JW S

I have an opportunity to photograph the wait staff of a new Sports Bar and Restaurant that is opening soon. The images will be used for website and posters. This place is more on the line of a Hooter's but a different chain.

The ambient lighting will be soft and dark, probably more on the incandescent soft lighting scale - much closer to 2500K than true daylight color. If I set up with the studio strobes I am going to get a soft light, but it will be too close to daylight and that always strikes an odd contrast to the gold/amber background lighting.

So does anyone have history shooting this type of work?
What color gels do you use to offset the daylight color of a strobe or even a Speedlight?
I have a large assortment of Paul C. Buff Gels - and so if by some slim chance someone has used those, the "gel color #" should be the same as mine.

The targeted end result is a full body to 3/4 body lighting for individuals and probably groups of three. The ambient light should be apparent but not the primary source of my light. I'm anticipating 800 or better for my ISO.

Any advice or general tips for this style of work is appreciated. Again.... I am not going to the contrasty 'blue toned faces' in a sea of soft white/amber background lighting, but a nice blend between.


Gear - Canon 6D 24-105 F4 / nifty-50. My other lenses are too long for this job
Lighting - PCBuff Einstein(s) multiple diffusers or Speedlights - on camera (with a Gary Fong light thief or bounce card) or off camera with multiple diffusers.

Thank you .....

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

You could keep it simple with a Gary Fong Lightsphere and an Amber dome.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

To match ambient incandescent, use CTOs (orange gels). Whether quarter, half or full depends on the actual lighting. Think about a custom white balance. If you want the people to be a bit warmer than the ambient, you can increase the color of the gel slightly.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

It sounds like you are all set - the 6D should give great existing-light images.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Good answer.

Original poster: You may need a full CTO plus 1/4 or 1/2 CTO. Definitely do a test to determine desired white balance. You can match strobes closely to ambient, and make the mix neutral with a custom white balance tool. But you may want to dial in a Kelvin setting to retain some warmth. That can be done best when post-processing raw images.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Tilted Kilt?

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

One thing I have done when shooting a restaurant/bar is dim down the sports that are on the TV displays in post. How much is up to you, but if you are exposing to record the ambient and highlight with your strobes/speedlites, the displays can be very bright and distracting.

sandiegosteve Loc: San Diego, CA

Sounds similar to concert photography. I've seen a lot of articles on it with a google search.

JW S

Thanks for the great responses.... Each is appreciated! There are still a lot of unanswered questions about this shoot.... which I hope to have resolved in a day or so. The primary target is the wait staff. I want their skin tones to look natural. So ideally, the light I use should be warmer in tone than I would typically use in the studio. So if I can test the Gels before the session starts, that will be helpful.

The thought of adding an orange dome on my Gary Fong is interesting and may be the best route if I have to shoot more of a Candid style.

Thanks for your help... I will be testing this in the studio... I may come back with more thoughts/questions.

J

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Don't forget to get written release forms!!!

That will cover you and the restaurant owner(s).

JW S

Excellent comment.... I always use model release forms unless I am working under contract... So for shooting the waitresses... I may be ok... people in the background..maybe not so much ... I'll probably amend my contract to cover these details. Thanks

J

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

You said, "I may be ok...", but there is a possibility that the waitress or ??? could quit under less than ideal reasons. That could mess things up in the future.

Just saying.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I shot a restaurant soft opening and had all employees and patrons sign a waiver allowing image usage. In situations like this, there is no difference between employees and patrons image use. You are protecting yourself and your client.