Help- How to photograph an indoor fireplace

Hello,

I got a request from a customer that wants photographs of the fireplaces he already sold for commercial-promotional purposes for his social media and website. The fireplaces are located in cafes/ restaurants (indoors)

I have never shot a fireplace before, I assume using a low iso- narrow aperture will do the job and maybe a tripod ,also no flash ? to capture the ambient atmosphere, the fire inside the fireplace ?

Any tips -advice will be more than welcome since this is something I never done before and it will be a paid job

First of all, be sure you will have access and working time, ideally when the restaurant is not open. Before opening during their prep time is often good, You may need to move tables or seating. Ask for more time that you expect to need. Be nice to the restaurant people -- they need photos too. Maybe you can work this into some future jobs if you make a good impression.

And you will need a fire. Hopefully you'll be dealing with gas or artificial flames so you have control. If it's real wood you'll need someone (maybe your client) who knows how to lay a fire and make it look pretty.

On to the photography --

What kind of photos are they wanting? Straight up record shots of the fireplace and installation? Or do they want something with mood or ambiance? Will you need people as models? Are there windows -- will you be dealing with sunlight from outdoors or windows in the frame?

As to the mechanics of shooting, yes to the tripod. For a straight record shot I would use two lights, probably flashes with umbrellas, one on either side of the set aimed for even lighting across the area. I'd want just enough contrast to define texture and shape. I would set the camera exposure for the fire to get good detail in the flames, then adjust flash power to balance the surroundings with the fire. White balance could be tricky -- I'd probably set flash white balance but shoot raw so there is plenty of room to adjust in processing. Be prepared to tweak the flames in post if you need to - adjust the brightness and color or even add to them.

For more of a mood shot I would shift the lights for more contrast and to highlight the area around and in front of the fire, using one light as main and (probably) a second as fill. You could play with white balance for more of a 'warm and cozy' feel. I'd probably let the edges of the frame go a little dark, could be very subtle or could be more dramatic.

And that's what I've got for now. Hope some of it helps.

Gato

I've done this exactly one time, so there's probably a better way.

I used two umbrellas/strobes to light the room itself, then turned everything off and bracketed a bunch of images with only the flames for light.

Selected the flame only photo that looked best and composited with the strobe lit scene.

It is all about preparation, as mentioned the fireplace needs to be clean and styled to begin with. What does your client want the images to look like, light and bright or dark and moody? Your lighting will have to match those characteristics and you'll need to plan ahead in order to make them happy.

Off the top of my head, I would have a tripod and tether to a laptop so you can preview images immediately and make adjustments. I'd have two flash heads, soft box and some type of diffusion and scrims just in case. If your lucky, the area will have natural light or the restaurant will have well designed lighting. I will attach a recent image from a restaurant shoot where I featured the fireplace, I was lucky that it didn't require extra lighting but the food was the focus. Every shoot is different, you've got to do your homework and be prepared for just about anything and make it look good.

This should not be terribly difficult or complicated IF you know, basically, how to light interiors. You need to capture the ambience of the room and adjust for a good perspective and viewpoint. You then light for texture in the carpeting or flooring, furniture, draperies, etc., and in this case made certain the is good







detail and texture and detail and detail in the mantle or fireplace structure. The trick in recording the fire is to drag the shutter. That means you expose for the flash, as I did in the accompanying shot, but extended exposure to accommodate the fire. In this case, I turned off the modelling lamps in my flash gear prior to exposure and set the shutter at "B"- after the flash fired I keep the shutter open for 5 seconds.

This works well with wood and gas fire fireplaces. I have used wood, pre-package "fire logs" and gas falmes. With wood burners, if the fire is too small or dim, I add so rolled-up a newspaper just before shooting. The fore is self-illuminating and will usually record intones or orange or some multi-colours depending on the fuel source.

Observe safety- make sure the fireplace flue is opened, do not use starters or accelerators, and keep a fire extinguisher handy.


Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada

One thing I like to do when photographing flame is to use rear curtain flash. This allows you to capture some of the flame dancing without having to use long exposure.



If you have a chance to try it before the job, give it a shot.

Ed Shapiro said:

This should not be terribly difficult or complicated IF you know, basically, how to light interiors. You need to capture the ambience of the room and adjust for a good perspective and viewpoint. You then light for texture in the carpeting or flooring, furniture, draperies, etc., and in this case made certain the is good



detail and texture and detail and detail in the mantle or fireplace structure. The trick in recording the fire is to drag the shutter. That means you expose for the flash, as I did in the accompanying shot, but extended exposure to accommodate the fire. In this case, I turned off the modelling lamps in my flash gear prior to exposure and set the shutter at "B"- after the flash fired I keep the shutter open for 5 seconds.

This works well with wood and gas fire fireplaces. I have used wood, pre-package "fire logs" and gas falmes. With wood burners, if the fire is too small or dim, I add so rolled-up a newspaper just before shooting. The fore is self-illuminating and will usually record intones or orange or some multi-colours depending on the fuel source.

Observe safety- make sure the fireplace flue is opened, do not use starters or accelerators, and keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Click to expand...

The thing that draws my attention most in your picture is how the shadow under the coffee table is lighter than the coffee table. Looks like a good portion of the middle of the bottom of the frame was overly lightened. Maybe this is a reflection from photographing a print?

--
Victor Engel

I am always fascinated at how people get paid jobs without the ability to do the actual job, fair play for though for having a go, first thing first ensure your insurance is in place.

Studiophotgrapher said:

I am always fascinated at how people get paid jobs without the ability to do the actual job, fair play for though for having a go, first thing first ensure your insurance is in place.

Click to expand...

For most with knowledge of lighting and experience, this would be a minor challenge. Perhaps the client saw something on his website that they responded to or maybe a recommendation from a previous client. Why the comment on insurance? It's not like he's going to be doing pyrotechnics, just taking pictures of the fireplaces.

tcphoto1 said:

Studiophotgrapher said:

I am always fascinated at how people get paid jobs without the ability to do the actual job, fair play for though for having a go, first thing first ensure your insurance is in place.

Click to expand...

For most with knowledge of lighting and experience, this would be a minor challenge. Perhaps the client saw something on his website that they responded to or maybe a recommendation from a previous client. Why the comment on insurance? It's not like he's going to be doing pyrotechnics, just taking pictures of the fireplaces.

Click to expand...

You don’t need pyrotechnics to damage a clients goods, property or them.

Gato Amarillo said:

First of all, be sure you will have access and working time, ideally when the restaurant is not open. Before opening during their prep time is often good, You may need to move tables or seating. Ask for more time that you expect to need. Be nice to the restaurant people -- they need photos too. Maybe you can work this into some future jobs if you make a good impression.

And you will need a fire. Hopefully you'll be dealing with gas or artificial flames so you have control. If it's real wood you'll need someone (maybe your client) who knows how to lay a fire and make it look pretty.

On to the photography --

What kind of photos are they wanting? Straight up record shots of the fireplace and installation? Or do they want something with mood or ambiance? Will you need people as models? Are there windows -- will you be dealing with sunlight from outdoors or windows in the frame?

As to the mechanics of shooting, yes to the tripod. For a straight record shot I would use two lights, probably flashes with umbrellas, one on either side of the set aimed for even lighting across the area. I'd want just enough contrast to define texture and shape. I would set the camera exposure for the fire to get good detail in the flames, then adjust flash power to balance the surroundings with the fire. White balance could be tricky -- I'd probably set flash white balance but shoot raw so there is plenty of room to adjust in processing. Be prepared to tweak the flames in post if you need to - adjust the brightness and color or even add to them.

Click to expand...

Half or full CTO gels on the flashes will help balance the WB and make a more natural-looking image.

Gato Amarillo said:

For more of a mood shot I would shift the lights for more contrast and to highlight the area around and in front of the fire, using one light as main and (probably) a second as fill. You could play with white balance for more of a 'warm and cozy' feel. I'd probably let the edges of the frame go a little dark, could be very subtle or could be more dramatic.

And that's what I've got for now. Hope some of it helps.

Gato

Click to expand...

Studiophotgrapher said:

tcphoto1 said:

Studiophotgrapher said:

I am always fascinated at how people get paid jobs without the ability to do the actual job, fair play for though for having a go, first thing first ensure your insurance is in place.

Click to expand...

For most with knowledge of lighting and experience, this would be a minor challenge. Perhaps the client saw something on his website that they responded to or maybe a recommendation from a previous client. Why the comment on insurance? It's not like he's going to be doing pyrotechnics, just taking pictures of the fireplaces.

Click to expand...

You don’t need pyrotechnics to damage a clients goods, property or them.

Click to expand...

Indeed. Any time you set up a light stand in a space like that, some clod may trip over it and bang his head on a table on the way down. That clod might even be you/me. I'd probably break the table, and maybe a chair, on the way down ;-) As an event photographer, I'm keenly aware of such dangers. Def +1 on the insurance recommendation.

--
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw
http://jacquescornell.photography
http://happening.photos

BlueEventHorizon said:

I've done this exactly one time, so there's probably a better way.

I used two umbrellas/strobes to light the room itself, then turned everything off and bracketed a bunch of images with only the flames for light.

Selected the flame only photo that looked best and composited with the strobe lit scene.

Click to expand...

Done that too....worked well.

(A) Use a fill flash to balance the ambient light with the fireplace

(B) Take two exposures (one for a perfect fire and another for a perfect room) and composite the two in Photoshop. This should be super easy since the fireplace is probably a nice rectangular shape.