Food Photography

When the pandemic hit, it was hard to find ways to ease my stress. The streets were empty, my graduation was cancelled, I was separated from friends and family, and my world became very insular. I spent the middle of 2020 working and trying to find a hobby that would break up the monotony of spending all my time at home.

In November, I was in between jobs and found that I was trying a lot of local restaurants. Living in Toronto has always been a multicultural experience. I found that I felt more of a responsibility to support local businesses than ever before. At first, I just did research on Google to find new restaurants depending on what I was craving. After a while, I learned that the best source of the real hidden gems in the city was Instagram. I discovered the thriving foodie community of Toronto. Every photo showed a new delicious dish that I just had to try. It became a hobby to travel around the city and sample different dishes. One day, I realized that I could take the photos myself.

I started with a photo of bake and shark from a delicious local Caribbean restaurant called Leela’s Roti and Doubles. I spent up to half an hour just getting the right angles and lighting it to look delicious. My cousin suggested I should just make my own food Instagram and post pictures on that. My friend agreed that it would be a cool idea and let me use a graphic she created of me for something else. And thus, @gabbygoesout was born.

I spent the next few months taking photos of all the delicious local food I wanted to try. I post twice a week. I have taken breaks, but I always come back to it because of my love of taking food photos. This includes when I am busy with work and other things. It’s become a passion of mine so quickly.

So, what is so great about food photography? There are three things that give me peace and relaxation. The first is the imperfection. Instagram food photography doesn’t rely on making the food look uniform and perfect like in some advertisements. There is less pressure to make it look perfect and more pressure to make it look natural and appetizing. An melting messy cone of ice cream is perfect for this type of photography. This allows for a stress-free experience.

The second thing is the supportive community. There are so many foodies online who will like and comment supportive messages on your photos. There is no negativity as it is just a bunch of people who love food either casually or professionally.

The third is that I get to try new dishes. I get to explore the world through food. During a difficult time like a pandemic, it is great to have an outlet to try new things even when it feels like the world is closed. I have tried Jamaican- Asian fusion noodles, mac and cheese tater tots with pulled pork, and fried chicken bao all in one day. I was definitely full but beyond thrilled with the variety.

As someone who struggles with social anxiety, I assumed having to travel around the city twice a week would have been stressful. It turns out, it is a great way to get me out of the house in my more anxious moments. I now have a schedule and love to stick to it. Coming up with captions and finding the right photo gives me a great creative outlet. It’s hard to describe, but food photography has given my life some colour after a terrible year.