This will not come as a surprise to any of you, but it has been a longtime goal and dream of mine to photograph a Mexican restaurant for a client. Somehow in my fifteen years of photography this has eluded me despite it being literally the thing that excites me the most.
Which brings me to Vida at the Lake, a popular little Mexican eatery right in the heart of Meredith village. This lovely restaurant is owned by a family that also owns Enso Japanese Steakhouse in Meredith, and also Vida Mexican in Weirs Beach. I had the pleasure of shooting Enso’s opening day back in June which was a lot of chaotic fun.
On a cold Monday in January, I had the opportunity to photograph both Vida at the Lake, and Enso again. All in one day!
Delicious Mexican Food and Drink
Photographing a restaurant’s food and interiors in winter is a tricky feat. Short daylight hours can be hard to work with. Walking into Vida at the Lake, I wasn’t sure how much natural light they had in their restaurant. Turns out, much of the interior is nowhere near any windows. In order to get the food photos that reflect my usual style and results, I asked the staff to move a small table over to a window near the entrance. Thankfully the restaurant only had one or two guests on that cold Monday afternoon.
Doing a food shoot in a restaurant involves taking over large amounts of space, so the more flexibility I have in moving things around, the better. Normally I like doing a shoot when a restaurant is closed so that I can turn off any artificial lights that I need. Being able to freely move furniture around is also important. Some restaurants don’t want to let me in unless they’re open and serving customers, and that will only just limit what I can do.
New Hampshire Food Photography
Erika Follansbee is a published Goffstown, NH food photographer whose job is to make food look amazing. She is available for hire to help small restaurants and cafes to create beautiful images of their dishes to use for marketing, websites, and social media. Magazine-quality food images are the best form of advertisement.
Erika is also a wedding photographer. Visit www.erikafollansbee.com for more information.
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