Another platform joyride
From blog wog to Substack hack
How do I describe myself as a Sydney photographer with food opinions without sounding conceited? Who the hell am I to type words when my apparent pigeon-hole is taking colourful, candid images? Shut up and press the button! Camera, brr, etc. Shh.
Most may be unaware of my lore as a food blogger in 2011, or something. I closed my well-meaning but ill-fated blog (don’t look it up) six years ago and I’ve had nowhere to post silly reviews or complain about food trends I deem to be terrible since. My questionable content even went viral once (pre-TikTok!), I was upset about milkshakes, and it ruined my SEO.
Instagram has borne the brunt of my bad takes lately, but I do miss having somewhere dedicated for shitposting.
My old blog began as earnest recipe posting, documenting what I liked to cook, before it deteriorated into a messy parody page. There was real concern that the professional line had become too blurred and potential clients may not see me as someone capable of shooting nice. Or sensibly. Or sanely. I celebrated World Nutella Day (??) by dousing a hot chook and for Easter one year I took aim at brunch by taking some earnest photos of Cadbury Creme Egg™ avocado toast. Teehee, so kooky. I reviewed limited time only items from fast food chains as a reaction to those poorly-researched reviews with the sole intention of using big words to slag on local restaurants (as was the style at the time)… all while occasionally posting some work photos. I made jokes about Viennettas and shared some of my first editorial jobs. The whole thing was not good marketing.
I blogged as hobby, and that hobby turned into a career in photography. I’m nothing but grateful for this transition but clear lines should be drawn between professionalism (photos) and fun (words). The internet is a playground and food is everywhere. I will attempt to quarantine all of my food broods here.
You can find some legitimately commissioned photos at alanadimou.com. You can find my instagram here. I sell some stuff, and those things are here. And you can find all future terrible takes here on this Substack. Thanks for being here.