Taking Photos of Your Food in Public: Weird to a Few, Fulfilling for Many

I love photographing food. I think some of the best moments for taking photographs of your food is when it's done in a public setting. You usually have some of the best lighting at your disposal, and your food is served up all beautiful and camera-ready, so it's almost as if the photo op is just meant to be. But this style of photo-taking can quickly become awkward when  1) you're by yourself, or 2) you're with people who don't really "understand" the phenomenon.

To be honest, I wish I had more photographer buddies. True photogs show no shame in snapping a picture of anything they deem artistic (even pretty food), and they don't give a damn about the location, or who's watching. They're just focused on getting that shot.

I'm going to be honest for a minute and admit that sometimes (well, a lot of times as of late), I'm too shy to pull out my camera or phone in public to full-on snap photos of my food or drinks because you see, it's truly bigger than just pulling your phone out of your purse and snapping a quick flick for social media, or even for personal pleasure. There's focus, depth-of-field, lighting, all those things that are considered important when you're really trying to capture a quality image. This is serious for some of us, ok? And also, the people you're dining with at the time could make it awkward for you.

I want to start challenging myself to take more photos of my food (or anything that peaks my interest, honestly) when I am out and about, and not be so weirded out about it, because in this day and age, it's really not weird at all. It's something I used to LOVE to do, especially back when I lived on the west coast. You were always greeted with amazing natural light and beautiful scenery, so it was something you just had to take advantage of. We are living in the digital era, so this is actually more common than some may think.

Time to step out of my comfort zone, and get back to having fun with my true love, photography.


Picture #2: via Getty Images
The others were taken by me in Phoenix, Arizona