Cineleisure's Next Online Sensation 3- Challenge2// The NomNom Challenge

Cineleisure's Next Online Sensation 3- The NomNom Challenge was taking place at Charlie Brown Cafe on Saturday, 29March2014. 

We were allocated in groups of 3 and my team mates were Regine and Celine. Regine as the chef, Celine the camera person and I, the videographer. The creation of the selected signature dessert- Snooby's Strawberry Pancakes was demonstrated by the chef from Charlie Brown and our main objective was to recreate it. 

My experience of the challenge was rather nerve-racking- given that my role was a videographer. Why's that so? First of all, I'm not a tech-savy person and beside i was given a Semi-DSLR and i have no knowledge how to use the camera. 
On the day itself,  I was extremely nervous that i could hardly think and communicate. But what began as mild sense of uneasiness ahead of the challenge was when i had to start filming. During that moment, the camera that i was given had not enough memory and, I had to quickly switched and filmed by using mine instead. 
So glad that i brought along my camera with me as a backup. 
Some parts were a little bit shaky because my hands kept on shaking as i was panicking. 
Overall, the challenge was fun yet tiring. The time limit of 3mins push us to our limit in it's challenge.
I felt it was too crowded and pushy. The space given to us was very limited. 
The instructions that were given to us was clear enough for us to understand.

Although our score wasn't that pleasant but we did our best.

I have learnt a lot from our challenge judge- MissTamChiak. 
(Thank you for your guidance :D)

Best Shot

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Quick Tips on Food Preparation
{I LIKE PANCAKES, WHO DOESN'T?}
1) Pour the batter// Don't over mix the batter- Leave a few lumps because if you over mix the batter, the pancakes will become tough and not tender.
2) To get the right size of nice and round cakes
3) Cook the pancake for approximately 30-40 seconds. Use a palette knife to lift the pancake carefully to look at the underside to check if it is golden-brown before turning over. Cook the other side for approximately 30-40 seconds and transfer to a serving plate.
4) Hot pancakes are the best! :) 

I'm not a professional photographer. 
I don't own a DSLR.  I am currently using Fujifilm Finepix F660EXR and that's enough for me. 
Sometimes, i do also take photos by using IPHONE/SAMSUNGS4.
It's okay that you don't have an expensive camera- not everyone can afford it and they are usually bigger, heavier, harder to clean(When changing lens) and can be more complicated to operate.
GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY does not mean you have to get a good quality of camera. What matters is to know the basic on how to handle digital camera and any photograph you capture will be great.
Tips on Photography
1) Lighting is very important in good photography. Best is to use nature light. 
2) Choose the right mode. 
3) Use simple backgrounds.
4) Focus on the point of interest- try to make the main focus of your dish on something interesting.
5) Angle- Instead of shooting an object in 45degrees, try an interesting angle. Try looking down to the object, or looking up. Pick an angle that shows maximum color and minimum shadow. To make objects look longer or taller, a low angle may help. You may also want to make the object look smaller or make it look like you're hovering over; to get the effect you should put the camera above the object. An uncommon angle makes a more interesting shot.  Take multiple shots of different angles and pick the best shot later.

Tips on Presentation/Styling
1) Don't over plate the food- limit the serving
2) Keep it simple
3) Less is more- Use less food, less elements
4) Careful garnishing- When garnishing the plate, it is easy to get carried away. Use the principle of 'Less is more'. Use garnishing sparingly. The main focus of your composition should be the food and garnishing should support the food not the other way. 
5) Be careful not to over-saturate the colours in your food or your food will look un-natural and unappealing- The key is to make it look appetizing! Watch your reds and greens and any colour casts that may be reflecting on your food. You want the person viewing the photo to start to salivate just looking at it right? :)
6) Use plain coloured dishes as not to distract the food- White is my favourite for dishes.

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Hope you guys enjoy reading and stay tune for the next update!
'IT'SGONNAGETSENSATIONAL' :)