How much room do you need, when you shoot on location?

How much room do you need, when you shoot on location?

Food Photography takes more room than you might think.  Ideally, I’d like to have an area about 20’ x 20’, but I’ve made due with less.   Depending on the types of shots we’re doing, I may want to use a telephoto lens and need all 20’, so more room is better than not enough.

Ceiling height is important too. I almost always want to suspend photographic lights above the food, and sometimes, even the camera needs to be pointing strait down.  At least 10’ ceilings are preferred.

Besides the actual shooting area, we will also need space for our equipment cases.  This are needs to be close to the shooting area so that we have ready access to the tools we need.  We don’t want to waste time running from room to room every time we need a light or a different lens.

While I don’t hate shooting on location, it’s usually preferred to shoot in the studio.