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Food Photography

We learnt about food photography in our last Home Economics lesson. I was looking forward to the lesson as I am passionate about photography and I enjoy taking photos of food. Miss Soo gave us some pointers to take note of for food photography and they are as follows:

1) Choose food that looks good

2) Choose the right angle

3) Learn the light

4) Get in close, crop up tight

5) Avoid the blur

6) Use the shallow depth of field

7) Add a little oil

8) Don’t over-prop, set yourself up wide

Miss Soo then got us to share the photos of food that we had brought to class so that we could get feedback on our techniques. My photos were commented on and I realise that although I enjoy taking close-up views of food, the dish may look better if I had taken them further back.

After which each group was tasked to take photos of doughnuts using strawberries, lemon, mint leaves and any other resources that we could find in the food lab to decorate and present our dish. We then had to take photos of the doughnut using the techniques that were taught. Our group took some time to come up with a good concept that will ensure a contrast between the colour of the doughnut and the serving plate. We eventually decided to work with a wooden board and placed the doughnuts on a paper dolly to add variety to the colours. These are some photos that I had captured of the doughnuts.

This was this initial photo taken. Miss Soo and Mrs Stevenson suggested that we placed something under the green tea doughnut so that it could be propped up. Being ever so creative, we placed a saucer under the doughnut and it did help us to achieve better photos :p

The photos are not perfect but I will strive to take better photos of food from now on, having picked up some important pointers from the class J

F&N E-learning - Web Resources

Here are five websites that I have found that may be useful for theory and coursework.

1. Nutrition Data

This website gives nutritional information about various foods. Students will just need to type in a food name and they will be provided with the nutrition facts of the food item. This website will be useful for the decision making section of the coursework, when students are planning their recipes.




2. Videojug

Videojug will be a useful website for theory lessons when teachers would like to show videos of recipes. This is particularly useful when teachers would like to reiterate certain skills or pointers after a practical session. I believe learning can take place more effectively when students are engaged visually.

3. Spoonful

Spoonful has recipe ideas ranging from every day meals to special occasions like halloween and christmas. Also includes recipes for Asian dishes. It will be a useful website for the decision making section of the coursework.

4. Two Foods

This website will be useful for getting students to make comparisons between to food products. This will be useful for students when they are working on the decision making section of the coursework, where they are looking for healthier food alternatives. It will also be a good tool to be used for theory lessons.




5. Food Facts

Food Facts provides information about various product categories, and gives their own nutritional grading for each product (as seen in the image above). They also provide recipes and articles relating to different topics such as allergies, diets and children. This website can be useful in the teaching of both theory as well as coursework.

I hope these websites will be useful to the rest in the group! :)

Ruth

~F & N Web Resources via E-Learning~

1. The American Dietetic Association (Eat Right)

http://www.eatright.org/Public

This website features different sections like "Healthy Weight Loss", "Nutrition for Life", "Food & Nutrition Topics", " Disease Management and Prevention", "Food Safety", "How Do I" and etc sections which provide very useful and broad information to benefit me in my teaching of theory. This website can be a good research tool because it has a wealth of in-depth information about eating right and food & nutrition which can enriched my students greatly in conducting the research of their O/N Level coursework.

2. U.S Food and Drug Administration

http://www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm

This website has sub-sections on "Dietary Supplements", "Food Defense & Emergency Response", "Food Ingredients & Packing", "Food Safety" and etc which provides additional information on food safety, food handling and packing of different food ingredients. This information can give my students and edge in the execution of their practical cooking sessions when they are equipped with the necessary skills of food safety which are knowledge outside the textbook and syllabus.

3. Lifetime TV Online

http://www.spreety.com/Search.aspx?search=cooking

From this website, I entered the keyword "cooking" into the "search" bar and here is a great variety of TV channels about cookingI
The "Julia Child Lessons with Master Chefs" caught my eye because I adore Julia Child as my chef idol. Greatly inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia" in 2009, my interest in cooking deepened. That was when I started looking out for cookbooks and recipes to expose myself with different types and varieties of dishes.

Besides inspiring my students to cultivate their interest in food and cooking, I can incorporate this website and the related links as an Interactive Communication Techology (ICT) tool to make my cooking demonstration more interesting and engaging. This can thus enhance the learning of my students for their practical lessons when they marvel at the professionalism and skillfullness of master chefs in action.


4. Baking Lesson Plans
http://www.homebaking.org/foreducators/lessonplans.html

This website provides educator resources, recipes, baking tips, and etc from the Home Baking Association. It has a rich resource bank on recipes for baking butter bars, muffins, cookies, biscuits & cream biscuits, gingerbread, granola, cornbread, tarts, shortcakes, pretzels, brownies, pancakes, pizzas, buns, breads, cakes- baking from the sweet to the savory, you name it and they have it!
My students can utilise these recipes and modify them accordingly into the local context when they are researching for recipes and preparing for their coursework practical. They can also try out different types of baking methods in these recipes to deepen their interest when they practise and expose themselves to the art of baking!


5. National Restaurant Association
http://www.restaurant.org/foodhealthyliving/safety/foodborneillness/

This website by the National Restaurant Association is very useful to educate my students on the common foodborne illnesses and the common pathogens found in food due to unhygienic practices and improper handling of raw and cooked food. From the scary facts of the seriousness of foodborne illnesses and information found in this website, I hope to raise awareness in my students that food safety and proper hygiene in the kitchen and personal hygiene is of utmonst importance in the handling and preparation of food. This valuable knowledge will definitely benefit me and my students in our Food & Nutrition journey together.

Building Resources From the Web - E-Learning

1. http://ethniceats.ca/

This blog was written by a food blogger tells us about the different restaurants serving foods from all over the world such as Vietnam, Singapore and Nepal; all found in Vancouver. This blog will be useful in introducing students to international unique dishes that can be incorporated into their project work.

2. http://www.clabbergirl.com/
Provides lesson plans for baking products. Specially useful for teachers for practical lessons which are experimental based.

3. http://www.brainpop.com/health/nutrition/
An interactive website which focuses on topics such as Carbohydrate, diet related diseases and many more.

4. http://www.restaurant.org/foodhealthyliving/foodenthusiasts/eatingsmart/
Beneficial for both teachers and student to find out more on food safety and other topics.

5. http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/the-food-labs-required-reading-books-blogs.html
Reviews on books that are related to Food and Nutrition and also recipes by famous chefs for both students and teachers to try on.

Learning Beyond the Classroom - Elearning

1. http://www.learningseed.com/c-11-food-nutrition.aspx

In learning seed,I would use it for teaching of theory as it has video resources group according to topics which is more relevant in the teaching of theory, teacher can make use of these videos to enhance the learning of the various topics.

2. http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org

Center for food safety will be relevant in both theory and coursework, in theory, it can be use to teach students about food safety. whereas in coursework this website would be relevant in the students research.

3. http://foodtube.net/

Food tube will be good for teachers to teach skills in cooking or to introduce students to different cooking method or recipes.

4. http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=5527#.UEsrZ7LiYQ4

Eat Right can be use for both theory and coursework, in theory, it can be use to teach students about food safety. whereas in coursework this website would be relevant in the students research.

5. http://www.recipe4living.com/

Recipe for living will be useful in coursework for students to find recipes.

~The Teacher~

As Teacher's Day is approaching very soon this Friday, here's a meaningful poem about the Teacher that I would like to share and dedicate to all wonderful teachers here:

The Teacher :)

I took a piece of plastic clay,
And idly fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pressed it still,
It moved and yielded to my will,
I came again when days were past;
The bit of clay was hard at last;
The form I gave it still it bore,
But I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay,
And gently formed it day by day;
And moulded it with power and art,
A young child's soft and yielding heart;
I came again when years were gone;
It was a man I looked upon;
He still that early impress bore.
And I could change that form no more.

Cardinal Spellman

HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY TO ALL!!! :)