Your Instagram Guide to FEAST Portland
I’m not going to lie, I’m totally one of those people that will say, “not yet!” to you when the food has arrived. I’m asking you to wait so I can get an Instagram. I could go into a whole blog post defending myself, but I’m going to assume that you don’t have a problem with it. Today I'm traveling down to Portland for FEAST Portland. Officially, FEAST Portland is the flagship food and drink festival of the Pacific Northwest, featuring the best Oregon culinary treats. Unofficially, it’s a food Instagram marathon and I recommend you never go unprepared.
Snap fast
During FEAST, you’ll be moving quickly from table to table to try sandwich after small bite after pinot noir. My best tip to upload the best Instagram possible, is to snap first, edit after. No one likes a chronic Instagrammer, so take your time and analyze post-bite which creation is worth sharing.
Don’t be afraid of asking for the Wi-Fi password
Many FEAST events are hosted at hotels or restaurants that likely have public wi-fi accounts. What are the perks of being on wi-fi? Save your battery and upload faster. Two things every Instagram addict cherishes. Plus, it's good practice for when you need to ask them to charge your iPhone behind the bar when it dies…
Know the hashtag
The official hashtag of FEAST is #feastpdx. Not #feast2014, not #feastportland, but #feastpdx. Include on your Instagrams to expand your audience and browse other people's photos to see what you might be missing during the event.
Remember the details
A lot goes into that tiny sandwich you’ll be voting on at the Sandwich Invitational tonight, so don’t disgrace it with a lazy caption. It’s not easy to quickly type those ingredients while perfecting your shot and balancing a beer in the other hand. My trick? Take another photo of the ingredients! You can reference it later when editing and write the caption to end all captions.
Follow the key players
Be a team player and engage with those who came to join you in celebrating Oregon’s ounty. Here’s a short list of my favorite Instagram accounts I suggest you keep an eye on:
- FEAST Portland @FeastPortland
- FEAST Portland Co-Founders @MikeThelin and @CarriePDX
- Tillamook @Tillamook
- Union Wine Co. @UnionWineCompany
- Gregory Gourdet @gg30000
- Salt and Straw @saltandstraw
- Whole Foods Market @WholeFoodsPDX (Shameless plug because I'll be sharing from here)