To Snap or Savor?
Find out the pros and cons of food photography!
by Stella Coffaro
Picture this: you’re out dining with your friends at the new restaurant in town, and you’ve waited twenty minutes for your food to arrive. You’re just about to dig in when one of your friends exclaims, “Wait! Let me snap a picture first!” You groan and roll your eyes, but don’t complain because you’ve been that person before.
Snapping photos of our food has sparked massive debates online. While some people, like actress Millie Bobby Brown, call it “cringe” to take pictures of food, others have made it a staple of their dining experience. In fact, there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t see someone posting about food on their Instagram. The controversy has me wondering — should we be snapping or savoring our food?
The biggest complaints about food photos often center on how they disrupt the dining experience. Anyone who’s tried to get the perfect shot in a dimly lit restaurant knows how embarrassing it is when the flash goes off. At a personal level, it can also take you out of the moment. Rather than taking the time to admire the presentation and smell of the food, our automatic reaction is to whip out our phones before anyone eats.
Still, there are plenty of compelling reasons to snap a quick photo. To me, these photos act as souvenirs that capture the experience and serve as reminders of a great meal shared with friends or family. For example, when I visited Rome last summer, I had the best carbonara pasta I’ve ever had. I knew before I tasted the dish that it would be spectacular; the noodles seemed drenched in gold, the sign of a perfect sauce. Naturally, I snapped a picture before digging in and immediately sent it to my mom, carbonara’s biggest fan.
Beyond building connections and creating memories, taking photos of our food allows us to cherish what brings us joy. In challenging moments, these snapshots become comforting reminders of life’s good moments, lifting our spirits when we need it most.
Considering both the positive and negative aspects of snapping photos of our food, my advice is that we should find a balance. For some, this might mean cutting back on the number of pictures or reserving them for special dishes. For others who love capturing the moment, it could mean starting a sensory scrapbook and pairing photos with notes on taste, smell, and atmosphere. Whatever approach you take, the key is to be intentional with your food photography.
Food photography has always been a fun way to share our love for food. By finding a balance, this ritual can enhance our dining experiences rather than disrupt them. So, the next time your plate arrives at the table, you might reconsider reaching for your phone — although a mindful snap works too!
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