Phone Eats First: Why I’m Obsessed With Taking Food Pics

When I heard, and now strongly agree with, the saying that your time in college is the best couple of years of your life, taking photos soon became one of my favorite hobbies. There are many occasions that you’d want to capture and preserve in your camera roll forever. When we think of what makes up our phone’s camera roll, pictures of ourselves and our friends usually come to mind.

What we don’t think about capturing  “for the mems,” however, are the meals that we eat. Just like the memories we make with the people we love, there are many occasions when I’ve seen food plated in front of me that looked and tasted so good that I wanted to remember the experience forever.

From very early on, food has been not just a way of life for me, but a thought I cannot merely avoid. My next meal is constantly on my mind, and the voices in my head battle over what I want to eat based on what I think my body needs. Growing up, I was raised by parents who wanted me to appreciate all types of global cuisines. I went to different restaurants, explored several dining styles (we love a good brunch or build-your-own experience), and learned to cherish traditional foods that we can rave about for a limited time (shoutout Thanksgiving).

I owe it to them for my love of food since this exposure explains why I’m not a picky eater, but rather someone willing to switch it up. There’s so much variety and surprise when it comes to food, so taking photos of some of our most enjoyable meals deepens the appreciation we should have for them.

What started out as a way to showcase what I eat in a day to my friends soon became a frequent habit of mine. I noticed that many of my friends would swipe up on my food posts and give their reactions. It made my day to look through them and see my friends say things like, “OMG, where can I order this?” or “That looks bomb!” here and there. I thought that with all the pictures that I’ve been taking, I needed to share these on a bigger platform. I soon created a ‘foodsta’ account on Instagram that would showcase my collection of food pictures to my friends and anyone who wanted to view food for personal enjoyment. It surprised me to notice how much closer I got with a lot of my friends since they resonated with my appreciation for the aesthetic and sensory pleasure of a well-prepared meal.

Sharing my culinary experiences on my foodsta allowed me to illustrate my tastes and even recommend restaurants to try in the Tallahassee area and my hometown. I love sharing not just the meal itself, but the location that I believe deserves recognition.

In fact, when I wrote for my high school’s newspaper, my favorite column to write in was “Faces and Places.” I particularly enjoyed being able to spotlight the story behind the restaurant and what makes its menu unlike anywhere else. Food photography can attract consumers to restaurants, as we can see in other accounts on Instagram and TikTok. I know that I’m always searching social media for good restaurants to impress loved ones. Documenting food visually inspires where we can find appealing and appetizing food for future ventures with our friends and family.

I also view food photography as a creative outlet. There’s something satisfying in the way I capture what’s plated in front of me. Whether it’s the lighting (because that’s key), the table decor, or the garnishes that elevate a simple dish, taking pictures of what I’m about to eat is an underrated form of artistic expression. The art of arranging and organizing food to get that picture-perfect moment allows me to explore composition, lighting, and color in new ways. Especially as a marketing major, promoting food on my page through photography helps me improve my creative skills. It’s a proud moment for me whenever a yummy food shot boosts the amount of engagement I receive from my followers.

Because of the shared appreciation for food that I have with my friends, food photography continues to play a central role in memorable experiences, such as dining out or traveling. It also serves as a unique side of myself that I love to talk about. Food photography is an obsession that I don’t think I’m going to stop anytime soon.

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