My Holga and me:
Hubs and I. Note: he bashed his finger awhile ago; nothing to be concerned about.
Kissy kissy!
C-c-c-cold!
Cute patootie:
Yes, we are dorks. I know.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Photo shoot with the Mr.
Snow was softly falling, and I wanted to try a couple of things before my shoot tomorrow (namely, focusing with a manual lens I hadn't used much) so Le Hubs and I went outside for a quick shoot. 'Twas fun. I also decided to try editing only with Lightroom, and I liked how they turned out. :)
My Holga and me:
Hubs and I. Note: he bashed his finger awhile ago; nothing to be concerned about.
Kissy kissy!
C-c-c-cold!
Cute patootie:
Yes, we are dorks. I know.
My Holga and me:
Hubs and I. Note: he bashed his finger awhile ago; nothing to be concerned about.Kissy kissy!
C-c-c-cold!
Cute patootie:
Yes, we are dorks. I know.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Week 5
When I saw that this week's Project 52 theme was "muse", I groaned. What on earth could I take a picture of that represented muse!? All I could think of was my kid, and I figured probably many others would think the same thing.
Then it came to me - FOOD. I love food. I love every aspect of it (except cleaning it up...and mouldy food...well, ok, not everything). Groceries. Food prep. Spices and herbs. Fresh garden veggies. Trying new things. Cooking. Baking (some things). Trying new recipes. Recipe books in general.
Today Charlie and I made a crazy cake, also known as war cake or depression cake. It has no eggs or butter. (This was a much better choice than his typical 3-year-old boy suggestion of poop cake.) I made a fluffy white frosting for it, kind of a cross between meringe and boiled icing. The interesting part of it all is that I don't really like cake. I never have. Give me pie any day. However--this is GOOD cake. Darn good. And so pretty. So I took a photo of it, because I am both inspired by the creation of food, and also, I muse on it a lot. ;)
Voila:
Then it came to me - FOOD. I love food. I love every aspect of it (except cleaning it up...and mouldy food...well, ok, not everything). Groceries. Food prep. Spices and herbs. Fresh garden veggies. Trying new things. Cooking. Baking (some things). Trying new recipes. Recipe books in general.
Today Charlie and I made a crazy cake, also known as war cake or depression cake. It has no eggs or butter. (This was a much better choice than his typical 3-year-old boy suggestion of poop cake.) I made a fluffy white frosting for it, kind of a cross between meringe and boiled icing. The interesting part of it all is that I don't really like cake. I never have. Give me pie any day. However--this is GOOD cake. Darn good. And so pretty. So I took a photo of it, because I am both inspired by the creation of food, and also, I muse on it a lot. ;)
Voila:
Is your mouth watering yet?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Babies!
Sigh. Babies. Love' em. Today I got a chance to photograph my cousin's 6-week-old baby. This little chub-a-lub is Sophie, and she's a natural born model. This is my first ever infant shoot, and I could not have chosen a cuter subject.
Speaking of babies--if you are (or know of anyone) expecting soon, and are interested in getting newborn portraits done, please let me know! I'm looking for newborns to practice on. The only requirements are that baby is less than two weeks old, and that I can come to your house for a couple of hours and set up in front of a large window (lots of natural light).
Without futher ado, here's beautiful Sophie. Thanks to Cyn for loaning me her living room and baby for a couple of hours.
Speaking of babies--if you are (or know of anyone) expecting soon, and are interested in getting newborn portraits done, please let me know! I'm looking for newborns to practice on. The only requirements are that baby is less than two weeks old, and that I can come to your house for a couple of hours and set up in front of a large window (lots of natural light).
Without futher ado, here's beautiful Sophie. Thanks to Cyn for loaning me her living room and baby for a couple of hours.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Week 4
This week's Project52 theme was 'soothing repetitions'. I was amazed at some of the entries. People are so much more creative than I am! I thought about doing coffee (since I drink a cup every morning) but it was a pretty popular choice. I went with a candle instead. I find flickering candles to be very soothing.
Also: is this the face of a future photographer? ;)
I found the keychain at Chapters and snapped it up. Looks like my Holga.
Also: is this the face of a future photographer? ;)
I found the keychain at Chapters and snapped it up. Looks like my Holga.
I volunteered at the local hockey rink for a fundraising tournament on Sunday, and it was a huge challenge. Shooting sports photography in a somewhat dimly-lit arena (and a very busy one at that) was tough. Also, because it was very cold, my 50mm auto lens wasn't performing well. I used my 200mm manual lens for a lot of the on-ice shots. I must say I am pretty proud of myself for nailing the focus on most of them. I'm starting to edit them this afternoon, so I'll post more later.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thank you, Saltscapes!
I just had a lovely phone call from Saltscapes, informing me that a photo I entered into their year-long amateur photography contest was a runner-up. I entered this one, entitled "A Woodsman's Hands". She did a short interview with my about the picture itself and about Grampie. It will appear in the March/April issue. Hooray!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Harris Session
Last Sunday I made two teenagers tramp through foot-deep snow so I could take their pictures. Thankfully, they were good sports and did whatever I told them to. This is why I like photographing teenagers instead of my three-year-old. ;) Kyle and Samantha were chatty and cheerful and a blast.
The actual photography part was tricky. Snow is tricky to begin with, as it's hard to properly expose faces and not blow the whites of the snow. It was cold, too, which meant red cheeks and noses, and it also meant my camera was sluggish and didn't always focus the best. The sun was not bright but was just bright enough to make everything quite harsh. However, I hope they're pleased with the results. :) I am also the proud owner of Lightroom now, and so my editing is a bit all over the place as I tried to figure it out.
Thanks, Harrises, for a lovely afternoon!
The actual photography part was tricky. Snow is tricky to begin with, as it's hard to properly expose faces and not blow the whites of the snow. It was cold, too, which meant red cheeks and noses, and it also meant my camera was sluggish and didn't always focus the best. The sun was not bright but was just bright enough to make everything quite harsh. However, I hope they're pleased with the results. :) I am also the proud owner of Lightroom now, and so my editing is a bit all over the place as I tried to figure it out.
Thanks, Harrises, for a lovely afternoon!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Week 3
Week 3 of Project 52. Had a bit of an easier time with this one. I read the new theme - Shades of Grey - on Saturday morning, and when I went out to the car to head to town, I saw my chance: a gorgeous dusting of snow on top of my grey Civic. Voila:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Week 2 - Illustrate a Song
Only the second week into this project, and I'm already lacking in creativity. It's been either dazzlingly bright or drab and cold, neither of which lend to amazing photographs. So I snapped this one of Charlie yesterday, chucking snow in the general direction of the photographer, and decided it illustrated "the world is your snowball" from Marshmallow World by Dean Martin. Yeah, not horribly thrilling, but there it is. I may try to think of something else before the end of the week...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Boeuf Bourguignon
One thing I love about winter is the food. I love hot, carby, meaty comfort food. Stews and chilis and thick soups. So delicious.
I have been attempting to try more new recipes in 2011 (five so far!) and one that I've been wanting to try for a while is http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon-recipe/1/ - Julia Child's recipe for boeuf bourguignon. If you don't know anything about Julia Child--well, where have you been!? Last year I read a biography of Julia and she was such a fascinating woman. She led an exciting life, but I found I could identify with her in many ways, not the least of which in her love of food. She really knew how to appreciate delicious, fresh, made-from-scratch food in an era when Campbells soup and Jell-O were often the main ingredients in dishes. She was also tall and curvy, so I can appreciate her food appreciation all the more. ;)
So I spent much of my day today preparing this dish, which has a lot of steps, but isn't at all difficult. And, folks? Worth every second. It's the best stew I've ever tasted. So, without further ado...
The main ingredient in this dish is red meat. Beef, to be exact, although I cheated and used a moose roast, which my lovely husband chopped into 2-inch cubes for me.
No stew is complete without carrots and onions (the latter hiding under the former in this photo):
And...bacon? Well, actually, chunk bacon. Lesson number one: READ THE RECIPE CAREFULLY before composing your grocery list. I skimmed over 'chunk' and went straight to 'bacon'. Chunk (or slab) bacon is not the same. However, this is what I had, so I used it. Simmer it first in water (it looks nasty, so I left that picture out), drain and dry it, then brown it in an oven-safe pot.
Get rid of the bacon but leave the fat in the pan. Pat the meat dry, then, in several batches, brown them well. When that's done, remove the meat and brown the carrots and onions. At this point, your house will be smelling amazing. Put the meat back in the pot with the veggies, and chuck in some salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and the tomato paste.
Next is WINE. Personally, I find red wine vile and have yet to meet a red wine I like. However, it is amazing in stew. Three cups is what the recipe called for, but I only used about two. Pour it in the pot along with the beef stock, enough to barely cover the meat.
Bonus: if you have a kid, he will think the corkscrew is a "robot thingy".
Next you cover it and stick it in the oven for a few hours. This is what we did while it was slowly cooking in the oven:
I say, if you're going to eat copious amounts of this stuff, work up an appetite!
Five kilometres and a lot of sweat later, and we're back to a house that smells like heaven itself. Next up: those cute little onions. I had a small freak-out this morning (remember my problem of skimming the recipe instead of reading it?) when I realized I only had regular onions. No problem, since onions barely grow in our rocky ground; my husband produced a box downstairs full of teensy onions, just waiting to be used up. Peel 'em, toss 'em in a pan with butter, brown them, and then add beef stock and herbs, and simmer for 40 minutes. Note: if you do not have cheesecloth, my mother will cut you a piece of clean pillowcase when you show up on her doorstep, and it works just fine.
The final major ingredient: mushrooms. When the onions are done, wipe out the pan, heat some butter, and lightly brown those bad boys.
Almost done! Strain the stew into a pot (keeping the sauce), dump all of the meat and veggies into the big pot, boil down the sauce to desired thickness, pour it over the stew, and simmer it a bit.
I served it with boiled potatoes.
Lordy, it was good. Husband ate enough that he'll probably be complaining all evening, and kidlet thought the mushrooms were especially inspired. It was phenomenal.
I have been attempting to try more new recipes in 2011 (five so far!) and one that I've been wanting to try for a while is http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon-recipe/1/ - Julia Child's recipe for boeuf bourguignon. If you don't know anything about Julia Child--well, where have you been!? Last year I read a biography of Julia and she was such a fascinating woman. She led an exciting life, but I found I could identify with her in many ways, not the least of which in her love of food. She really knew how to appreciate delicious, fresh, made-from-scratch food in an era when Campbells soup and Jell-O were often the main ingredients in dishes. She was also tall and curvy, so I can appreciate her food appreciation all the more. ;)
So I spent much of my day today preparing this dish, which has a lot of steps, but isn't at all difficult. And, folks? Worth every second. It's the best stew I've ever tasted. So, without further ado...
The main ingredient in this dish is red meat. Beef, to be exact, although I cheated and used a moose roast, which my lovely husband chopped into 2-inch cubes for me.
No stew is complete without carrots and onions (the latter hiding under the former in this photo):
And...bacon? Well, actually, chunk bacon. Lesson number one: READ THE RECIPE CAREFULLY before composing your grocery list. I skimmed over 'chunk' and went straight to 'bacon'. Chunk (or slab) bacon is not the same. However, this is what I had, so I used it. Simmer it first in water (it looks nasty, so I left that picture out), drain and dry it, then brown it in an oven-safe pot.
Get rid of the bacon but leave the fat in the pan. Pat the meat dry, then, in several batches, brown them well. When that's done, remove the meat and brown the carrots and onions. At this point, your house will be smelling amazing. Put the meat back in the pot with the veggies, and chuck in some salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and the tomato paste.
Next is WINE. Personally, I find red wine vile and have yet to meet a red wine I like. However, it is amazing in stew. Three cups is what the recipe called for, but I only used about two. Pour it in the pot along with the beef stock, enough to barely cover the meat.
Bonus: if you have a kid, he will think the corkscrew is a "robot thingy".
Next you cover it and stick it in the oven for a few hours. This is what we did while it was slowly cooking in the oven:
I say, if you're going to eat copious amounts of this stuff, work up an appetite!
Five kilometres and a lot of sweat later, and we're back to a house that smells like heaven itself. Next up: those cute little onions. I had a small freak-out this morning (remember my problem of skimming the recipe instead of reading it?) when I realized I only had regular onions. No problem, since onions barely grow in our rocky ground; my husband produced a box downstairs full of teensy onions, just waiting to be used up. Peel 'em, toss 'em in a pan with butter, brown them, and then add beef stock and herbs, and simmer for 40 minutes. Note: if you do not have cheesecloth, my mother will cut you a piece of clean pillowcase when you show up on her doorstep, and it works just fine.
The final major ingredient: mushrooms. When the onions are done, wipe out the pan, heat some butter, and lightly brown those bad boys.
Almost done! Strain the stew into a pot (keeping the sauce), dump all of the meat and veggies into the big pot, boil down the sauce to desired thickness, pour it over the stew, and simmer it a bit.
I served it with boiled potatoes.
Lordy, it was good. Husband ate enough that he'll probably be complaining all evening, and kidlet thought the mushrooms were especially inspired. It was phenomenal.
So--who is going to try it next!? :D
Friday, January 7, 2011
52
There are a few different projects photographers can participate in to really get some practice in. One of them is Project365--a photo every day for a year. I thought about it, and then thought about whether or not I'd be really thinking about my shots or not, or just photographing something last-minute (which is more likely, since I'm a big procrastinator). So instead, I am doing Project 52 - a photo a week, with a different subject each week. (For more info, check Pioneer Woman's photography site).
This week's theme is 'something around the house'. I'm looking forward to sharing something each week. Now I find something in my house to photograph that is NOT my kid...
This week's theme is 'something around the house'. I'm looking forward to sharing something each week. Now I find something in my house to photograph that is NOT my kid...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Year...
So, it's a new year, and I want it to be a great year when it comes to photography.
Unfortunately, I cannot do that by upgrading a lot of equipment at this point, as my husband and I are saving money for household purposes. I do plan to purchase a few things, but it'll be a while yet.
And anyway, the best way to get better at this is to practice, practice, practice.
Here is where YOU come in.
I need people to practice on. The three-year-old will succumb to the occasional bribe, but he's not terribly interested anymore. I can only beg my cousin for pictures every couple of months, as I don't want to alienate her. ;) These sessions are called 'portfolio building', and they help me to improve my exposure, manual lens focus, composition, etc.
If you're interested, send me an email (djburtt@nb.sympatico.ca) or send me a Facebook message, and we'll discuss things.
Happy New Year! And many thanks to those clients I photographed in 2010. I appreciated your business so much, and it was a blast. Thank you for your generosity and patience!
Unfortunately, I cannot do that by upgrading a lot of equipment at this point, as my husband and I are saving money for household purposes. I do plan to purchase a few things, but it'll be a while yet.
And anyway, the best way to get better at this is to practice, practice, practice.
Here is where YOU come in.
I need people to practice on. The three-year-old will succumb to the occasional bribe, but he's not terribly interested anymore. I can only beg my cousin for pictures every couple of months, as I don't want to alienate her. ;) These sessions are called 'portfolio building', and they help me to improve my exposure, manual lens focus, composition, etc.
If you're interested, send me an email (djburtt@nb.sympatico.ca) or send me a Facebook message, and we'll discuss things.
Happy New Year! And many thanks to those clients I photographed in 2010. I appreciated your business so much, and it was a blast. Thank you for your generosity and patience!
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