Shooting a Dark Coffee House

itsaduck

A friend of mind who owns a coffee house has asked me to take a bunch of photos for an article. I am very comfortable taking pictures of kids, outside, with lots of natural light. Not so much with the dark places and no people (or incidental people who are not the focus of the shot).

I shoot with a Rebel (the 300D). I have a Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5, a Promaster 28-200, and the original kit lens, a 28-55. I have a 580EX with an omni bounce and a 220EX. I have other things too, but the shop will be open and a big umbrella light stand isn't really going to be welcome.

Any suggestions (the more technical the better, since that's a weakness) welcome. If you need more in the way of background, happy to provide that too.

Thanks in advance for any tips; I'm a little nervous about it.

Cheers-

Slinky0390

I actually work in a coffee house (starbucks) and had to take photos for a lame holiday meeting we had. It all depends on what they'll allow you to do. I know they wouldn't let me use a flash but I was able to stop down enough where the dark wasn't a problem. As far as your subject goes, I'm assuming they want people who are either working, customers, or working people who are interacting with customers in the shot. If so, you might want to try some surprise candid shots. You'll catch people in their natural element. If they have an espresso bar, get some photos of the people pulling espresso or making lattes, especially if its an older bar that you manually grind and tamp the coffee.

scottphotography

Lighting
Well, a couple of things come to mind...Obvioulsly use a flash. It's the settings on the flash that will be important here. You don't want a 'washed' background so use;

1. 'ttlbl' (back lighting) setting on the flash. This will illuminate the coffee shop w/o the harsh direct light.
2. Diffuser w/the wide angle (if possible) diffuser too
3. You can try bracketing a series of pics to get the right exposure
4. BEST OPTION: use multiple flash units and set them up to bounce off the celing. Use light stands if you have them or an assistant
5. Natural Light: Only if there are many windows and a bright sunny day. This may porvide fill light

Best of luck.

itsaduck

Great advice, thanks.

I went this morning to see how light/dark it actually is and, as expected, it gets darker towards the back b/c it is locked in on both sides with windows only at the front. I think I can get some decent low-level flash shots of the front using the light from the large window doors and with an extra fill flash.

I'll post the shots after I take them to show you how it turns out.

Cheers-