#14. Eat to Shoot or Shoot to Eat?

I traveled 45 minutes on a scorching hot summer day in July to eat corned beef and potato latkes at Barney Greengrass Deli in Manhattan. I researched restaurants before going to the city and mapped them out in advance. It was an awesome experience with great food and New York attitude. These kind of experiences keep me motivated and looking for more.

One of the driving forces in my food photography is the wish to gain new experiences and eat new things. I eat to shoot. I will order and eat something because I want to shoot it. I make it a point to go to new places and try things out of my comfort zone. I look on the menu for things I haven't tried and dishes that will make a great food shots. It forces me try get new ​

experiences and I've never been sorry I did. Sometimes I will even ask my server what they think the best looking dish or coolest process is. I've lived to regret that a few times...but still.
Others, maybe you, shoot what they eat. You order your favorite dish, or at least a meal you are familiar with, at your favorite place, and photograph it. You shoot to eat. There's nothing wrong with that approach except you may not expand your horizons either on the photography front or your food experience. 

This Bubble Waffle- a warm waffle with fresh fruit and ice cream in a cup from a food cart called Fooshion was beautiful and tasty! I found it at the Alder Street Food Cart pod in Portland. I would have never had the experience if I didn't seek out new food adventures! Street food rocks!

In town I try to go to at least one new eatery or food experience every week.  That may come at the request of a food editor looking for a picture or it can be because there's a new restaurant, food truck, or festival in the area. All my experiences don't involve new places. Show me a hometown dive in a not-so-nice neighborhood and I'll give it a try. Do it for the experience and practice. If it's always about making money instead of seeking the experience for you, you may burn out pretty quickly.

Made you look! I love trying new things, especially if they make interesting photos, like this Levrek - Whole grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass. Some folks might not be comfortable eating a dish that looks like this. That's unfortunate. They have no idea of the taste and flavor they are missing

When I travel I don't mind looking like a tourist toting camera gear and talking with locals. In Portland, Ore. recently I went on a walk about and came across the Alder Street Food Cart pod. It's an entire city block of food trucks and trailers serving a wonderful assortment of ethnic dishes. Score! It was both photographically and epicurically (yes, that's a word) awesome! I got some great shots, met some cool locals, and had some delicious food. 

So, expand your horizon. Next time you are in that all-too-familiar restaurant, order something different and colorful. Better yet, look at the list you have started of other places to try after reading this tip and go somewhere new! Your adventures will enhance your food and life experience. Think of how your photography will improve when you try to shoot indoors, outdoors, and on the go. And, with the Tampa food scene getting bigger and bigger, think of all the great food you'll eat!