How to Take Food Photos without Looking Like a Jerk

Food Boasters- the real problem with Instagram

Instagram has snuck itself onto dining tables everywhere. Restaurants, amateur bloggers, and casual diners alike are taking opinionated sides on its presence. The New York Times recently published an article on how Insta-foodies are disrupting dining rooms everywhere. Photographers and bloggers are all trying to get their two cents in; Matt Duckor wrote an article on how to take better pictures of your meals. Although the tips are solid, Matt’s suggestions are applicable to any sort of digital photography. He tells readers to frame well, not to use filters, and try to equip yourself with a quality camera and/or lens if possible. Seems like Photography 101 to me.

While the real problem isn’t disruptive behavior in restaurants or blurry photos, it’s the intention of said photos. The real problem with food sharers is that their content is based in boasting and not sharing content. What I’m getting at is this:

Food Sharers, for the love of God, quit bragging.

Evolve from Food Boaster to Food Sharer

If you’re sharing a picture of lobster and veal sweetbread ravioli from a restaurant, please tag the restaurant or reference the chef. If you’re uploading your dish from your home dining table, perhaps link to a recipe. This extra step will take your post from a contentless medium to something that benefits at least one other person besides yourself. Whether it’s the restaurant that appreciates the word-of-mouth marketing, or if its a fellow Paleo dieter looking for a new recipe, someone will find real value in your content.

My point comes full circle. Above, I called Matt Duckor out for applying simple photography principles and passing them off as dish capturing tips. I’m doing the same here. I’m applying advice to a specific medium like Instagram, but truly my advice applies to any sort of internet content. Now that millions of people are creating content every second we’ve made our own channels noisy. To rise above the noise, your content (whether it’s a Tweet, an Instagram, or whatever) needs to have resonate with your intended audience.

Get out there, take blurry pictures with your 1 megapixel camera, and throw on the worst filter you can find, and when you do, provide substance to your post. Make sure you engage someone who really might be affected by your image, because nobody likes a showoff.