In the midst of an intimate dinner last weekend, I found myself blinded by the light of a food journalist in Bangkok. There I was, rhythmically turning my head from chef to dish and back again, as the food before me was explained in great detail, including the source of its ingredients, the strenuous exercise to whip it into shape, and the meticulous use of tweezers involved in its presentation. My fork hardly began its journey onto the plate, when what felt like a stadium floodlight stabbed me in the cornea. Bringing an LED light to a restaurant: Instagram fam, are we taking food photography too far?
Forget “bon appetit.” These days, “camera eats first” feels like the more common phrase uttered at dinner. No longer encouraged to “dig in,” many of us have become accustomed to a ritual of pre-meal photo-snapping. While in some cases this involves a mere tap on the iPhone camera app, for others, it is a proper production — LED light, tripod, et al.
[Hero Image Credit: Mikegles/Pexels]
There’s no denying that good lighting is key to a good photo, and that appropriate lighting can make or break your restaurant experience. Nonetheless, the two used to be mutually exclusive. I digitally nodded to every word in this viral story on Eater last month — titled “Please Put Your Light Away at the Restaurant,” it doesn’t get more straight-forward than that — but it wasn’t until this brutal invasion of my privacy (and my eyesight) that I fully understood its meaning. As someone who also owns a video light and uses it for restaurant reviews at work, I took a long hard look in my well-lit mirror.
What one local chef rightly describes as a “double-edged sword,” using a handheld light at the dining table is a more complex affair than it may seem. Who can deny that a well-lit photograph can wholly change the perception of a dish, or even a restaurant? It’s hard to find the balance, somewhere between new rules for dining etiquette, the power of social media influence, and the value of private experiences.
Some armed with food photography lights, others wearing a proverbial cross to avoid them, we checked in with local F&B experts to find the answer. Is it (ever) okay to bring an LED light to dinner? Let us enlighten you.
Opinion: Is it appropriate to bring a food photography light to a restaurant/bar?
The case for letting the camera eat first: The free marketing is kind of lit
You may have already blocked out this period of time, but for a brief moment, transport yourself back to the Covid-19 era. Many sectors were suffering, and the restaurant and bar industries were among the worst to be hit. As a publication, it was high time for us to promote small businesses as much as we could. We shared their promotions, we spread the word, and if we could, we took photos of their product to enhance this. Naturally, an LED light came in super handy.
Whilst no one is discriminating against proper food photographers, there is plenty to say for the rise of amateur food photographers. A few searches on Shopee or Lazada yield an impressive number of tools for your disposal. You can buy gimlets, tripods, ring lights, and even coloured lights online. With the right angles and a little bit of practice, anyone can become a food and drink photographer — and become a food and drink photographer many did.
It’s no wonder that TikTok exploded at a time when people had the most time to spend online. Viral dances and dumb challenges took over the internet during the pandemic, but they also gave birth to a fresh avalanche of lifestyle bloggers, vloggers, and influencers. As we emerged back into restaurants, coffeeshops, and bars post-pandemonium, they suddenly entered armed with new skills and hot tools. If the right one came to your venue, you could see a queue that went around the block, and suddenly, business could be booming again.
Of course, this changed the business model. Jon Spearman, chef-owner of Pizzeria Mazzie, one of the world’s top 50 pizzerias, knows this, and took lighting into consideration when renovating his restaurant. “We have financed a large budget on lighting inside our restaurant during the recent expansion, to be comfortable for guests, but also with social media photos being such an important part of dining out, in mind.”
Encouraging food photography, then, is a clever way to support free marketing, and though it may have started as a trend at first, it looks like it’s here to stay.
Food writer, Travel + Leisure tastemaker, and chef, Mario Tolentino echoes the sentiment: “Thoughtful design in the modern dining age is essential. People love to share the amazing meals we provide them and we should think about that as operators when designing our restaurants. I definitely do not see this going away, it’s not a trend, this a societal behaviour, we need to adapt and create an environment that is suitable for our guests…there is a challenge in striking the balance on guest behaviour and creating the atmosphere and environment for our concepts.”
The case for leaving your light at home: Is nothing sacred anymore?
The central argument in Jaya Saxena’s Eater article is about ambience, and that not everybody in a restaurant environment wants to be a part of your content. Perhaps bringing a light makes for a nice photo on your ‘gram, and the venue owner is super happy about it, and you feel super cool about creating fun content around it, but what about table seven?
This is where it struck a chord for me last weekend. Though I am now used to seeing new and older food journalists bringing a light to work, I still felt massively disturbed by its presence. Held incorrectly and left on for far too long, it shone an aggressive beam in all the wrong directions, changed the otherwise tranquil vibe of the evening, and, contrary to its function, did not lighten the mood.
The use of an LED light in a public space emphasises notions of the self versus the community in a public setting. Dining out is a communal activity, even if you’re not seated at communal tables. There are manners to adhere to, and unspoken rules to observe. We respect each other in this space. Nonetheless, we are entering uncharted territory. While our forefathers set a few rules for how to break bread with strangers, they never had to worry about 300 lumens shining havoc on an amuse bouche.
Even if we zoom in on the individual in a public setting, Saxena is right: “everyone is there to experience the whole, not be made to watch as you selfishly man a literal spotlight.” However dinner or drinks is going, it should be your experience, and your experience alone. “You do not consent to suddenly becoming a studio audience.”
The case for middle ground: Consent, the Gen-Z way
Somehow, there is a middle ground to be found here, and it lies at the peripherals of phone and dining etiquette, but also the design of the new F&B experience.
Samantha Proyrungtong, a double-agent with a foot in restaurant PR and another in owning her own French restaurant, says, “Discreet with a small light is okay, but studio lights, tripods, and flashes that can bring down planes is inappropriate…For those who warn in advance, there’s always areas to place them to avoid disturbances.”
Some venues even provide lights to customers, so as to encourage clear vision, but also to manage the amount of exposure. Arguably one of the best new bar openings this year, G.O.D. is one of these places, where the desecrated church ambience would be destroyed by uncontrolled, cold vlogging light. The bartenders here will shine a quick light onto your cocktail following its presentation, allowing you a few seconds to take a snap and get it over with. For bigger productions, you’d have to contact owner Niks Anuman. Fittingly, G.O.D. stands for “genius on drugs.”
Speaking more broadly on the use of lights at his bars (he helms Bangkok’s notorious YOLO Group), Niks puts it bluntly: “Bring a light, bring a dog, bring your own music, bring a candle, bring a dumbbell, bring food, bring anything — but please ask for approval or permission before using any of those. If the bartender is okay with it, then go for it.”
Bangkok-based food journalist Pruepat Songtieng understands. Knowing that the way forward is paved with good lighting, she finds the balance: “It’s understandable if you have to work, but please always ask restaurants for a recommended table that won’t disturb others.”
Customers and vendors need to work together on this, as behaviours in drink and dining spaces evolve, and call for understanding on both ends. Unlike bringing your pet to a pet-friendly restaurant, or your baby to a friends and family dinner, there is a need for consent for individual food photography lighting.
After we meet at a dinner party where all was calm and all was bright, Masterchef Thailand Season 5 contestant and beloved food blogger Tasinee Kiattikhunphan (ChubbynHungry) has normalised it. “I think it’s pretty commonplace nowadays,” affirming that she does not mind being around a light in a restaurant, and even uses a light in a restaurant. “But sometimes, I love to enjoy my dinner the old school way.”
Seemingly, the question now presents itself whether you’re “old school” or “new school” on this subject, and as I try to find a conclusion fitting with the times, it is best to sum it up using local language from within this space. In 2024, we’ve come to learn, if you decide to bring a private LED light to a restaurant, be sure to be so very mindful, very demure when you do.
If you’re interested, shop LED lights here
Tags
Written by
Lisa Gries
Creative Content Director, Bangkok
Lisa is the Creative Content Director for Lifestyle Asia and Prestige Thailand. She leads a data-driven content strategy for both titles, finding the balance between scathing SEO metrics and sucks-you-right-in story-telling. Lisa writes mostly on dining, travel, and pop-culture, and is a sucker for a good savoury cocktail. Passionate about Bangkok’s ever-growing bar scene, she also sits on the committee for various bar and spirit awards in the region.
Most Popular
