Lolita Tartine

Over the years I’ve shot hundreds of restaurants both big and small but few had a space this cool. The restaurant is owned by Christophe and Geraldine Coutelle (owners of C’est La Vie Restaurant and French Bakery on Main Street). This new concept is in the very cool and upcoming Rosemary District of Sarasota on 1419 5th Street. The restaurant is a blend of French Bistro, Moroccan and Eclectic International Fair with something for everyone, definitely fresh and healthy and at unbelievable prices given the quality of the ingredients.

The space is essentially a study of color, textures and history that not even Disney could replicate at any cost. It’s captivating.

You can feel Sarasota’s history all around you in the space. Dining is offered inside and out, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is even a counter with bar stools if you are solo.

Imagica is rebuilding Lolita’s website which was created at their opening last year so we needed some images that more accurately represented the actual vibe and space of Lolita. By design, we elected to shoot on a quiet Tuesday after a long holiday weekend as we wanted both static images and some with guests bot not too crowded as to appear busy and distracting. In addition, because this is a new venture and a small restaurant we didn’t want to add any unnecessary expense by shooting when the restaurant was closed etc. We would simply work around the traffic flow from 9am to 12pm and get what we could and fill in additional images later if and when they might become necessary.

The shoot lasted 3 hours and could have been done in under two but we were working around guests mingling in our work area and a few staff calling in sick. All in all the shoot went really well. Here’s just a sample of what we were able to accomplish in a few hours.

If you haven’t been you should go Monday – Saturday: 1419 5th St, Sarasota, FL 34236. Phone: (941) 952-3172

Photography Tip 1:
Resist the temptation to shoot everything. It will probably be much more than you need. Instead, shoot the obvious and then save some for subsequent shoots to keep your photography fresh. Try and be efficient and book your photographer for their minimum time or just a few hours. Once you see what you have and how it’s being used, then start making a list for what you are missing.

Photography Tip 2:
Have a shot list prepared for your photographer and make sure somebody can keep them moving to get it done. The more you can do the less they have to and your session will cost less.

Photography Tip 3:
Images with people are often and usually more compelling for marketing purposes but be aware that they become obsolete sooner than general images of the space that are void of people and more “architectural” in style.