Cineleisure Next Online Sensation: The Nom Nom Challenge #tehpengstyle

Blogging about food has always been my passion and I also believe that many bloggers out there shares a common interest with me. It is because we all love to share, and sharing is caring. I'm pretty sure it works within our daily lives too right? It draws to a conclusion that this is one of the reasons why I decided to pursue food blogging!

 I always strive to produce comprehensive content and quality photos. I believe that photos also plays an IMPORTANT ROLE on your blog because they are the ones that draws your attention to your potential readers and it also determines if the photos appeals to them.

Due to the 800 words limit, I will try to keep things as simplified and short as possible! Wish I could write more XD! 

#1 Investing Into a Good Camera 
+ Lightning Accessories  

For instance, I am currently using Canon EOS 550D to take my photos. It's almost 4 years old and it's still my best companion to take photos. I have plans of getting a new camera soon but this DSLR never fails on me! Sometimes investing in a good camera has it's perks and benefits. Despite being very heavy and bulky all the time, it never fails to disappoint me. Furthermore, I also purchased a mini-ringlight for taking close up shots like food or products. The difference between lighting and no lighting is a huge gap in between thus this could cost you around $70 - $150 to get one for yourself.

If you find it too costly, you could also improvise by using your iPhone torch light! Trust me it WORKS like magic!!

Without Lighting

With Lighting

#2 No DSLR/Digital Camera?! Utilize iPhone Photography! 

Nowadays almost everyone owns an Instagram account and are actively posting photos onto their own platforms. So if you do not own a professional camera or a digital one, do not worry so much! Did you know that using the iPhone you could also take very beautiful shots (provided with adequate and proper editing). I also have an interest of spamming food pictures onto my instagram account and a lot of my friends ask me what do I usually use to edit the photos! Well the magic is none other than VSCO CAM! 

DISCLAIMER:

 This video is non-related to any #CNOS3 content (As it is an external video which is not counted inside the submission). Video teaches the viewers how do I usually edit my photos. Enjoy!

#3 Determine the right camera angle, make use of natural sunlight & put in your 100% 

Landscape Shot

Portrait Shot

Usually it depends on how big the plate or bowl is, or how you imagine the image in your mind. Usually for landscape shots I would take from the top or just a close up shot of the food item. Most importantly, is what you already place in your mind. Always try to avoid SHADOW, so remember to adjust to the right angle. Your primary objective is to make the photo more appealing and expose all it's elements & colours. Make use of natural lighting as it will give a boost to a more define and better quality of photos. One more additional tip! Do no only take 1 SHOT, take multiple shots so when you go back home you can individually self select the photos out by yourself.

#4 Going the extra mile to edit your photos

Photo taken by iPhone Camera

Photo taken by DSLR Camera

Editing your photos definitely makes a big difference between a regular photo compared to an enhanced photo, most importantly is are you able to target the audience and make sure if it appeals to the reader. Qiuqiu said during the briefing that photos actually can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE followed by explicit infromation which I strongly agreed to what she said. If you are able to sell by it's apprearence, you will definitely earn an advantage in gaining an extra loyal reader or follower :)

CHARLIE BROWN CAFE FOOD CHALLENGE

Vlog Submission:


Best Shot Submission:

I was actually playing two roles, mainly the camera man and also the videographer!
I kinda went totally extreme while filming cos I was trying to get the best view to film.
(plus points for extra effort hahaha)

Luna was the head chef that will be making the delicious pancakes!
Trust me, the pancakes weren't easy to make! We were only given one try to practice and we have the cook the pancakes all by ourselves for the actual thing! Seems like a very tedious job!

Suan Yee was very hardworking! Loving her bubbly character and enjoyed working with her and Luna!

Rare moments of my serious face!!!

A few days before the challenge, my team and I prepared props to make sure we will score well for the food challenge. Flowers were purchased from Daiso! For $2 per stalk, it is really value for money for such pretty "Fake" flowers. Plus it can be used for personal investment as you can use as props in the future for other photos. It will be able to pull off the flowery/vintage look.

If you noticed, we brought our own utensils too! In case if the cafe didn't allow us to use theirs.

Q: Why is food styling and appearance important? 

Photo Source: My instagram

I'm still an amateur in food styling thus I'm constantly learning how to make a food item look more appealing to others. If you are wondering what did I use for the white background, it is actually a plain white t-shirt that I bought which I found out was the wrong size :) Sometimes you can make things even better without spending that much and recycling your old items. I have a few friends who even bring their own backdrop and plates!! There are still more to learn for me to bridge the gap into achieving professional food styling.

Subsequently, adding extra items like, a watch, specs, shades, books, notebooks, pens could add an extra "feel" to your photo. With all these extra steps and methods, you will definitely stand out compared to a plain boring image but always remember that the food item is the main "STAR", don't let other items distract the icon thus you need to be selective when pairing your items with the food.

Special thanks to The Charlie Brown Cafe for hosting the venue!!

Do check out their facebook page for more updates:
https://www.facebook.com/charliebrowncafe