Seagulls

Seagulls for days!

That Awkward Moment

That awkward moment when I'm editing pictures and realize the people on the sailboat were waving at me!  They're probably like "What is she doing with this long lens and why is she taking pictures of us?!"  Well played, sailboat, well played.

Apple Season

It's apple season yet again! I'm thinking of making apple butter this year. Last year, we made grape jelly from our grapes, but the vines didn't produce any grapes this year. I was so disappointed. The jelly we made last year was fantastic. If I decide to make apple butter, hopefully it turns out! I'll keep you posted!

Weekend In Pictures

It was a pretty fun weekend.

Frogs

My parents’ pond is full of frogs this year.

The First Snow

 






We received our first real snowfall this weekend.

Can winter be over now?!

Easy 3 Ingredient Macaroni and Cheese

Floating fork pictures are all the rage!  I read that setting up a tripod makes these kind of photos a lot easier.  Of course, I was trying to octopus it up by holding the camera in one hand, the fork in the other and trying to put the flashlight on the bowl.  Yeah, a tripod would make things easier!



Anyway, this macaroni and cheese is yummy and, with only 3 ingredients, it’s super easy too.  You totally could just use a box macaroni and cheese, but I didn’t have any [gasp!] and I wanted something quick and easy for dinner.

   
3 Ingredient Mac and Cheese
- Macaroni Noodles
- Velveeta Cheese block (I used about a quarter of a block for 1 box of Macaroni)
- Milk

Cook macaroni noodles per instructions on the box & drain.  Put back into the pot and add cheese and milk until melted.  Add as much milk and cheese as you want, depending on the consistency you’re trying to go for.  I know some people like their mac super cheesy and creamy and some people like it a little drier.  It’s totally up to you.

Can I take this opportunity to say that I will never be a chef?  With instructions like that, how am I ever supposed to make it big in the cooking blog world?!  Spoiler:  I’m not! ;)

Grapetober

    
I’m lucky to live within a close distance of two large grape producing areas.  The town my husband and I visited last weekend was full of vineyards like this.





I love me some concord grapes.  They’re my favorite.

Those two are different pictures, I promise!  I just take a lot of the same shot, obviously!

The Best Camera For Blog Photography

Everyone wants to take great photos for their blogs, right?  I’m always reading about how DSLRs are the best and how you aren’t really a blogger until you can take the lenses off your camera, but I don’t really believe it.  I’m here to tell you that you could possibly already own some of the best photography equipment for blogging!

The point and shoot camera is totally acceptable for blogging.

No, really.  Before this blog, I ran another blog for a year using nothing but a point and shoot camera for my photos…and I took photos like this:

 

What is a point and shoot camera?

The camera I used to take the above pictures was a Sony Cybershot.  The zooming capabilities on that thing are fantastic.  I’m writing from my experience with the Cybershot, but I’m sure there are many other brands/styles of point and shoot cameras out there that will do a great job.  They’re compact and can go with you anywhere.  They can slide in your purse or hang out (discreetly) in your car or wherever.  One of the big drawbacks with my DSLR is that it’s bulky.  I can’t just stash it away discreetly in the car.  Also, when I’m out and shooting with it, everyone knows that it's there.  I can’t just take a few photos and put it away.  It would be a nightmare at an amusement park.  Where would I put it if I wanted to get on a ride?  A point and shoot might be kind of safe in a pocket, but I can’t exactly get on a rollercoaster with a big camera around my neck!

Another option is the camera in your cell phone.  Even though I personally don’t have one that takes great photos, I’ve seen some phones that take incredible photos; like photos that could rival a DSLR.  Camera technology has come a long way and made it easier than ever to take and share great photos.  Phone photography is cool because you most likely have your phone with you anyway, so it’s easy to just bring it out and snap away.  There are also a ton of apps that make photo editing easy.

Know your camera.

With my new camera, I’m a fish out of water.  There are so many buttons and sometimes, I just can’t even.  With my point and shoot, I just set a few simple settings and I was ready to go.  I really think it’s important to know how your camera takes pictures so you can take the best pictures possible.  I knew my point and shoot could zoom like no other, and at what point the zoom would make my pictures blurry, so I could adjust myself accordingly.  I also get all up in the subjects I’m photographing.  To get this photo, I stuck my lens through a chain link fence:

Editing your photos is key.

Now, I have to say that I currently use a Canon Rebel, but I’m not sure if you can really tell by my photos because I edit them to no end.  I’m still learning and frankly, sometimes I feel like I need to step away from the editing buttons!  I love how editing can change the entire look of my photos and set a completely different mood to them.  I’m also a HUGE fan of the straighten tool!  I can’t take a straight picture at ALL, so this has saved me so many times. 

Have Fun!

I’m not out there trying to win photography awards.  I just like to take photos for fun and to document my life.  I’m not trying to be #omgprofessionalphotographer or anything like that.  Also, I personally can’t even tell what kind of camera that other bloggers are using just by looking at their photos.  The only reason I bought a Canon Rebel is because I wanted an upgraded camera since the Cybershot was a couple years old and had been dropped a million times and wasn’t working quite right.  My dad also recently purchased a (more expensive) Rebel and I loved taking pictures with it.  It just seemed like there wasn’t a ton of editing that needed to be done if I didn’t want to mess with it.  I don’t even think I edited this picture of Barney at ALL:

These are just my thoughts on blog photography.  Personally, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on blogging stuff because I know my blog probably won’t be all that successful.  I like taking pictures anyway, so I know that I will use my Rebel even without having a blog.   Also, I know that my pictures aren’t the best.  I’m still learning!

I totally won’t think any less of someone who uses a point and shoot.  Now disposable cameras are another story!  I finally talked my mom into using their Rebel when they took a road trip recently.  She was planning on using a disposable!

tl;dr version:  Use whatever camera you want!  You don’t have to spend loads of money on a fancy camera if you don’t want to!

Big Girl Camera

 

I have a million pictures like this on my phone.  Blurry & grainy.  Can you even tell who that is singing up there?  Spoiler:  it’s Dustin Lynch.  When I went to the concert, everyone else was taking these awesome pictures with their phones & I was over there like “Hey, I’m like a real blogger!  See my grainy pics?  They’re going on the internet!”

Ever since that concert, I’ve been obsessed with getting a big girl camera.  A camera that will actually take professional type pictures.  I really want a Canon Rebel & came thisclose to buying one that I found on sale with the bag & extra lenses, but I waited too long & the sale ended.  I’m still kicking myself over that one.  You know, because I’m the type that kicks myself over not spending $400 on a camera.

I’ve totally psyched myself out over it, too.  I’ve convinced myself that I could be this great photographer & take my blog to the next level & take pictures for my local newspaper & just be generally more awesome if only I just bought this camera.  Never mind the fact that every.single.person with a camera like that thinks they’re a photographer & the reason my blog hasn’t hit the next level is because I never have time to post & I wouldn’t have the time to take pictures for my local newspaper & I’m already generally awesome.

I still want a big girl camera, though.  I’m off to compare prices on every online retailer imaginable!  Peace out!