Ah, the blogging about food meme.
I think I was probably one of the very first people, in the UK at least, to take photographs of food and blog about them. This behaviour has become ripe for satire. In some ways justifiably - eg people taking blurry photos with phones in poorly lit settings, often with poor framing, looking two dimensional and with no clue as to how the chef intended the plate to look. Also, people going to restaurants to ostentatiously photograph their food, dancing all over the place, flashing their flashes, and disturbing other diners.
But, you know, for centuries artists have drawn and painted food and called it 'still life'. A half-decent photo of a plated dish is good publicity for restaurants. I'm not saying they should be grateful, or that they owe the blogger anything, but sensible restaurants (such as Trinity) will retweet photos of their food, and it probably adds to the sum total of human happiness.
Nevertheless, there are rules for restaurant photographing. Firstly - and this applies to all behaviour in restaurants and other public places - I am not the centre of the universe; nor are you. Your behaviour shouldn't detract from the enjoyment of the people at the next table. It's often not good manners to use flash, not in a proper restaurant for grown-ups. Probably standing on your chair to get that angle is inappropriate. Also, have respect for your companion(s). They shouldn't have to decide between the good manners of waiting or eating their food warm. In fact, have respect for your own food and those who have created it. One, at most two, quick snapshots, and start eating. Oh - and get your camera settings right in between ordering and your starter arriving.
The other thing to remember is that you are unlikely to emulate a dedicated food photographer. The lighting in a restaurant is (ideally) set for the optimum comfort of diners. A food photographer is likely to have a full light rig, with lights that eliminate shadows, and are set for a specific warmth - a good 'still life' looks good in white/blue light, good restaurant lighting is tending to the yellow for comfort. Some photographers use tricks and add elements to food that render it inedible. At the very least, they're probably taking their time to photograph it, so it's likely to go cold.
I like the food and service and ambience, everything actually, about Trinity in Clapham. I have several photographs taken on three separate visits in the last 18 months. On the whole, they don't do justice to the food. For one lunch we were sat away from the window. The lights were low (but not too low for eating) one New Year's Eve. I got lucky on my birthday - unusually sunny for a day I, obviously, have reason to notice the weather on, and I sat with my back to the window. So I have had to exclude well-framed photos of beautiful food containing too much blur - although I've included a couple for their colour!
I also like that Trinity is handy: practically door to door on the 417 bus. This allows for drinking beyond the driving limits, and saves faffing around in cabs, even when it's snowing (which has happened at least twice in the past). It doesn't have Michelin stars, but, like Michelin 1 star restaurants it carries three AA rosettes, and deservedly so. The nearest Michelin star restaurant is Chez Bruce. From conversations overheard in both places, and with friends and acquaintances, many people enjoy patronising and appreciate both restaurants. We've done the last four New Year's Eves at each place twice, and I've done four of my last five birthdays, again at each place twice.
