RE8 DEFINITION: Cheese, Say "Cheese!"

Others might say that love is the universal language, but as a foodie, I must say that food is. You somehow understand a place or a country by having a meal of their cuisine. Aside from having a meal, you also take pictures of the food to document your experience and to not forget how it looks like, because by looking at it, you feel like you’re also tasting it. And recently, a popular trend has started circulating around the internet called the food photography.

Food photography is a kind of photography which is done by foodies (people who like to eat) that focuses on the aesthetics of food in photos. The process of taking a photo of what you’re about to eat is almost similar to that of how you take a selfie. To achieve that perfect shot, you have to have a perfect plating of the food, to find for the right angle, to have a good lighting, and of course, to have a perfect photography application for editing purposes.

Food photography is a great way of sharing your insights and thoughts as a foodie about the food served in different restaurants. Nowadays, people create blogs which are filled primarily with photos of food, reviews, and criticisms. Food bloggers provide their first-hand experiences of the popular, trending or fancy restaurants around your place. Food blogs are, indeed, of great help especially when you’re having second thoughts about trying out this new restaurant in town.

Fancy plates aren’t the only ones worthy of a food photography but healthy plates, too! Food photography can serve as an inspiration for people on the internet to stand up from their couches, change their diet and start eating healthy. The photos which show the vibrant colors of the fruits combined with the fresh greens will not make you think twice on changing your diet. @cleaneatz and @skinnykitchen on Instagram are one of the most followed accounts which provide healthy and beautiful food photographies, sometimes they even include the recipes too.

However, the downside for food photography is that it can sometimes let out the inner braggers of people. I know some which take photos of fancy and expensive plates because they have their so-called “bragging rights.” Thus, this leads to the viewers of these food photographies as being judgemental. When they see extravagant plating, they will assume that people who eat these have high standards and class while those who take pictures of simple food aren’t.

Food photography can either be a tool for sharing what we all certainly enjoy doing — eating or a tool for bragging about what you can have and I hope that people will use it for the better. It’s just about making the right decision.