#headhsots

If you’ve ever been to Bincho, you’ll know it isn’t very conducive to shooting with lighting gear. It’s dark and narrow, which is great for adding to its cool look and charm, but not for light stands and flashes. Normally I have time to set up my lighting and shots, and spend a lot of time with the client to get the expressions and connection I require. But for this shoot, I only had an hour to setup and shoot while the chef prepared dishes. I know an hour sounds like a long time, and it is, but I didn’t know what he was preparing, or where he would prepare it, which added to the fun! 

I decided that I needed to simplify. I took out my Rotolight Neo, attached it to an extendable handle (it may, or may not be a selfie stick... fine, it is a selfie stick), and got to shooting. I needed the light to be placed in places that a light stand couldn’t go, so the handle worked great. I was also fortunate that my friend Rachel wanted to watch, so I roped her in to hold the light (you can check out a bts here: www.instagram.com/p/BPeC7G0F_xb/?hl=en).

The lighting in the restaurant was mainly amber, so I tried to match the colour on the rotolight (The rotolight is great as it has colour temperature controls).

Due to the low light, I was shooting with my Sony A7s. I brought a range of lenses, but I primarily shot with the zeiss 24-70/f4 for flexibility and ease.

Chef Asai was a wizard preparing these incredible dishes, and I honestly struggled to keep up with his speed. I like to shoot with shallow depths of field, as a result I missed some shots. I shot a mix of apertures for coverage, but I often used wider apertures due to the low light.

When I was shooting, I was very conscious that I wanted to shoot in my style. I didn’t want to just take generic food shots, and luckily the situation allowed me to do it. From the depth of field, to the angles, to the tone and lighting, I made sure that I was working towards the look that appeals to me.

I loved shooting with lots of shadow and pockets of light. For me it gives a strong sense of depth in the environment, and draws the eye to the subject of the shot.

I wanted to try to portray a story in through my photography, so I had to make sure I shot enough coverage of the preparation and presentation. I tried different angles and shot from both the kitchen and the customer areas.

After we’d shot the preparation and food, I wanted to make sure I got a headshot of Chef Asai, so I switched to an 85mm lens and dragged him away from the kitchen.

Once we were done, I packed up and we got to eat the delicious food!

When the day was finally done, I had to go and do the post work. I used a combination of photoshop and lightroom for the shots.

This was such a fun experience, and I got the shots I wanted and produced the look that represents my style.

For me, it’s valuable to create work that I feel represents me as a brand and a person. I am often trying new things, and my style sometimes changes, but I feel it is always portraying the way I look at things (And the way I want others to look at things). 

If you get the chance, I recommend you try Bincho. It is definitely one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Singapore. And probably the coolest I’ve seen! I suggest you sit at the counter and watch Chef Asai work.

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