Photographing retail store interiors.

Hello all,

Have a quick question here which I haven't turned up much luck with the search function.

I have been contracted to photograph the interior of a retail store. Basically shelves of merchandise, not a product or ad photography type assignment, but they are having a grand opening and just wanted me on hand to photograph how they remodeled the store and such.

Given the overhead lighting that is common in retail stores, I am trying to figure out what settings to use for the best exposure.

I have :

Rebel XTi
Sigma 105mm 2.8
Tammy 28-75 2.8
Sigma 10-20 3.5 - 4 (I think that is what it is.)
430 EX
tripod and usual accessories

I plan to arrive to dusk and get photographs of the outside of the store with the lights glowing inside and on their storefront neon.

Just hoping for some advice. Thanks a ton.

Well, tip one: Shoot RAW. IF you manage to screw up your WB, you can atleast save it afterwards in post-processing.


Tip two: bring a tripod. If are on the location and want to do some long exposure shots, you're gonna need it of course. Especially if you're planning on shooting at dusk.


Tip three: Just bring along all your lenses, you're probably only going to use your Sigma 1020 for the overview interior shots. But you never know what ideas you might come up with at the scene and think, crap...why didn't I pack my macro lens. Also pack the flash...I dunno.


Good luck!

Long exposures with the shoppers/staff with motion blur. Or a phtogenic staff member who keeps still and the shoppers moving around him/her.

cheers
Ali

Any advice on the setting to use?

ClickClick wrote in post #3967064
Any advice on the setting to use?

If people are moving fast enough you could stop down enough to increase depth of field and give 1 second exposure, so you would need the tripod. I have in mind the sort of photo that you would take for a bar or restaurant review. Picture of the interior with a blurred waiter in the foreground.

Of course I could be talking rubbish, as I haven't really tried it. You could practice anywhere, a railway station for example with static back ground and lots of commuters in the foreground.

cheers
Ali

These are very comments and advice given.

However after reading them, I see I may have omitted a bit of information in my first post. (My mistake)

Regarding people in the store... well I don't think that is going to happen. I was concerned mainly with the settings for capturing things clearly and overcoming the overhead lighting.

There may be some people in the store, but I don't think they are going to want to be photographed. You see, this is an adult novelty store.

There. Let the jokes start rolling in.

They are having their grand opening *pun* and the owner also owns a nightclub that I shoot at regularly and asked me to come take some pictures of the interior and such to go on their website. So I don't think the average customer wants their picture on the website showing them browsing the S&M section or such.

So.... the pics will most likely be large overview of the store layout, the new interior design / architecture (building was formerly an old car museum), etc..

No joke Intended. Go for angles. I have been a video shooter for some years and have always found some of the most interesting shots were off the normal lines of sight that people see. Low, High, Dutch to the left and right. You could even have some fun with forced prespective shots. Its th estuff that people dont see normally that gets themn going.

Well I went and shot last night about 11PM. I figured that would minimize the disruption that I may have caused shoppers at an earlier hour. Although there were quite a few shoppers in there that late. You wouldn't believe how fast they bolted when I walked in with a camera. (they must be Senators during the day time. LOL)

Some of the shots I took were with the 10-20 Sig of the video aisle. Standing close to the shelf (with my cheek about touching) and looking all the way down the row so that at 10-12mm the row seems to expand to infinity.

I shot the standard employees goofing off shots, various shots of the variety of clothing accessories and items they had, which by the way, they expected me to do all the presentation work to a degree I thought was taking advantage of my time. For instance, they had a new shirt/short set by some popular fetish maker. They brought out the items and then brought me a naked mannequin to put the stuff on. I did, shot some pictures, then they moved the mannequin into the store window. Brought me out another set of leather items and ANOTHER naked mannequin and just sort of expected me to dress that one as well. This went on another 4-5 times, each time they moving the entire setup to be displayed somewhere in the store. I wasn't sure if part of my assignment of window dressing and display had forgotten to be relayed to me. (shouldn't they have done their own decorating ahead of time?)

I did shots of the logo, then went outside the store and shot wide shots of the store front, bracketing so I could get the exposure from the light inside through the windows correct (underexposed the exterior) and then so I could expose the exterior and neon sign outside correctly (which overexposed the interior lights). Will have to play around in PS to try to combine these two shots correctly.

With the exception of the part of having to decorate the dummies, the staff was super nice. When I finished, they gave me this huge gift basket of various items and about 15 shirts and tanktops. However, I can't picture me wearing any of the clothing to the gym to workout based on some of the captions on them. LOL

Overall, this was probably the easiest and most lucrative assignment I have had so far based on the compensation for 2 hours of work.

You going to post some then?

cheers
Ali

PS great that it went well

I have to do a little PP first, but will post some of the more interesting ones. Although I have to admit, they are quite boring. Unless you have an inclination towards certain fetishes and like to see pictures (e-window shop). But these are not pics that really jump out at you and make you think "wow, nice exposure, great set up, nice use of light, etc.."

Basically they are good pictures, but not good photographs.