You might be asking yourself, "What's with all of these food pictures on Instagram lately?" Or you might just be one of those people behind a foodstagram. Either way, I am here to show what really goes on behind the scenes of those ever present food pictures.
Picture this: You're at a trendy restaurant and you see a happy couple sitting a table over. One minute they're patiently waiting for their food to arrive, the next minute it's a full on photoshoot. Yeah, that's me whenever I drag my boyfriend out to eat.
For me, food pictures are a way to document where I've been and what I've done.
That's why I take the pictures in the first place. I go a step further and post them online, so that others are able to see what I have eaten as well and maybe get inspired to try it themselves. I get a lot of my restaurant ideas from other food instagrams, so why not join the crowd? Because of my interest in food pictures, I have been to new places and have tried things I never would have otherwise.
My boyfriend on the other hand, hates when I whip out my phone at the table.
All he wants to do is eat. All I want to do is get a good shot and then eat of course. He appreciates food pictures in general, because he too has accepted my ways of looking up pictures of places and food before going to eat there. However, he has yet to appreciate the time and embarrassment it takes to get those pictures out there.
When it comes to posting pictures, that's where all the magic happens. It's one thing to take a good picture of your food, it's another to post an even better one. The goal of every post should be to relay the taste and aesthetic of the food to people who weren't there. Foodies and non-foodies alike will thank you for it.
Not only that, it's basically free advertising for the restaurant. If you really enjoyed your experience why not give them a little boost?
I created my own food instagram @li_foodie (pictured above) to showcase all of my food pictures. I didn't want my personal account to be flooded with food and yet I still wanted a way to keep a public diary of what I've eaten. I love being able to look back and remember the times I've had thanks to my food instagram.
Food pictures are polarizing, either you like them or you don't. For every foodie, there is a pair of eyes rolling across the table, and for everyone else, there is a foodie photographer yearning for the perfect photo. Taking food pictures is not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.
Whether you're like me and love documenting your delectable experiences or you're like my boyfriend and can't wait to dig in, go out and enjoy yourself. Do what makes you happy and remember that whichever role you take on, you are not alone. Every food picture has a story to tell. What's yours?