Photographing food in restaurants, editing food photos, and writing reviews is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Sure when I have kids, buy a home, and pay off my student loan that sentence may change a bit, but until then this is my greatest accomplishment. In the last two and a half years of reviewing restaurants locally and internationally I’ve spent a good amount of time doing it alone. In those instances I’ve found that photographing food and taking notes about the dishes I eat in restaurants by myself can be easy as long as I have great songs playing in my ears. Even when I’m at home editing photos or writing a post, there are a few styles of songs and specific tracks that help me work harder and more efficiently while keeping me in the zone. When it comes to working on a blog I highly suggest you find music that helps you work at your best. For myself, my favorite songs are all different. Whether in genre or tempo each one comes with its own perfect purpose.

Whenever I’m alone taking photos while in restaurants, I love upbeat songs. Music that promotes good energy or songs that have a high tempo can get me even more excited to take photos and tune out everything and everyone around me. Regardless of how the weather may be outside or what I’ve ordered, I love to have songs that feel uplifting because it helps me stay focused and then my pictures tend to match the vibrations of the music. A few artists with tracks that get me in that mood to photograph the food in front of me are:

1. Seohyun – “Don’t Say No” (below)
2. Mullaly – “Wonderful”
3. DJ Khaled – “I’m the One”
4. Luz Pinos feat. Paquito D’rivera & Luisito Quintero – “Mozo”
5. Hillsong Young & Free – “Falling into You (Studio Version)”

After having a handful of photos taken comes the editing process. I may be working on a set of photos at home or at a coffee shop to pick and choose the best ones to go alongside a restaurant review. When I’m in Photoshop adjusting the sharpness, color correcting, or cropping photos I like to listen to music that comes at a mid-tempo. Songs that have a strong beat but aren’t too lively work best for me. Songs of this style give me the chance to think while allowing me to get distracted just enough by the beat and lyrics. Some tracks that manage to do just that include:

1. Khalid – “Another Sad Love Song” (below first)
2. Austin Mahone – “Double Up”
3. Drake feat. 21 Savage – “Sneakin’”
4. Noah Cyrus – “Stay Together”
5. Marian Hill – “Down” (below second)

The final process of reviewing restaurants is writing the review. In each blog post I try to balance storytelling with being descriptive. Combining my personal experience while discussing the restaurant location, the overall ambiance, and the way the food tasted and smelled is the task at hand. To do so, I have to spend the majority of my focus on writing about the experience and music can only be in the background. That means, the songs I listen to need to be relaxing and slow almost fading out completely. Songs that I constantly go to because they match that variety are:

1. Kehlani – “Everything is Yours” (right)
2. Outkast – “Da Art of Storytellin’, Pt. 1” or J. Cole – “LAnd of the Snakes”
3. Kanye West feat. Paul Wall & GLC “Drive Slow”
4. Laurent Korcia – “Cinema Paradiso”
5. John Mayer – “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You) [Live]”

In the last few years that I’ve reviewed restaurants I’ve found a variety of ways to focus on the task at hand. Whether I’m out photographing dishes, at my desk editing pictures, or in bed writing out my dining experience the music I listen to can have a great impact on getting the job done right. From upbeat dance music to calming classical, there are songs that can help me do what I love to do. With these songs readily available it becomes a lot easier to tell people where to eat through photos and reviews.

Now that you know what I like to listen to, comment below and tell me what songs and artist help you get your work done!