Need recommendations!! Shooting for a bar menu tomorow!

Well here's the story...

I work at a restaurant and today my manager was impressed with some photographs I had taken a while ago of some food I ordered.

It just so happens that the restaurant is planning to print a new bar menu soon and so my manager asked if I could photograph drinks toromow night as they're being made.

This is obviously great news! Some real exposure for the work I can do! However I also see this as being a worst case scenario as a photographer for various reasons:

First, I'm forced to do this on a friday night, while I'm working. This is the busiest night of the week for us. I could potentially get a lot of different drinks to shoot, but they won't be around long enough for me to take much care in my framing and playing with settings.

Second, I likely can't take the drinks away from the bar sue to this time constraint. This leaves me with little choice in background options. A third problem is also the lighting in this restaurant which is a horable yellow. Though it is well lit at the bar area, I'll need to take this into consideration.

I'd just like some feedback on how I might overcome these problems.

I was thinking about constructing a box to place the drinks in with just a white background or perhaps various colours, and this could just sit at the end of the bar where I'll have my camera set-up on a tri-pod to take the shot.

Thanks for the help folks. I'll show some samples taken in the restaurant in the following post.

first. Without inspiration - without getting a "feel" for the menu itself...well, you'll be lost.

So what I recommend is that before you attempt to shoot a menu...have them bring you samples of all of the brew and drinks. Demand it.

Now only will you eventually get into the right frame of mind, you will snockered enough to not worry about the results. Unleash your creativity this way.
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Have a great day!

if you ask me, no Ben?

Tom

These are not taken at the bar but at the front of the restaurant.. sooo yellow









Fianlly I forgot to mention.. The gear I will shoot with is limited:

I have:

• e-500, 14-45mm, 40-150mm, 50mm f1.8 OM, 28mm f2.8 OM.

Likely I'll be working with anything other then the 40-150mm.

no text

Shooting on a Friday night does not seem fair to you, the staff nor the clientele.

Location restaurant shooting is usually done during off hours when the food or drinks can be prepared for the shooting and remade as necessary. I sure has heck wouldn't want my martini stuck in front of a camera before I drink it (unless it's complimentary).

My location shots usually had a Dynalite system with soft boxes and reflectors plus cords, boxes, equipment, etc. I would always set up the appointment for a time during off hours unless the shot called for people.

I think the boss is being cheap and trying to kill multiple birds with one stone.

Well if you have to do it, good luck. I don't know what kind of lighting setup you have. Whatever it is, test it out before hand. If there are customers in the area where you are shooting, let them know that you are shooting. Some people want their privacy. If the food or drink does not look right, have them fix it or make it over. If it looks good in the camera then you're halfway there. Again, good luck!

nalax said:

Shooting on a Friday night does not seem fair to you, the staff nor
the clientele.

Location restaurant shooting is usually done during off hours when
the food or drinks can be prepared for the shooting and remade as
necessary. I sure has heck wouldn't want my martini stuck in front
of a camera before I drink it (unless it's complimentary).

My location shots usually had a Dynalite system with soft boxes and
reflectors plus cords, boxes, equipment, etc. I would always set up
the appointment for a time during off hours unless the shot called
for people.

I think the boss is being cheap and trying to kill multiple birds
with one stone.

Well if you have to do it, good luck. I don't know what kind of
lighting setup you have. Whatever it is, test it out before hand.
If there are customers in the area where you are shooting, let them
know that you are shooting. Some people want their privacy. If the
food or drink does not look right, have them fix it or make it
over. If it looks good in the camera then you're halfway there.
Again, good luck!

Click to expand...

And also I suspect the boss is trying to be be cheap and not pay a photographer. If its a one time event, no problem, but unless you want to do this for free, some compensation should be agreed upon, even if it is comp. time or something.

YOu're absolutly right to say my boss is cheap, and that's precisly why I have to do it tomorow night.

Originaly I'm pretty sure he planned to do this with a damn digicam on his own, but saw I could do better. He won't give me another night or extra pay. This actaully kinda gets complicated because believe it or not, this restaurant is part of a casino! This isn't exactly small time stuff, so I'm absolutly excited to have the opportunity BUT obviously as you folks can see it won't be easy to pull off.

If you're committed, then go for it. But I have to say this has red flags all over it!

Will you be including people in the images? If recognizable, then you have have issues of model releases, etc. Even if its just hands, hope your customers are ok with this.

You'll probably want to set up with some simple lighting and a tripod. Is there a place to set up? And you'll want to have careful control of background, lighting, and DOF, all suggesting patience and care with the shots. Hopefully these aren't drinks that customers have ordered and will be waiting on.

Wouldn't it be better to do this is quieter setting than a Friday night at the bar/casino?

Jeff

Clarkey said:

YOu're absolutly right to say my boss is cheap, and that's precisly
why I have to do it tomorow night.

Originaly I'm pretty sure he planned to do this with a damn digicam
on his own, but saw I could do better. He won't give me another
night or extra pay. This actaully kinda gets complicated because
believe it or not, this restaurant is part of a casino! This isn't
exactly small time stuff, so I'm absolutly excited to have the
opportunity BUT obviously as you folks can see it won't be easy to
pull off.

Click to expand...

--
Jeff

After rereading your post, this situation just strikes me as very wrong.

If you're taking shots of drinks as they are made, that may be one thing. But I don't see how they would be very useful on a bar menu.

If you take them to another spot to get a better shot, well, if I was your customer I'd be somewhere between a little and very peeved about the delay and the extra handling of my drink order.

If you're interested in good lighting, and decent product shots, its going to be very hard to get a decent results. So if your goal is show a good result, you may be setting yourself up in a no win situation.

You'll have to be judge of this, but it this strikes me as a situation where you might let the boss do his thing with his digicam, and that your offer be to do it right. This may be very tempting, but it's going to be hard to pull this off in way that's going to show your skills in the best light.

Jeff

nalax said:

Shooting on a Friday night does not seem fair to you, the staff nor
the clientele.

Location restaurant shooting is usually done during off hours when
the food or drinks can be prepared for the shooting and remade as
necessary. I sure has heck wouldn't want my martini stuck in front
of a camera before I drink it (unless it's complimentary).

My location shots usually had a Dynalite system with soft boxes and
reflectors plus cords, boxes, equipment, etc. I would always set up
the appointment for a time during off hours unless the shot called
for people.

I think the boss is being cheap and trying to kill multiple birds
with one stone.

Well if you have to do it, good luck. I don't know what kind of
lighting setup you have. Whatever it is, test it out before hand.
If there are customers in the area where you are shooting, let them
know that you are shooting. Some people want their privacy. If the
food or drink does not look right, have them fix it or make it
over. If it looks good in the camera then you're halfway there.
Again, good luck!

Click to expand...

--
Jeff

http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

But I don't see you putting this together tonight in time for tomorrow.

Here is a tutorial film on the same box:
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/kmckevin/itma_kevin/projrep/lightbox.swf
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Steve

I'm definatly entertaining this idea.
I have all day tomorow to get set up so this shouldn't be a problem.

a light box this size may not make it past security... I don't think it will be a problem but either way, what else are you guys thinkin.

and yes I do understand this is a very bad idea for many reasons, but if I took the risk and pulled off something realy impressive, I could turn some heads and make something happen for me.

I am a marketing major and working for the casino would be a great oportunity.

Wow - when working for a food company and doing product shots...we used a food STYLIST AND a photographer so the food looked good enough to eat (but wasn't!) I have seen menu's with that yellow food - it's real tough to get the food to look...good enough to eat! Good luck and use a LOT of PhotoShop (that can at least get rid of the lighting overtones). There are reasons people make a living "styling" food
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-lois-

try to get started as early as possible, beat as much of the rush as you can.

Every plate has it's best side and look for the best point of focus on that side.

I like to shoot with a short DOF to emphasize the main point/points of the dish.

Shoot it RAW. (The camera, not the food)

Look for small details. The strawberry in your cheescake shot should have been turned to face the camera. I understand that's how your desert was plated in the kitchen, but sometimes you have to overide them.

With the bowl of mussels I would have put the most open ones on the top. Actually you're not supposed to eat the ones that aren't open...

Get the manager in there with his digicam.

Clarkey said:

a light box this size may not make it past security... I don't
think it will be a problem but either way, what else are you guys
thinkin.

Click to expand...

However, if you can shoot in that situation, you can turn it to your artistic advantage.

Do not shoot typical product shots.

Shoot drinks on the bar with (very) blurred people and lights in the background.

You should have good light on the drinks, though. And possibly some kind of mat beneath them, so you can pull up the colours easier later. I have no idea what kind of bar y'all have there, but the customary brass/dark wood/varicoloured marble won't work well...

But the situation still sucks.

I should let him take this stuff with his digicam and compare.

Anyhow, keep in mind I'm shooting DRINKS not food. Though the same rules do apply. The drinks should come out the way I want them to.. definatly. I know the bartender will go along with this so its not a problem. I'll probably want to keep the glasses clean of any spillage and have the garnish presented in a way that I will see the profile.. not just a stem.

Clarkey said:

YOu're absolutly right to say my boss is cheap, and that's precisly
why I have to do it tomorow night.

Originaly I'm pretty sure he planned to do this with a damn digicam
on his own, but saw I could do better. He won't give me another
night or extra pay. This actaully kinda gets complicated because
believe it or not, this restaurant is part of a casino! This isn't
exactly small time stuff, so I'm absolutly excited to have the
opportunity BUT obviously as you folks can see it won't be easy to
pull off.

Click to expand...

You are between a rock and a hard place. You have to decide which direction you will go -- do it the boss's way, and be prepared to do this over and over again or stand up for your rights and possibly get fired. Whether your boss is a snake and trying to take advantage of you or just is clueless I don't know. From what little you've said, I would think the snake is more likely.

One thing you didn't mention at all is copyrights on the picture. Whether you give up all rights to the picture or you keep the rights and give them access to the picture is another thing to think about. Bear in mind that if there are people in the shots you will need model releases for each of them.

If nothing else, I would make sure my resume is up to date, just in case.

Obviously not a deliberate product shot.. but heres a clear idea of the area surrounding the bar. These are taken with the 14-45mm since it was the only lens I had on me at the time... likely I will be using the 50 f1.8 or 28 f2.8 for some shallow DoF shots for the actuall products:

lol no I don't intend to have models and if I did its not something I'd worry about because they will be property of the casino when I'm done with them.. though I doubt that will be discussed, even if it should be.