Food is inherently social. It comes as no surprise then that in the age of social media, pictures of food are hogging the limelight. Enthusiastic shutterbugs may have their reasons for photographing food. Foodstagramming is the latest trend, which involves taking pictures of your food and posting it on Instagram and Twitter
The Huffington Post.
Businessman Vishal Nair says: “If you like how your food looks and you feel a compulsive need to take pictures of it, perhaps these photos must be shared with only the people who are interested in what you’re eating or how pretty your dessert looks. Whatsapp and Email can be used for that. There’s no need to tell 1,000 friends on Facebook that the blueberries in your ice cream made your day!”
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Speaking of how the Foodstagramming trend has evolved, blogger Sumathi Ramesh states: “People are a lot more interested in photography these days. Bloggers need pictures for their posts too. But in terms of social media sites, initially, friends would post pictures of their weekend shenanigans at some upmarket bar or restaurant and that was understandable. Now, thanks to the Instagram obsession, the mundane masala dosa and a blob of chutney can be made to look fancy too!”
While the haters have their reasons, the enthusiasts have theirs too. Priyanka Serrao says: “The concept of ‘sharing’ has reached new heights and I share pictures of food on Instagram because I’m a big foodie and I like to chronicle my various ‘foodie adventures’ either for posterity or to generate conversation among my friends and followers. Most of the time I post pictures of the food I make.”
Joseph Macarilay, a Filipino expat says: “What I love most about Instagram is the great way of sharing your pictures pronto to other social networking sites. It also gives you freedom to be experimental and creative in taking pictures. Being a foodie and a traveller, I take pictures of food from the cheapest of food stalls to the finest restaurants, of other cuisines whenever I travel, to remember it.” Foodstagram is such a craze that some restaurants have stopped customers from taking photos of their meals because it disrupts other diners. Abhishek Rajendran, a sous chef says: “When people sitting by themselves or those who come for reviews take pictures of their food, we don’t have a problem with it. When groups of people come to a restaurant, I find it absurd that instead of having themselves photographed, each one is taking a picture of what is on the plate.”
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