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Learn how to Instagram like a pro from Zagat Foodie Award winner @seattle_bites

Sonya Chang, the foodie behind @seattle_bites, has three tricks to taking mouth-watering photos for Instagram. We put those to the test on a foodie tour of some of her favorite places in Seattle!
Sonya Change of @seattle_bites photographs her smoked salmon waffle at Mr. West Cafe Bar

@seattle_bites is a mouthwatering snapshot of Seattle's diverse food scene, through the eyes of Sonya Chang.

"Seattle has so many good places to explore that I really wanted to a bookmark my favorite places for myself, and share it with other people who really like food," said Chang.

Sonya Chang of @seattle_bites takes a video of the S'mores Sundae at Shugs Soda Fountain and Ice Cream

Because she's had such a big impact on the digital foodie community (and obviously because her IG photos are so good) she received a Zagat Foodie Award, which recognizes the top 101 Food Instagrammers in the country (100 people, plus one dog).

Since we know EVERYONE secretly (and not so secretly) loves taking photos of their food, we asked Sonya for some tips on how to take an award-winning food photo. Ladies and gentlemen...the secrets are revealed!

1. Natural Light is your Friend

FINALLY!! Good milk tea near downtown πŸ‘ŒπŸ»We checked out @themoobarseattle last weekend and were pleasantly surprised by how tasty the milk tea was. I had the Matcha with Salted Cheese Cream. I don’t think I drank it right because I didn’t stir it, so I ended up just getting strong notes of matcha. I’ll have to mix in the topping next time! The honey boba were not too sweet and perfectly chewy. If you want milk tea but don’t want to travel to ID, check out @themoobarseattle for sure 🍡πŸ₯›πŸ˜‹ #seattlebites #seattle #seattlesbest #boba #milktea #bubbletea

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"It's always good to sit somewhere where there's a lot of natural light," she said. "It will make your food look so much for tasty and with artificial light, it makes it hard to edit later.

2. Levels make it Lovely

New post on the blog (link in bio)πŸ‘†πŸ»πŸ‘†πŸ» Today I'm sharing my experience at @petitcochonsea for @dinearoundsea πŸ’πŸ» Here's a peek at one of the delicious I ordered. . . Also, there's still 2 more days to take advantage of @dinearoundsea's awesome restaurant selection, it ends 3/23.

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"You definitely want to photograph dishes that have levels and they're not flat." This is helpful for all those bird's eye view photos. If you are looking at a dish with lots of layers from the top down, you can generally see all the different textures that are in it.

3. Color is Key

The newish sushi spot @urara_japanese_cuisine in @pikeplacepublicmarket has one of the best deals in town! $20 gets you this beautiful chirashi filled with fresh sashimi and tasty sushi rice. It’s definitely a must visit if you’re Downtown #seattlebites

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"Definitely pick dishes where there are lots vibrant colors and lots of different ingredients. Honestly, at the end of the day, those are dishes that taste the best anyway."

We couldn't agree more. Is your mouth watering yet?

A behind the scenes look at the @seattle_bites Instagram

Evening is your guide to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Watch it weeknights at 7:30 on KING-TV Ch. 5 or streaming live on KING5.com. Connect with Evening via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Email.

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