Asked to shoot a craft beer festival

As for the craft beer festival...

The wife wanted to go too. I got us both in free, but we had to bring the 5 yr old daughter as well, lacking babysitting options. No big deal, in theory. Once we got in, I grabbed the girl and said "we're going to go stash our coats behind the band, stay around here, we'll be right back." And then promptly lost my wife. For an hour and fifteen minutes. She doesn't like to carry a cell phone, you see, because -girl logic-. Normally it's fine, but it would be a great help sometimes. So I spent the first 1:15 of my limited time at the event pacing back and forth through huge crowds, towing a shy 5 yr old who was clinging to my arms and legs, looking desperately for my wife so I could shoot. Then, I decided I'd better try to shoot SOMETHING, period, or risk blowing the whole thing. And it was dreadful. Everyone looked right at me, and she kept ramming her head into my leg as I was trying to hold 1/30 steady. I couldn't move between stations quickly, couldn't take my eyes and thoughts off her for longer than 15 seconds.

I don't recommend it.

And then, poof, my phone vibrated, she had found wifi and used her ipad to tell me where she was, and was shocked that I was the slightest bit put off. Ten long years of experience helped me clamp it down, keep my mouth shut, and arrange a concrete meetup place and time for 1:15 in the future, at which point we'd really need to start biking the girl home for bed. So I got exactly one hour and fifteen minutes to cover the entire 3.5 hour event. I took about 5 minutes to get settings dialed in, then found my stride, and began sprinting from vendor to vendor. I engaged people pretty well, actually, and only had one sarcastic drunken comment to ignore ("He's single you know" as I shot a sticker on a guy's shoulder).

Some of what I got...

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KBRX0007 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

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KBRX0012 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

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KBRX0037 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

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KBRX0059 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Security guard was kind enough to not kick me off the second floor balcony before I had time to rattle off a few aerials.
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KBRX0067 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

He was a good sport.
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KBRX9897 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

My friend Tom, whose wife asked me to do the event.
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KBRX9805 by gordopuggy, on Flickr
 
Hope you drank enough beer.

Not even close. Had 3 tiny samples all night, that's it. Was WAY too busy. First time I've ever been to a beer event where I got home afterwards and immediately cracked open a beer. A few of the vendors I was chatting with behind their booths would say "hey you want a sample?" and I'd pull the little cup out of my Domke. But that's it - three 2oz samples.
 
Not even close. Had 3 tiny samples all night, that's it. Was WAY too busy. First time I've ever been to a beer event where I got home afterwards and immediately cracked open a beer. A few of the vendors I was chatting with behind their booths would say "hey you want a sample?" and I'd pull the little cup out of my Domke. But that's it - three 2oz samples.

For shame! Looks like you relied upon natural light? Shots look good, although it looks like you pushed the ISO a little bit. The first, fourth, and last photo could have used a little fill to soften the shadows and keep the ISO down but they still turned out ok.
 
For shame! Looks like you relied upon natural light? Shots look good, although it looks like you pushed the ISO a little bit. The first, fourth, and last photo could have used a little fill to soften the shadows and keep the ISO down but they still turned out ok.

All I own is that flip-up flash that comes with the XT1. I put it on for one test shot early in the night, had it down to -2/3 I think? I looked at the results, gasped / clutched my pearls, and took it off in disgust. It was atrocious. White balance between ambient and that flash were miles apart, and it was cold, sterile, and disgusting looking. And it drew attention. SO I had to shoot more or less wide open all night, which meant tiny DOF's, and some ISO noise, but ... short of having a speed light and lot of experience in using it, what could I have done? (serious question)
 
Craft beer fest folks wrote me again, and asked if I wanted to shoot product shots for a restaurant. They wanted food shots specifically. I knew enough to politely say "not a chance in hell." Never done food, and everything I've heard is that it's frighteningly difficult. Some kind of dark art... Nope nope nope.
 
Craft beer fest folks wrote me again, and asked if I wanted to shoot product shots for a restaurant. They wanted food shots specifically. I knew enough to politely say "not a chance in hell." Never done food, and everything I've heard is that it's frighteningly difficult. Some kind of dark art... Nope nope nope.

Or at least let them price professional food photographers before approaching you again. :tongue: Most people have not concept of how hard a particular photo project can be.
 
"Well, whatever you take would have to be better than what they have now - iPhone photos are on their website."

Charge them and do it. Even if you blow it, it'll be better than they have. It's the only to get experience. The only tip I would have would be to definitely shoot RAW. The biggest flaw I see in food shots as wrong color temperature and it makes the food look ghastly. Otherwise I'd think it's a dark art in any way.
 
you could also offer to shoot it "on spec". You go and shoot it with no expectations. If you're happy with them, you can sit down with them and show them your results (don't email them so they have them for free). If they like them, they can pay to use them. If they don't want to pay for them, you can keep them for yourself and they can continue to use the photos (taken with telephones) on their website.
 
The actual offer was "some free food or concert tickets" since this place is also a good concert venue. And internally, I was like "not both...?"

If I had ANY interest in being able to shoot food, I might do it for experience. But really, I don't. And this time of year is already nuts, between my and my wife's post-work obligations.
 
Back before I started home brewing in earnest again, I used to photograph every new kind of beer I tried with my little cheap compacts or cell phones. From 2009 to 2011, I accumulated between 250 and 350 unique beers in the photo folders per year.
 
Back before I started home brewing in earnest again, I used to photograph every new kind of beer I tried with my little cheap compacts or cell phones. From 2009 to 2011, I accumulated between 250 and 350 unique beers in the photo folders per year.

Sounds like you had BAS - Beer Acquisition Syndrome
 
I agree with Bill - you're on the way to being used like a wet dishrag. Unless the people know you personally, and very well, they will not appreciate the effort and time you put into this kind of work. And it is work. You need to treat it like a job and smash it. Before you go you should be previsualizing your images, and the minute you hit the venue you should be adjusting your previz and planning your shots. I hate to say it, but this is not a situation where the wife and kid can be in tow; if you are there to shoot, you need all your attention on the job and not divided between a five year old on your knee and a wife wondering what the heck is going on.

Gear: two bodies, two fast lenses, pocket backup. Many event/wedding photographers use a 24-70 and 70-200, plus a couple of fast primes. Others have something like a 16-35mm as well. In your case, I'd use two X bodies with the 35 and 56, and have a fast wide zoom in your bag if necessary. Food type events are fast paced and you need to be able to smash candids from a medium distance - the 56 will give you reach, speed and depth of field separation to pick out one subject amidst many.

Shots: your use of establishing shots to warm up is a good one. Establishing shots of the venue, the displays, the people behind the displays, all good. Next come people and action. Beer in hand, bartenders pouring, people talking animatedly, all good. The distinctions will come from the kinds of expressions you can capture. After a while you'll develop a kind of radar sense of 'action that is about to go down'. You'll spot a group of people and notice who is talking with the most volume and gesticulation, so you can capture not only them, but the bemused expressions of the people around them. Better yet if they have beer in hand. Etc. Also look for the shapes that people's bodies and heads form against a backdrop, if this makes sense. Think cinema.

Payment: I only shoot for free if I know the people really well, and they are not expecting me to shoot. It's a bit of a paradox. If someone wants you to shoot for free, you must clearly establish the results they will get, so they know what to expect. The only time I was asked to shoot an event, and the people who asked me didn't like the work, was for free. They had never seen my work before but expected me to rock up with all my gear, give them photos, and for them to be satisfied. Not doing that ever again. On the other side, I shot two weddings while being a guest and both parties not only liked my work more than the hired pros, but also have my photos hanging on their walls. They knew what I could do, but did not expect me to deliver the way I did.

Otherwise, think very carefully about how much time and effort is going into shooting an event and charge accordingly. Shooting for free devalues photography, which makes it harder for the people who are doing this to make a living.
 
Back before I started home brewing in earnest again, I used to photograph every new kind of beer I tried with my little cheap compacts or cell phones. From 2009 to 2011, I accumulated between 250 and 350 unique beers in the photo folders per year.

Sounds like you had BAS - Beer Acquisition Syndrome

Haha if that 250-350 score shocked you, then don´t start with the super-fun app Untappd.. you can check in and rate each bear you drink, earn badges, make friends and.. add a photo. (I'm at 120 unique beers in 1 year)
 
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