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Snap Judgment

Written By: David Snyder on Friday, July 13, 2007

And a Few Tricks of the Trade

Is it ok to photograph your food at a crowded restaurant, or are there just too many negatives?

We were sitting in one of the hottest new restaurants in Philadelphia, and our first course had just arrived. Mine was a mushroom "cappuccino" delicately infused with the essence of pine needles and topped with shaved chestnuts. The presentation was simple and elegant - worthy of being memorialized for the ages. Discretely, then, I pulled out my small digital camera, turned off the flash, and quietly snuck up to the dish as if I was stalking a herd of buffalo. I snapped one picture, then another just for good measure. Then, surreptitiously, I slid the camera back into my pocket and took my spoon to sample this exotic soup.

But before I could taste it, I was startled by something out of the corner of my eye. The hostess was scurrying toward us. Fast. And there was a desperate fear in her eyes.

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked, almost as if her job depended on it.

"Not at all," I said, confused. "Thank you."

Unconvinced, she pressed further. "But... you’re taking pictures... of the food?"

Her emphasis on the word "food" made it clear that she thought perhaps a fly was doing the backstroke in my soup and that I was documenting it for a multi-million dollar lawsuit, which was not the case. And once I explained to her that I was a food writer, she relaxed. Her job was safe. We both survived.

The trend of seeing restaurant-goers snap pictures of their food is not just a flash in the pan. Restaurant bloggers are relying more and more on visual representations of their dining experiences, or "food porn" as it is often called, to titillate their readers. And as restaurant blogs continue to gain in popularity, camera-snapping patrons will continue to crop up at your favorite restaurants.

But how this trend will develop remains an open question.

There are upsides to this phenomenon. For those who peruse restaurant blogs, it’s a great opportunity to get a sneak peak of the meal through an unfiltered eye. Restaurants, for now at least, appear to tolerate this practice. Because ultimately, it’s free advertising. And even if the blogger isn’t the brightest bulb in the camera bag, a picture can be worth much more than a thousand words, depending on the number of megapixels it contains.

But the image of this trend is not entirely free of shadows. The most obvious issue is that snapping pictures in a restaurant can be annoying to other diners. For those who don’t visit restaurants all that often, dining out is a special occasion. And for those of us who eat at restaurants religiously, the dining room is Holy Ground. Either way, no one wants their meal to be interrupted by an annoying camera flash. Moreover, if the practice is abused and diners become increasingly annoyed, a restaurant could ban cameras as a matter of policy.

In addition, one of the potential downsides food bloggers face when they snap pictures is that it could color the way he or she is treated by the restaurant: If a restaurant sees you with a camera, it may give you special treatment, which would taint your review.

The key to getting great, reliable pictures of a dining experience, without annoying your fellow guests, is to engage in what I call "stealth food photography." Here’s a snapshot of the right way to photograph your meal:

Never Use a Flash. Ever. If the restaurant does not have enough natural light to take a picture without a flash, then don’t take the picture. However, if you have a digital SLR camera, consider buying a lens with a wide aperture that drinks in light, such as a 50mm f/1.4. This will allow you to get usable shots in low light environments.

Smaller (Usually) Is Better. A smaller camera is more discrete and less likely to attract attention. However, as discussed above, a digital SLR camera with the right lens, which is a bit larger, will enable you to shoot without a flash.

Be Quick.

Fewer Is Better. Some say you should snap a lot of photos to increase the chances that you’ll have a good shot. The rub, of course, is that the more pictures you take, the more annoying your behavior will be.

Focus on the Food. Although people may not expect complete privacy in a public restaurant, focus your camera on the food and not the other diners.

Don’t Bring the Camera Every Time. If you’re reviewing a restaurant, leave the camera at home the first couple of visits. That way, you’ll get a true sense of the dining experience and will be able to maintain the credibility of your reviews. And that, in the end, is what matters most.

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