Do You Photograph Your Food?

[monarch64]

I do. I enjoy recording my gastric adventures and palate peculiarities. I also realize it can be interpreted as rude and possibly unsavory to be seen sticking a camera in the face of a filet.
I like to Instagram my favorite foodie fotos and tag the restaurant--I don't do chains typically and I want to help local businesses by giving them free publicity with my posts and relevant hashtags/keywords.
What do YOU think? Do you approve or are you omgsoannoyed when you see this happening--like, why can't people put away their damn phones for 20 minutes and just eat?!

 

[lovedogs]

haha yes I do this, mostly because I like Yelp and restaurant review sites (since they help me find new tasty food places), so I write reviews and post pics. But I'm sure I look like a total idiot--oh well!

 

[monarch64]

Last night 4 of us ladies had a wonderful dinner to wish our friend a bon voyage because she's leaving for Copenhagen for the next year and a half. We had some lovely food and drinks and she showed us on my phone exactly where she would be in relation to the Baltic Sea/Norway/etc. So I didn't feel like it was super rude to photograph food and drinks. A couple seated near us got a birthday dessert and I overheard the woman say "oh, I have to take a picture, it's so pretty!" I feel like this is the norm now, but I bet others disagree.

 

[Puppmom]

I don't go out to dinner often or post on social media BUT I think this is a nice way to thank a restaurant with a little promotion if you're satisfied with your experience. So I say go for it! They probably really appreciate it.

 

[azstonie]

I do take pics of my food now that I want to show my friends what I cooked or ordered when dining out! I try to do it as surreptitiously as possible, though.

Here's a pic from this year's Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, at a pub called Union, in St Phillip's Plaza. Its a happenin' place in Tucson so there's usually a line to get in and its LOUD.

 

[telephone89]

I feel like I try, but they never turnout good haha. So I usually don't.

 

[azstonie]

I still have a pic from DH's 50th in Vancouver, BC: Fish House in the Park (Stanley Park). It was so pretty I got a pic.

 

[azstonie]

Monnie, I remember the bad old days dining out when people would ruin my meal with cigarette smoke or loud and obnoxious talking, so taking a pic? Not a prob!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Lawd yes! I also take pictures of my cocktails, particularly at home, because the lighting in my kitchen combined with the depression glass that I serve the drinks up in makes for cool pics. If anyone found my phone they'd think all I did was eat and drink!

 

[azstonie]

Deej, make that "eat and drink and buy bling!"

 

[Dee*Jay]

Deej, make that "eat and drink and buy bling!"

Ha! Well yes... there is that!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Yes I take pictures of my food but usually only if I made it. Saturday I made some BBQ wings and was so proud of myself I snapped a pic and shared the recipe on FB. I figured maybe someone would want to try the recipe, they were delish!

 

[Kbell]

yes!
and drinks... sideways drinks... lol

 

[Matata]

When the occasion, place, or food is extra special. Meat pie at the Dog and Gun pub in Keswick, UK

 

[PierreBear]

I try to do a quick snap shot, perhaps to remember a meal that we are out celebrating something. I do have an embarrassing moment when DH said for me to be in the photo with the plating as it was just so beautiful. I picked it up and must have accidentally slanted it. The plating wasn't traditional and my fried item slid off the small plate onto the floor. None of the staff laughed at me (open kitchen concept where they are plating in front of you) though I was laughing at myself. They kindly made me another one even though I didn't ask for it. For that customer service, I def did write them a Yelp review!

So yes - take photos but don't pick up plates.

 

[siamese3]

This thread is making me hungry.

 

[Elizabeth35]

I photograph my food sometimes--I love t cook and eat!


Chicken Scarpariello



Oreo turkeys from Thanksgiving



Charcuterie for lunch



Bruschetta

 

[Elizabeth35]

Oops-sorry for chicken duplicate!

 

[monarch64]

Ohhhhh bless all of your hearts! Glad I am not alone in committing social etiquette faux pas. I have another confession: I have also instagrammed food during lunch meetings with clients. Yup. SAD!

Vegan Napa cabbage tacos--spicy walnut "meat." Good god these are amazing and I get them every time I go to that restaurant.

 

[elizabethess]

I've been on both sides of the spectrum!

I used to take pictures casually. Just, like, "ooh! look at this yummy treat!" and then it developed into having a local food blog that I kept up with for a few years. I still have food blogger friends I follow on FB and Instagram, so my feeds are always deliciously food-pic heavy.

I did get burnt out, and wanted to stop the feeling that i needed to capture EVERY BITE that went in my mouth. And, capture it with nice lighting, artfully arranged, etc. So, I stopped blogging and taking any pictures for a while.

Now I'm back on the food photos, but a little more casually Just quick snaps on my phone from time to time if it's beautifully presented, or if I'm proud of something I made.

LOVING the delicious-looking food in this thread, except now my stomach is rumbling!

 

[mochiko42]

Some photos from a recent trip to Canada. I definitely take photos if it's a memorable dish or restaurant.

Lobster Mac and Cheese, chicken and waffles, gourmet coffee, Japanese dessert

 

[PintoBean]

Oh I absolutely love taking snapshots of beautiful food! My motivation? I want people to know what beautiful morsel sent me to heaven when I die and land face first into my plate of food.

 

[hoover]

I do! One of my fave photo subjects (other is pets). A big chunk of the pics on my phone are food related
I like to look through them as it reminds me of my travels, and things I want to eat or make.
I think one of the few places I held back on taking pics of my food was a fancy schmancy resto. I wish I took pictures...

 

[PierreBear]

Elizabeth35 - You are so talented! You are a great hostess!

 

[OreoRosies86]

Sometimes, but I can tell you firsthand it really stresses out the chefs, because if the lighting is off it can make beautiful tasty food look unappetizing.

 

[monarch64]

Sometimes, but I can tell you firsthand it really stresses out the chefs, because if the lighting is off it can make beautiful tasty food look unappetizing.

So how do you feel about servers soliciting Yelp/TripAdvisor reviews? In December I dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant and our server actually asked us to post a review on TripAdvisor. We were seated about 15 feet from the open kitchen. I did not take any photos because the lighting was so dim, but I suppose if it hadn't been 11 pm and there was natural daylight I might have. I didn't even think about making the chefs stress out. Good to know.

 

[OreoRosies86]

So how do you feel about servers soliciting Yelp/TripAdvisor reviews? In December I dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant and our server actually asked us to post a review on TripAdvisor. We were seated about 15 feet from the open kitchen. I did not take any photos because the lighting was so dim, but I suppose if it hadn't been 11 pm and there was natural daylight I might have. I didn't even think about making the chefs stress out. Good to know.

I hate it and advise my servers to never do it. The "logic" is that Yelp and Trip Advisor aren't fair, because people are more likely to leave a bad review than a good one. Which, okay. It's true that if a person has a bad experience they go on those sites to complain because they want to feel like they were heard. Asking your table to leave a good review is tacky. You're turning what should be a seamless great experience into an obligation. The best you can do is make everything perfect on your own merits. If there is a problem, fix it or comp it, and apologize. No one cares that your sous chef didn't show up or whatever, they want their steak cooked properly.

Oh don't get me started

Chefs do want you to take pictures, but it makes them sweat. I didn't mean that to sound as though they discourage it! Also, I'm not a big picture taker anyway. I'm lazy.

 

[monarch64]

I hate it and advise my servers to never do it. The "logic" is that Yelp and Trip Advisor aren't fair, because people are more likely to leave a bad review than a good one. Which, okay. It's true that if a person has a bad experience they go on those sites to complain because they want to feel like they were heard. Asking your table to leave a good review is tacky. You're turning what should be a seamless great experience into an obligation. The best you can do is make everything perfect on your own merits. If there is a problem, fix it or comp it, and apologize. No one cares that your sous chef didn't show up or whatever, they want their steak cooked properly.

Oh don't get me started

Chefs do want you to take pictures, but it makes them sweat. I didn't mean that to sound as though they discourage it! Also, I'm not a big picture taker anyway. I'm lazy.

Yeah, I didn't end up leaving a review because I really only do those on Facebook. I've also never had such a negative experience that I felt the need to publicly call out a restaurant or their staff instead of resolving it right then and there. I've also spent years in retail and therefore probably have more empathy for members of the service industry than your average bear because I know what fielding complaints and dealing with a-holes is like.

 

[vc10um]

GUILTY! In fact, the end of my Instagram profile reads, "THAT GUY who takes pictures of her food."

I took far fewer food pictures on my recent vacation than usual, but nothing will stop me from photographing particularly lovely or sinful plates! I'm also a sucker for perfect latte art, cheeky presentation, and my own home-cooked meals.

 

[t-c]

Only if I made it. I have lots of friends who take pictures of their food. When they first started I had to reconstruct a few plates as I dug in before they could take their shot. I've now been trained to wait