BRAND LIBRARY: JAKE STANGEL FOR OPENTABLE

"OpenTable wanted to celebrate the culture and spirit of dining, as well as showcase vignettes and anecdotes from the kitchen," says Jake. "We were telling the story of the restaurant experience from front to back, open till close.

This was a national campaign, so we shot in real restaurants in Seattle, Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, and Austin to authentically capture the different regional vibes. The agency gave me a lot of latitude on the specific moments to shoot, simply saying they wanted to see everything from the arrival of the first prep cook all the way through to the last dishwasher leaving after close.

I worked closely with the management at the various restaurants to gain their trust and obtain open access across the board. I was shooting on film, which gave me the chance to use my technical expertise—having 100% understanding of focus and exposure—to make sure we were delivering for the client, flawlessly."