Instagram has become a medium for posting “artsy” pictures of the beach, friends and cute animals. But it takes something special to stop a serial scroller from just passing by a picture, and for many Elon University students, that is a tasty-looking food photograph.
Food photos have transformed from a lazy picture of lunch or a beautifully constructed meal of dinner to a user’s brand within the app.
Elon’s Foodstagrammers
Most college students are obsessed with food, and many social interactions are centered around a meal. Photos tagged with #foodstagrams indicate Instagram accounts dedicated to posting pictures of mouth-watering images — whether they’re healthy or comforting. Elon students are getting in on the trend and creating their own.
Senior Taylor Barclay started her account when she stopped using Elon’s meal plan her junior year, which gave her more independence when it came to what she ate. She did not have a lot of prior experience with cooking and turned to social media sites like Pinterest, different blogs and Instagram to look for easy, inexpensive recipes to make.
“I was also trying to eat healthier while maintaining a budget,” Barclay said.
After perfecting her recipes, she began posting her food on Instagram. The account and food became so popular, Barclay started a blog to post recipes of her clean college eating portrayed on her Instagram account, @taylorkbarclay.
Sophomore Morgan Wainwright has a different food message with her Instagram account, @foodgasm_morgasm, which features a euphoric foodie theme. Her Instagram does not only feature the tantalizing foods she eats off campus, such as Tangent Eat and Bar, but she also tries to show off her wit with captions, like “When you wake up and she’s a 10” on a photo of an omelet or “I like it raw,” for a sushi photo, going along with her theme.
“Coming up with captions is half the fun, because it’s a challenge thinking of a different one for each picture,” Wainwright said. “My Foodstagram has interesting captions that go off the idea of a ‘foodgasm.’ It sounds kind of dumb, but it’s entertaining and I think it’s funny.”
Living on campus, Wainwright posts more off campus meals and less what she cooks herself, giving her less prep work for each photo.
Capturing every bite
As any fan of “Chopped” or “Cutthroat Kitchen” knows, presentation is important. There are certain ways food can be taken from tasty to a work of art. Starting at the bottom, plates are an easy way to make the picture visually pleasing. Foodstagrammers, like Barclay, use interestingly shaped plates, stack different sized plates on top of one another or keep it clean with white dishes.
Wainwright said a professional tip is to wipe off any unintentional drops of sauce on the plate — but you can get extra likes for well placed sauce adding flair.
Though Barclay said plating is crucial, a good picture must go beyond the plates or the food itself. Whether the picture is of food or a selfie, Instagrammers should remember that lighting is key.
“Natural light from a window is the best, but sometimes I need to get creative in my apartment, and I use a combination of lamps and the window light, if possible,” Barclay said.
She will use an interesting background, such as a field or her kitchen, with her food for additional likes.
A popular Foodstagram account that incorporates this is @foodintheair, more popularly known as w, where people from around the world submit their images of food seemingly floating in the air with beautiful backgrounds, giving the audience both food and travel envy. Photos of crepes shown in front of European castles and burgers in the foreground of tropical beaches.
A few Elon students have even been featured from their summer travels or semesters abroad. Junior Helen Williamson had her dessert featured, as it floated in the air while she was in Prague this summer.
According to Wainwright, angles also add depth to foodie photos. Many Foodstagrammers hold the camera directly over the plate to see every part of the meal and avoid shadows. Wainwright will stand on a chair or raise her hands above her restaurant meal.
The close up is also a great option if done right. This angle shows off the tantalizing details of the meal. Extra points are awarded if a bite strategically taken out of the food to show all aspects.
Choosing when to Instagram and when to leave a photo in your camera roll can be difficult for those who have made their food accounts their brands.
Wainwright suggests choosing photos that are bright. Foods like fruit or ice cream are colorful and brighten up photos enough to encourage double tapping. But foods that are dark and are not well defined, like pad thai or chicken fingers in a dim restaurant, are not easy to see in most pictures.
Apart from pictures of pretty food, Foodstagrammers, like Wainwright, also post drinks, such as smoothies and cocktails, which add variety to their accounts.
Following for inspiration
There is more to foodie Instagram accounts than just making people jealous of extravagant meals. Some accounts, such as Barclay’s, have a deeper purpose, like showing people how to eat healthy on a budget or in a college dorm.
Barclay’s account and similar ones, include links to healthy recipes or information on foods to avoid in dining halls if you want to maintain a healthy weight.
Not only do these accounts inspire followers, but having a foodie social media presence can keep the user active with his or her own habits. Feedback and comments can keep the person who runs the account on the right track and eating well.
“It makes me so happy to hear from friends and strangers that I’ve inspired them to try just one healthy meal, and that’s what really keeps me going,” Barclay said. “Having a small following does make me feel somewhat accountable to try new things.”
Wainwright loves posting pictures on her food Instagram, but doesn’t care about followers and likes. She just loves having a reason to go out to eat and having a collection of delicious foods she can look at later.
“The only problem with having a Foodstagram is I am always hungry and craving food whenever I’m on it,” she said.