A taste of the shoot. More photos are in the full gallery further down the page. Click any photo to see it large.
Bodhi Restaurant was in the Sydney CBD, near St Mary's Cathedral and Hyde Park. Each year it held a Chinese New Year celebration, and one year I was there to photograph it. This was restaurant event photography with two jobs to do: capture the celebration on the night, and show the venue, the food and the people enjoying themselves.
If you run a restaurant, bar or venue and you're planning an event, this shows what an evening like this can give you to use afterwards.
The brief: the venue at night, for marketing
Bodhi wanted photos of the venue at night time. They planned to use them on their website, on social media and in other advertising. So the brief had two sides. One was the event itself, as it happened. The other was the venue at its best after dark, with every table full.
Most of Bodhi was outdoors. It had an open courtyard with large white umbrellas, trees wrapped in fairy lights, lit bamboo and candles on the tables. For Chinese New Year it was dressed with rows of big red lanterns, small lanterns hung under the umbrellas and a red carpet leading in from the gate.
Hospitality venue photography at night
I photographed the entrance too. The lit Bodhi signs, the red carpet and the column of lanterns told people where they were before they read a word. I photographed it straight on and from the side, along the line of lanterns.
In the courtyard, I worked from low angles and from the steps, so the umbrellas, the fairy-lit trees and the night sky all fitted in the frame. The night shots use slower shutter speeds, so guests who moved show as a soft blur, which gives a sense of a busy night. Staff in aprons appear in a few frames, serving the tables.
Chinese New Year event photography: the lion dance
The lion dance was the main event. There were at least two lions, one white and pink and one cream and gold. They moved between the tables and up to the guests.
For these photos I wanted the reactions as much as the lions. Guests filmed on their phones, leaned in close and reached into one lion's mouth. Those moments show what it was like to be there, which is what a restaurant wants people to feel when they see the photos. The lion dance photos are together in the gallery at the bottom of this page.
The lion dance photos have a softer, faded look, and the night venue photos are bright and colourful. They work as two sets: one for the event, one for the venue.
A shot list for a restaurant event
If you're planning an event at your restaurant or bar, this is the list I'd start with:
- The entrance and signage, so people recognise you when they arrive.
- The room or courtyard at its busiest, from a high or wide angle.
- The decorations and lighting you've put in for the night.
- The food and drinks as they reach the table.
- Guests enjoying themselves, with their permission.
- Staff at work, serving and welcoming people.
- The main act, whether it's a performance, a speech or a toast.
- The details: candles, table settings, menus.
Tell your photographer what the photos are for before the night. Website banners, social posts and print ads all need different crops, and it's easier to shoot for them than to fix it later.
Event photography in Sydney
My event photography packages are $297, $497 and $797, and an extra hour is $157. See event photography in Sydney for what each package includes.
Shoot details
Client
Bodhi Restaurant
Industry
Restaurant
Where
Sydney CBD, near St Mary's Cathedral and Hyde Park
Occasion
Bodhi's annual Chinese New Year celebration
Photographed
The venue at night, the lion dance and guests at the tables
Brief
Photos for Bodhi's website, social media and other advertising
The lion dance
The lion dance at Bodhi's Chinese New Year night. Click any photo to see it large.
Planning an event at your restaurant?
I can photograph the night as it happens and your venue at its best, anywhere in Sydney. Event packages are $297, $497 and $797, with extra hours at $157.
