Nom Nom Boston on Her Signature Flat Lay Shots

Yusra Wahab is passionate about many things, most notably food & travel — just take a look at her Instagram account, Nom Nom Boston. She’s all about posting delicious eats and gorgeous sights from around the globe, and her Pinterest-like aesthetic (seriously, her photography is gorgeous) has helped her build an online community of over 50,000 followers. She’s got a big appetite for both adventure and dining around Boston, and below she talks about growing up abroad, her iconic flat lay shots and why she’s obsessed with restaurant interiors.

Tell us a little about yourself. How’d you end up in Boston, and what inspired you to create your Instagram account?

I’m originally from Bangladesh, however I spent most of my childhood living throughout Europe and Africa. After having attended 10 schools in 12 years, I finally finished high school in Uganda. I moved to Boston to do my undergrad degree in biomedical engineering at Boston University. During my four years of college, I very much fell in love with the city and after graduation, I chose stay here and pursue a career at Massachusetts General Hospital.

To escape the hustle & bustle of student life, when I was not traveling, I was exploring Boston through its rich food culture. When I moved to Boston, I started taking photos of my meals to share with my mom back home. I’ve loved photography from a young age, and especially enjoyed capturing moments while traveling. It wasn’t until a very close friend introduced me to high-end cuisine that I began to appreciate the hard work that goes into every dish. I started to document what I ate at all the different restaurants in Boston and soon enough my friends were seeking recommendations from me for where to dine. I realized I had a library of images and what better way to make use of them than to make a directory of Boston’s best restaurants to share with my friends and that’s the beginning of @nomnom_boston.

Name the top five dishes on your Boston food bucket list.

Lobster Roll at Row 34
Mushroom Agnolotti at Harvest
French Onion Soup at Frenchie
Shakshouka at Committee
Smoked Duck Drumette at Toro

What do you think the next big trend is for restaurants?

An aspect I look forward to when trying a new place is its interior, and I believe one of the next big trends for restaurants is having a chic interior as I’ve noticed my followers are also interested in what a place looks like.

I also believe food plating and presentation is key these days as social media has put an emphasis on aesthetics — of course, with the number one priority that the food is delicious.

Which chefs are your favorite to follow on Instagram and why?

I enjoy following @PastryChefRobert, @ChefChrisCoombs and @ChefJacquesLamerde especially for their food plating and presentation posts! I love how creative and inspiring they are.

Beyond chefs, what are your top three favorite food Instagram accounts to follow?

I love these three for either inspiration and/or just love everything they post: @gatherandfeast, @onthetable_project and @_foodstories_.

Describe Boston’s food scene in three words.

Evolving, innovative, and diverse

Which restaurants haven’t you been to but you’re eager to try?

Asta, Sportello and Oleana

What’s your food photography philosophy, and can you share your top tips for taking awesome food photos?

My style of photography has changed a lot throughout the journey of @nomnom_boston. At first I enjoyed taking up close and personal shots of food, often popping egg yolk, doing cheese pulls, or pouring syrup on pancakes — “foodporn” if you will. Overtime I yearned for a challenge. I found flat lay shots harder to perfect and so it became my mission to master them.

For up close shots, my tip and favorite thing to do is find unique and photogenic angles of the dish. For flat lays, it’s a bit trickier as you have to fill in all the white spaces, have an evenly distributed spread on the table, and be cognizant of the corners and edges of the photos. I usually fill in spaces by adding smaller props like salt & pepper, centerpieces, my sunglasses, etc. I try to ensure that similarly colored dishes are not next to each other. I also find it helpful to elevate myself (mostly by standing up on chairs) to get a good full table shot; afterall I am 5’1”.

A Few Of Your Favorite Things:

Favorite brunch spot: Frenchie & Bootleg Special
Favorite place for outdoor dining: Cultivar & B&G Oysters
Favorite BBQ joint: The Smoke Shop BBQ
Favorite late-night: UNI & Barcelona Wine Bar
Favorite neighborhood for food: South End
Favorite new restaurant: Pammy’s

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