to f32 shutter speed 20 sec, walk around with a flash in your hand and fire off left right and center and you'll get a well lit restaurant.

Little bit fancy when you're doing this in the restaurant with fully occupied by guests.

And their guests might not coming back due to their worries of being taken photos during their meals.

[shutterbug]

hahahahaha, the guest might think it is a raid

[phillipb]

Put on a clown suit and turn it into a joke, flash on one hand bike horn on the other, then you're sure to get a photo with plenty of atmosphere.