Toasted Special

I stumbled across a good article this morning on Chow about taking photographs in restaurants. I thought it was worth posting a link here. Since I started blogging my restaurant visits I wouldn’t contemplate going to a restaurant without being armed with my trusty Canon. Sad, I know. I’m mindful that it might irritate other diners, snapping every dish that comes my way, but I have set myself some ground rules to avoid causing discomfort to my fellow diners.

• Most importantly, turn the flash off. This can cause problems in a dimly-lit restaurant, which is why it makes more sense for bloggers and amateur food photographers to visit restaurants for lunch rather than dinner.
• Know your camera. Know how to get that perfect macro shot, first time around. Always use your camera’s macro setting if it has one.
• Limit yourself to one or two shots per dish.
• Do it discreetly. I use a small camera which doesn’t look out of place sitting on the table.
• Don’t be concerned with disapproving stares from other diners. I’m sure they’re too busy concentrating on their own meals. Restaurant staff will not mind either; any good restaurant will not deny you a photo of the meal you’ve just paid for. If anything, it’s a compliment to the chef and the restaurant.

Happy snapping!