The Long Bar, Punch Bowl Social – Austin, Texas

Here’s another photo from Punch Bowl Social, which I talked about yesterday. Whenever I see long rows of repeating elements, like the hanging lights and booths, along with the long bar bracketing the aisle, I think of leading lines. These architectural elements pull the viewer into the photograph, and with the glow and reflections at night, it forms my favorite type of scene. I used to make photos like this all the time, but with even wider wide-angle lenses.

After shooting a lot recently with a 50mm equivalent, even the moderate 28mm on the Ricoh GR looks really wide to me. The slightly wide perspective adds enough distortion to enhance interest. Back in the old days, I often used 16mm super-wides that really gave a distinctive, if not slightly gimmicky look. I’ve moderated somewhat, trying to scale the amount of wide-angle distortion to the appropriate scene.

The warm and contrasty look is courtesy of a film simulation effect, which adds more of a mood to this place. But all the post processing effects won’t make a boring place look interesting. Punch Bowl Social has many eye-catching angles. The food was good as was the entertainment, but for me, nothing makes me happier than shooting photographs — particularly making interesting images of every day places I visit.

I’ve added this photo to my Daily Life Collection. Places in and around Austin, that I encounter during my everyday life.