Taking photos of your food

[Merlin5]

For those of you who like myself take pics of our food in a restaurant when it arrives, how are you now feeling about doing that given Heston's recent comments? It makes me feel a bit silly and childish. If I'm out with my mum she's come to accept it but thinks it's a bizarre habit

The 53-year-old added that while he too enjoys taking photos to look back on, it is important to “be in the moment”.


“Social media is such a big part of our lives, our sight has become almost the more important sense rather than smell or taste,” Blumenthal said.

While taking pictures of meals has become a key part of eating out for many people, it could actually be ruining the dining experience.

According to US researchers, photographing food can make it less enjoyable to eat.

“When we Instagram, we inherently must focus our attention on the item in the picture, even for that very brief moment. This can have a range of effects on later enjoyment,” co-author Professor Joseph Redden previously told The Independent.

“If we spend too much time repeatedly viewing such foods, our paper suggests this can lead to pre-satiation. That is, you’re already a bit tired of the food before you even start eating it.”

 

[Merlin5]

I know it’s a silly habit, but I like it. I don’t think it ruins the dining experience in any way.

I agree, doesn't ruin it for me either. Also, it's just nice on a forum like this to capture what others are experiencing at any given moment. It's all a bit of fun and often gives rise to more food conversation.

the vast majority of restaurants will already have pictures of their food available online if you want to show someone a particular dish (or you can just pinch one off a tedious Instagram obsessive). There’s a reason cookbook writers recruit professional photographers and “food stylists”.
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True enough. Though I think amateurs photographing their food can often show a more realistic image of what the food really looks like rather than a super polished glossy photo taken by professionals on behalf of the restaurant or book.