The Dining Room
A formal table setting beneath the chandelier
About The Dining Room
The Dining Room at Queen's Butler The Studio is a formal dining setting in which a 1980s English yew table, wine-red and mahogany chairs and a nine-light Maria Theresa chandelier can all be captured in a single frame.
In the Dining Room, what should take the lead to tell the story of a formal dinner?
Hands in white gloves
Photographing separately the hand pouring the drink you have brought, the hand setting down a cup and the hand drawing out a chair turns the butler's gestures into a short series.
Read more
A conversation for two
A composition across the long table and one with both seated on the same side give quite different impressions of distance.
Read more
Family milestones
For parties of up to six, deciding the order in advance, everyone together, then smaller groups, then individuals, keeps movement around the chairs to a minimum. The butler checks the space between hems and chairs and guides each person from seated to standing.
Read more
Tabletop pieces as the subject
For products and keepsakes, the impression changes with what accompanies them: the grain of the yew, the silver or the porcelain.
Read more
What is the provenance of the English table and the nine-light chandelier?
| Yew table | A 1980s English twin-pedestal extending table. It measures 1,000 mm wide, 787 mm high and 2,286 mm long, with the top supported on two pedestals. |
|---|---|
| The yew's history | In England the yew was held sacred, and its wood is bound up with the history of the longbow. A wide shot of the grain gives tabletop pieces a calm background. |
| Nine-light chandelier | A Maria Theresa chandelier, its glass arms clad in crystal, hung directly above the table. The ceiling bears plaster decoration in an acanthus motif. |
| Dining chairs | Italian-made, in a combination of wine red and mahogany. The seat height is 47 cm, allowing both seated poses and the gesture of drawing out a chair to be photographed. |
| Table lighting | A five-light candelabra with crystal drops, a pair of brass candlesticks and ivory taper candles. Any effect involving a live flame requires prior consultation. |
| Surrounding furnishings | A Persian-patterned carpet, a gramophone and a silver bell on the table complete the formal dining scene. On the day, the butler checks the condition of anything to be touched or operated and advises you accordingly. |
A formal dining composition is not a matter of laying out as much tableware as possible; it is a frame in which you have decided what to show first: the person, the hands, the grain of the table or the light overhead. When the butler arranges the silver and porcelain and the photographer decides the sitter's gaze and the angle of view, the same table can express celebration, conversation or business. Begin with the whole table and the chandelier, then move to the sitter's expression, and finally close in on the tableware and the white-gloved hands, and the scene flows from the breadth of the dining room to a single gesture. Before changing arrangements, confirm which photographs you need; the butler checks and tidies any tableware once it has been used.
We decide whether the sitter or the nine-light chandelier is shown first
A composition that makes the most of the chandelier frames the nine lights and the outline of the ceiling decoration above the sitter's head, using the length of the table to convey depth. Whether the sitter is placed at the head of the table or at the far end changes which chairs and doors appear in the background. The photographer confirms the camera position before the sitter is seated, while the butler clears the passage and arranges the hem of the attire.
How the light is rendered depends on the camera you bring, the colour of the attire and any other lighting. Rather than setting exposure or colour temperature to fixed values, please check the sitter's skin and the outline of the crystal in test shots. The butler manages the Manor's lighting; the operation of photographic equipment and judgement of the results rest with the photographer.
For a full-length portrait, include the end of the table and the chair legs; for a half-length, place silver or the bell in the foreground to create a different distance. When adding tabletop pieces, check that reflections do not hide the sitter's face, and the butler adjusts the angle of each piece one by one.
The butler arranges the silver and porcelain before and after the plate you wish to photograph
A formal table setting means the butler arranging plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins to suit the sitter's place and the area to be photographed. Whether every place is laid to the same density or a single place takes the lead depends on the image you need. Before touching any piece, we ask its purpose, then adjust the position and angle of each one in white gloves.
The Manor does not serve meals. You may bring food and drink, but we cannot undertake as a matter of course to transfer it to the Manor's plates and glasses, or to carve or serve it. Please tell us at booking about the containers, the quantity and whether liquids or oils are involved, and we will discuss a way of handling them that protects the furnishings.
If you are photographing products or keepsakes, please tell us in advance their size, the material of their base and the background you need. Whether silver or porcelain can be placed alongside is checked by the butler on the day. After the shoot, we count what you brought separately from the Manor's furnishings, and confirm everything is back in place before moving to another scene.
From arrival to departure, how does a Dining Room shoot proceed?
Welcome at the entrance
The butler bows to welcome you and confirms the number in your party, attire, equipment and anything you have brought. On rainy days, wet items are dealt with before you are shown to the scene.
Checking the table and the passage
Together we look over the table, chairs, chandelier, silver and porcelain. We decide first where equipment will be placed and which side the butler will move along.
Deciding the first shot
Choose whether the sitter, a tabletop piece or the chandelier takes the lead. Test shots confirm how the attire and the lighting appear.
Arranging tableware and your items
The butler checks the condition of any silver and porcelain to be used and sets it in place. For food, drink and products, we discuss handling before anything is transferred from its container.
Changing arrangements
For parties of up to six, we photograph everyone together, then smaller groups, then individuals. The butler checks around the chairs and guides the next person to their seat.
What you may bring
- Attire, shoes, bouquets, letters and keepsakes are welcome.
- Please provide cameras, tripods, lighting and sound equipment to suit your purpose.
- Food and drink may be brought, but the Manor does not serve meals.
- Keeping meeting papers and products sorted by shooting order lets them be moved without mixing with the silver and porcelain.
What must be discussed with us
- Effects involving fire, smoke or strong heat are assessed for safety separately from the appearance of the candles.
- For liquids, oils and items liable to stain, we discuss containers and protective coverings for the furnishings and the tabletop.
- Please do not move or operate the silver, porcelain, gramophone or silver bell on your own judgement; ask the butler.
- For large equipment or many cases, we confirm in advance a placement that does not obstruct the passage or the movement of chairs.
How does use of the table change with party size, weather and time of day?
| One guest | Photograph the head of the table, the long side and a standing pose in turn, capturing the gesture of a glance towards a letter or a piece of tableware. |
|---|---|
| Two guests | Choose whether to face each other or sit side by side, and decide the order of what is handed over and where the eyes go. |
| Three or more | Separate those seated from those standing, and check footing and attire each time chairs are changed. |
| Up to six | The Manor accommodates a maximum of six guests. Please write out the group photograph and the smaller groupings in advance. |
| Rainy days | The shoot can centre on the interior. We deal with wet equipment and coats at the entrance so that nothing touches the tabletop. |
| Day and evening | The Manor's lighting and any lighting you bring are balanced through test shots. |
A table arranged by the butler does not mean a meal prepared by the Manor; it is a scene in which the seating, the tableware, the white-gloved gestures and the passage are arranged to suit the intention of the shoot. Queen's Butler is operated by the Japan Butler Association, and both men and women serve as butlers. Throughout your visit one butler remains in the room; the Manor is never let unattended. From the sound of a dish being set down to the pause before a chair is drawn out and the direction of a bow on withdrawing, every gesture is agreed with the photographer so that nothing obscures the sitter's expression.
QHow is the table used for a meeting?
For up to six, we can discuss seating to suit your papers, equipment and the people you are speaking with. We do not promise a fixed arrangement; the butler advises on the day according to the equipment and the passage.
QMay silver and porcelain be used in the shoot?
Please tell us in advance which silver and porcelain you would like to use. The butler checks their condition on the day and advises on placement and what may be touched.
QCan we bring food for an anniversary gathering?
You may bring food and drink, but the Manor does not serve meals. As transferring to plates and glasses, carving and serving are not provided as a matter of course, please discuss containers and quantities with us at booking.
QHow many people can be photographed?
The Manor accommodates a maximum of six guests. Not everyone will necessarily be lined up on the same side at once; we compose the shot with some seated and some standing.
QMay we bring cameras and lighting?
Yes, photographic equipment is welcome. Please share the type and quantity in advance so that we can discuss the passage and cabling around the table.
QCan the candles be lit for the shoot?
Any effect involving a live flame requires prior consultation. After checking safety and the effect on the furnishings, we advise on what we can accommodate.
About using The Studio
- The manor is never let unattended. A butler is present for every booking, and keys are not handed over
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. We do not provide meals
- Please use the antique furnishings under the butler's guidance. The armour, hall clock, porcelain and silver are handled by the butler
- Please consult us in advance about loud sound or the use of naked flames
- Prices shown include tax
You may also wish to read
We await you beneath the chandelier.
Tell us the scene you wish to capture in the dining room: a shoot, a meeting, a conversation.