Taking pictures of food in restaurants

Not trying to single you out Mtacchi, as I'm sure others find it distracting too... but I'm just wondering why? I always take photos of my food but I never take photos that have other people in the backgrounds, and I'm careful not to point my lens in the direction of someone who is eating messily or otherwise might be embarrassed. Or is it something else that distracts you?

1) generally using DSLR's with big flashes.
2) obscene amounts of chatter after as they then pass their camera around so everyone can see the photo.

Just eat your food!!

A friend of mine has been taking photos of Y meals for the last 25 years. It is very interesting to see the changes !

I have an entire folder on my computer of food fotos. Most are pictures of recipes I've made, but I do like taking pictures of nicely plated food. I've never encountered a problem, but I only use my iPhone.

I understand why establishments with happy meals and a child clientele would not like men snapping pics of their nuggets, nearby.

Fair call.

We should get together again, soon! There are so many good places to try and I've let it slide a bit, with arranging dinners (since the Rippers!).

A great flying buddy will be here next week, so I may try to get a group together at short notice. Msg me if you can make it sometime next week,

I'd at least try to get a few people up to the Shangri La bar. Not surprising, really.
Everyone takes pics there. Cocktails are good, too.

As much as I *wish* could be in Sydney next week, I'm afraid I'm stuck in the US - at least until I fly to London for my birthday. But I DO want to get down soon, especially now that we finally have a QF flight out of DFW!

in general i'd hate it when people use flash when i'm eating. the same reason i'd just photo off as long as the flash is off (or if the mood is right eg in mcDs, say, flash would be ok, or in an VIP room for a group pic)

never ask for permission. they'll stop me if they dont like it, and i would stop taking pics if i see fit. but never happened to me yet. 1 thing tho, even with a DSLR i usually wont use it in a restaurant...smaller cameras would be more appropriate.

When I'm travelling I almost always take pics of the food. (See avatar for example!)

I use a DSLR (Nikon D700) with a big lens on it (28 - 300), but I would never use flash. As much as possible with a camera like that, I do try to take my pics discretely.

In general though, I ordered the food, I'm paying for it and I'm eating it so as long as I'm not pointing my lens at other patrons in the restaurant I feel I should be able to take a pic of my plate.

I also take pics of my airplane food. Quite often I'll get some quizzical looks from others but I still take the pic anyway. Once I was on a flight with a bunch of FT'ers though and after I took my pic I looked around and realized that everyone else was doing the same thing!

I agree with the approach - Be discrete, no flash, no problem.

Below - Bone Marrow with Caviar at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY (James Beard Winner - Dan Barber)

I sometimes take photographs for trip reports, as a reminder to myself (for both good and bad), and also when my friends ask me for photographic reports so that they can consider the airlines/restaurants for themselves.

However, I never use flash so as not to disturb other people, be it on aeroplanes or in restaurants, and I do it as discreetly as possible because I really do not like adversely affecting the atmosphere for others in any way, as some people might find cameras a bit annoying.

Bad idea IMO.

Caviar should be eaten cold; marrow hot.

Yes, I get that. I must say though, this was pretty darn fabulous. FWIW - Blue Hill @ Stone Barns is amazing. It's set on property owned by the Rockefeller Family and they raise the vast majority of their food right there with the exception of items that must be sourced elsewhere.

Is that something like 60% of the time, it works everytime?

Ha. No it's more like the Hudson River Valley is not known for its caviar and oysters.

I agree. Those people give me and my little camera, a bad name.

I guess that means no inflight meal photos on your trip reports either

Exactly! Never done that, never will!

Just remembered thats not true. I did take a picture once.

I do that all the time too, but with my iphone at restaurants. The flash on iphone 4 isn't too distracting but I seldom use it though. But on plane, I always stick with camera with flash off (if I remember ) because I want better quality photos. I was taking pictures of the mini-bar once on the plane and the kind JAL cabin attendants asked if I want her to take a pic for me. She even want to turn on the flash and said it won't disturb other passengers too much

I'm really torn on this. I love looking at other people's food pics, and I love remembering my meals months or years later, especially when I'm traveling and get to hit a top spot. But I feel extremely self-conscious and awkward about taking pictures -- even discreetly/no flash.

I feel like I'm giving off the impression that the photo I look at later is more important than that particular moment: the meal, the company, the environment. Like the folks who go to internationally renowned sites (Think Grand Canyon or Ephesus or Machu Picchu)... and spend more time setting up the shot to show their friends later on their Facebook album, than they do actually seeing the beauty and taking it in, and making that mental picture in the now.

This might be my own weird hang-up though.

I am of much the same thought. It's more the people and flash than the act of taking the picture. I'll take pictures on the plane, but in a restaurant I want to concentrate on eating and talking to others at my table. That being said, if you are discreet and don't use flash, regardless of the size of the camera, then go for it.

The same goes for museums. If I had a Euro for every person using flash at the Louvre I would be RICH!!

Steal their wallets while they are taking their photos..fund your travel

I've taken pictures with flash but usually as a solo diner, never with someone else. I despise using the flash, but sometimes the lighting is just poor and the camera settings just can't handle it.

Most of the times the pictures are for my brother as he is quite the foodie, though i will keep the photos for my own posterity.

Apologies to those of you who don't like the picutre taking!

I don't use flash and use my point and shoot or phone cam. I also ask for a table by the window during the day as the food pictures look nicer with natural light.

Do you take photos of your tablemates' food? I usually snap a quick pic of my own food then start eating or return to the conversation etc. But some blogging friends will ask me to photograph my dish for them or they will ask if they can borrow my food for a moment while they take a pic. I suspect its big operations like these that make people go

I like taking pictures of food anywhere.
Only in one place the waiter asked me not take photos of food. It was in Marseille. Despite of high price the soup was afoul....