Was recruited to do a photo shoot for a Metropolis dining story about a gourmet burger shop in Sangenjaya called Harakara. I’ve lucked out on photo shoots in the past in that I’ve either just happened to get the flash correct, there has been good lighting indoors, or we were able to take photos outside. The editor was looking for cooking shots this time, though, so I decided to take a crash course on flash photography from pro Alfie Goodrich. We met in Shinjuku a few days before the scheduled shoot and Alfie walked me through the proper steps to properly control on-camera external flashes. He’s a wonderful, patient teacher, and I think I learned a lot during out short lesson.
It was pouring rain on the day of the shoot, leaving less light than normal inside the dimly lit restaurant. Going along with Alfie’s suggestions, I fired off some shots without flash using the 50mm 1.8. The owner, Hagiwara-san, has a wonderfully expressive face which was almost constantly beaming with a smile, and was quite photogenic.
When it came to the cooking itself things got a little complicated. I didn’t want to blind the poor guy while he was working, and the kitchen was completely covered in reflective surfaces. I think things came out well for a first effort, though:
I’m veggie and thus passed up the opportunity to taste one of Hagiwara-san’s creations, but they looked fantastic and got rave reviews from both the interviewer and Metropolis staff member.
See the finished product here.
I think the photos turned out wonderfully! I’m always so afraid of using flash, especially indoors :/
I think the kitchen shots worked with the metal surfaces because the metal was so clean so it looked very neat.
Awww, I’d love to do some photography if you’re ever keen!
Julie
Too bad they only used one photo with the article - and none of the kitchen photos.