We Take Too Many Photos. Most Are of Lunch.
Did you know that we’ve taken more photos in the past decade than in the entire history of photography before that?
That’s not an exaggeration - that’s data.
And I’m willing to bet at least half of those are food pictures.
We’re drowning in digital soup. Nobody needs 12 slightly different shots of a burger that was cold before you even picked a filter.
Remember the Pre-Smartphone Era?
I was there. We had digital cameras before smartphones, and not once did anyone say, “Wait, don’t eat yet! I need to capture the aesthetic!”
You just ate your food. Sometimes you said “yum.” That was the whole interaction.
Now? Dinner has turned into a hostage situation. Nobody’s allowed to touch their plate until The Photographer has gotten their shot - “Hold on, just one more angle!” - while everyone else sits there, starving, pretending they’re fine.
Newsflash: you’re not Annie Leibovitz. You’re holding up dinner.
It’s Okay to Stop. Really.
So here’s your official out:
I am starting a movement that gives you permission to stop taking photos of your food - and also gives me permission to tell you to put your phone away before I throw my pasta in your lap.
Food doesn’t exist to perform for your followers. It exists to be eaten. Warm. Immediately. Preferably without someone shouting, “Wait, wait, let me get the lighting right.”
And honestly - what are you doing this for, exactly?
Do you think that someday, thousands of years from now, an archaeologist will be sifting through the digital ruins of our civilization saying, “It’s a good thing people in the early 2020s documented every latte and sandwich - now we can rebuild society!”
No one cares about your protein shake, Brad.
So let’s bring some sanity back to the table.
No more “content.” No more hashtags. Just you, your meal, and the primal joy of eating something before it gets cold.
Sincerely,
A hungry person with no social media presence.
