Here is an odd story coming out of Tel Aviv. The Israeli restaurant Catit has begun serving their food on a new set of plates which have been specifically designed to help their patrons take better images of their food. They have even created a specific menu which focuses on color and presentation to bring out the best in your Instagram photos.
The project is part of a collaboration between Catit and Carmel Winery as well as food photographer Dan Perez. The goal is to help inspire and educate a new generation of patrons who connect with their food through photography and social media. Patrons who come to the restaurant are treated to a food photography crash course by Dan Perez and are presented with a menu that has been crafted for maximum visual impact.
Patrons who attend and photograph their meals are then encouraged to post the results to Instagram with the hashtag #fdgr
Would you attend such a restaurant event if it was local to you?
[via Times Of Israel]
Talking as a professional food photographer I am struck by the absence of a discussion if they tried to improve the food at all.
It is only pushed as a advertising gimmick and I know from professionals chefs I have worked with that running a successful restaurant is not always about the best food but that there is a lot of other components that has to work together to create something that sells and works.
But putting a BigMac in a new and shiny wrapper does not make it a new and shiny BigMac.
I will never take my camera with me when enjoy a meal at a restaurant except when working, if you can not connect with food through your normal senses but require a smartphone and instagram to be able to enjoy a lovingly and creatively created meal I really feel for you.
But hey they increased wine sale by 13%, they probably needed to use the alcohol to simulate actually connecting with the food and people around them when fiddling with there iphones.
Good luck with the restaurant but I will try to stay away unless someone swallows their phone.
I am not being a snob but I really think this feels insincere and very much like a forced marketing trick and feels as forced as when some companies tries to do fake videos that is trying to go viral.
This is targeted at people who fine dining is their hobby. Why are you assuming their food isn't good right off the bat? maybe they have that covered already. For some people, and for some restaurants, fine dining like this is an experience like going to Disney World. They save up for the year and go, because this is what they enjoy. Some people travel to cities just to dine at places like Alinea in Chicago because it's an amazing, exciting experience. Would you criticize someone like that for taking a photo at Disney with a character? How about these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodak_Photo_Spot
I know its a late reply but why are you using the same answer for two different comments. And personally I would not compare Alinea to Disneyland I really think Grant Achatz would also have an issue with that as well. Apples and pears, excuse the pun.
I'm not sure i would attend it (Israel is a bit far...lol) but what I can see it selling that plate to photographers. Instant food expert photography. Imagine a Nikon D810 or Canon 3d Mk 3 with the proper lens instead of an iPhone. That would be interesting.
This isn't targeted at photographers, this is targeted at people who fine dining IS their hobby. For some people, and for some restaurants, fine dining like this is an experience like going to Disney World. They save up for the year and go, because this is what they enjoy. Some people travel to cities just to dine at places like Alinea in Chicago because it's an amazing, exciting experience. Would you criticize someone like that for taking a photo at Disney with a character?
http://distractify.com/culture/craigslist-surveillance-restaurant/ Cell phones have definitely changed the dining out experience
lol! I was feeling like "The Onion" logo was going to pop up at the end.
Just what we need... more ways to see 87 pictures of our friends lunches every day. I appreciate food photography, but I'm pretty turned off by the trend of taking pictures of food with cell phones and posting it on social media.
For some people, and for some restaurants, fine dining like this is an experience like going to Disney World. They save up for the year and go, because this is what they enjoy. Some people travel to cities just to dine at places like Alinea in Chicago because it's an amazing, exciting experience. Would you criticize someone like that for taking a photo at Disney with a character? I just don't get all the hate.
I get that. But you can't argue that the vast majority of food pictures on Instagram are not from foodies who travel to places to eat at restaurants on their bucket list. I can open up Facebook right now and find 30 pictures of friends meals that they've eaten at chain restaurants or cooked at home.
I think the annoyance with the constant pictures of people's plates is a larger picture of sharing absolutely every aspect of our lives on social media. It isn't just food. It's "sitting in the ER waiting to get my bloody gash stitched up" as a caption to a gross picture, or the oversharing of relationships, or just the general nonsensical posts and selfies from the driver's seat 2-3 times a day.
So? It's a hobby for them and their friends and we're not talking about those people in this article we're talking about fine dining.
The great thing about social media is you can easily click unfollow.
Those plates aren't exactly friendly to back lighting which is important light source in food photography and that's why you should try a get a window table (North side). The guy doing the narration sounded like a robot.