Do you ever feel like social media unduly influences your behavior? I do. Sacco Pizza makes some fine old-school slices, but I often avoid it because I find it so dang hard to take a good photo there. If I can’t get a good photo, I don’t want to “waste” a lunch visit. Isn’t that messed up? (If a slice gets eaten in the forest and no one is there to Instagram it…)
But new year, new practices, right? And one resolution I made was to take a healthier approach to social media, both in time spent on it and in how mindful I am as to its effects.
Sacco is a 7-minute walk from my office. There is NO REASON I should not visit. Especially when the alternative is another workmanlike sandwich eaten at the desk.
As expected, the photo I took above earlier this month is a lousy shot of a GREAT SLICE. The lighting and background do not do this slice justice.
Sacco’s slices are thinner than most, and have a nice helping of Parmesan or Romano—not sure what they use. The slices are generously cheesed, with enough sauce to balance it out. I caught a fresh slice at lunch, took a few bites, and knew I’d need a second one.
This was actually my first pizzeria slice of the year. And a fine start to 2018.
On Instagram, where this shot first appeared, I resolved to visit again to get a photo whose appearance matched the quality of its subject. It was in the comments there that longtime Slice/Serious Eats community member Simon Potter recommended getting a Sacco slice with extra cheese, so:
Whoomp, there it is.
I’ve been enjoying the interaction on IG lately. It kinda feels a little like my old blog, Slice, back in the early days and has inspired me to take up pizza-blogging again after a bit of a false start last year.
I’m dubbing an extra-cheese slice here the “Simon Says” slice. ??? Let’s see if we can make that stick.
And, hey, I got a much better photo this time than last! But I still wasn’t satisfied so, third time’s a charm…
Pizza Smartphonography 101
The best way to get a good picture of food is with natural light — DIFFUSE natural light, like on a cloudy day or through a gauzy white curtain. (You didn’t realize you’d be attending Food Photo School, did you? ?)
When I first posted about Sacco on IG this month I complained about not getting a good photo inside. “GO OUTSIDE, DUMMY,” some connenters said.
Fine. I didn’t want to go out on the sidewalk and hand-hold, because I don’t like getting myself in the picture. I want viewers to imagine themselves eating the slices I ‘gram. YOU are there in the pizzeria, oven doors squeaking and slamming, the greasy smell of melting cheese and fragrant oregano wafting over the counter and up your nose. Centering a pizza photo on myself breaks that illusion.
But… ??♂️ I wanted decent light on this pepperoni slice so I relented.
This photo quality here is better than the “Simon Says” slice above though still not amazing. Better luck next time. Until then, folks, hasta la pizza. ??✌
Sacco Pizza:819 Ninth Avenue, New York NY 10019; 212-582-7765; saccopizza.com