This week we catch up with Rainbow, a food lover, director of an NGO, and co-founder of @holybakehk. She shares with us how she documents her food journey through stunning food and chef portrait photography, as well as how she enjoys Dishtag app!
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? What do you do besides your passion for food?
My name is Rainbow Ng and my food blog @foodiequeenqueen is all about food, food, and food. I am always interested in trying new foods, staying up-to-date on food trends and I like to learn about food culture and history. I like to visit new restaurants and browsing food porn. I am someone who is intrigued and obsessed by food.
Graduated from law school, I began my career in banking since then. I am also the director of Advance Children Charity Play Therapy Center, a local registered charitable organisation which serves SEN children and adolescence between 3 to 16 years by providing free consultation and play therapy services to local underprivileged families.
I am the co-founder of Holy Bake @holybakehk, a new online artisanal bakery which bakes up handcrafted scones in an assortment of flavours and made with the finest ingredients and lots of love. As a volunteer, I donate 100% of my shared profits from this startup to local charity that focuses on local vulnerable groups.
How do you see the role of food photography on your social media accounts? Do you find your followers more inspired by the photos or by the comments?
If you scroll through my feed, you’ll find me obsessed with all the amazing food I encountered. I love to share with people my love and knowledge of great food.
My main focus is to show the community and all my followers my favourite places to eat. I actually started this as a hobby, I take pictures of food and post them so that I could refer back to when dining out and wanting to remember what dish I ordered.
I always assume my followers love food as much as I do. I always try to post a variety, not all the same food items. Besides, I like to be the first ones to visit new restaurants. I know there are many food bloggers who like to focus more on their favourite type of food, but I generally love everything. I think my followers are probably interested to see my comments (I will always include the price of each dish, services, my dining experience and full address of the restaurant) in the captions for more details on the new restaurant reviews. I think that’s a plus in my content because there’s always something new.
What gear do you use to document your dining experiences?
I only use my iPhone 12!
Can you share your very favourite food shot on your Instagram? What’s the story behind?
My favourite food shot has to be the reunion dinner of Lunar New Year 2021. Why is it? Because it’s the first time in three months Hong Kong to ease social-distancing rules since COVID19 fourth wave hit and the limit on patrons per table could be finally relaxed to four. It’s been a while since I can dine out with my friends. A lively, interesting conversation with close friends is perhaps the perfect complement to a delicious meal.
In your point of view, what kind of food image is the most engaging content on your blog?
I like discovering new restaurants and café in town. From fine-dining to street food, I always look for new dining inspiration for the month ahead that others may not yet have tried. The most engaging content on my profile are photos packed full of the best new eats. My followers love seeing photos of unique dishes that are beautifully plated on my page.
Your photos on the Dishtag app also look great. As a frequent user of the Dishtag app, what do you like most about it?
I like the name “Dishtag”, it defines as “the process of taking a photo of a dish and tagging that dish to a visual menu and sharing online”.
I like how Dishtag offering opportunities for foodies like me to discover dishes and share dish photos of a restaurant.
Besides, I really like how Dishtag display food photos in full screen beautifully instead of being reduced to a square like other social media platforms.
Your photos look so yummy and inspiring! Could you give us a few tips on how to take great food photos even when dining out in non-optimal situations?
Keep the photos simple – take out things on the table that are distracting and pair down to just one plate of food. If the food itself is not visually appealing or attractive, only show a portion of it. Soup doesn’t really seem visually stimulating but if you have to do something with it, be creative such as using our own hand as a perfect prop to hold the spoon to make the photo stand out.
Choose the most flattering angle – Choosing the best angle is the key and making the dish appetizing looking. Depending on the height, shape, and size of the dish, sometimes you can shoot it from the above or from the front. Something taller, such as a burger, benefits from being shot from the front.
What is your favourite type of food to shoot?
Instead of taking photos of the food, I’d like to take photos of the chef, especially when I am sitting at the chef’s counter where I can see how the food is being prepared. This is the best moment for me to capture the essence of the dishes.
Which restaurants are on your to-go or to-try list?
While there are many outstanding restaurants in Hong Kong, VEA has always stood out for me due to their innovative cuisine combines French fine-dining with Asian influences, while the use of intriguing ingredients often evokes a sense of nostalgia and surprise.
What advice would you give to new food bloggers?
Be authentic – Post about what you really love and give genuine comments about the food/restaurant.
Show your personality – Develop your own unique style of photography, your personality will shine through your images.
Networking – Connect and cultivate friendships with other foodies on Dishtag or Instagram who share the same interests. Leave thoughtful comments on their posts, and promote their content.
Discover more ‘behind the lens’ photography tips from fellow foodies:
