Wow, I’d like to say that the first Feta Friday was definitely a success! Almost 1,000 of you love feta and it was fun to read different uses. I’m definitely going to try a few of those!
The winner of the feta prize pack is comment number 165–Lauren! Congrats, Lauren–please email me your shipping address when you get a chance and we’ll get yo cheese right out to ya. And, like I said, I’ll be hosting these giveaways every Friday during the month so y’all have many chances to win. Sound good? Okay.
How bout I post a photo of a meal for a change?
Oh, baby.
Kodiak cakes with dark chocolate dreams and Siggi’s plain yogurt. Drool.
I’m playing around a little bit with my camera.
The boyfriend let me borrow his sweeeet 50 mm 1.4 lens and I’m challenging myself to ONLY shoot in manual mode so I can force myself to learn more about shutter speed and aperture. Since I bought my DSLR camera last fall, I’ve only shot in auto mode (I know, I know) but feel like I had some sort of “photography awakening” over the weekend, hanging out with such amazing food photographers such as Diane and Jenny.
So, these photos were taken with the exposure at 1/500 sec, aperture at f/2.5, ISO speed at 1600 and focal length at 50 mm.
This might not mean anything to you. It didn’t mean anything to me as of a few days ago. I’m one of those people that can’t just listen to someone telling me how to do something….I have to do it myself in order to really learn. And I’m learning that it’s pretty much trial and error…especially when adjusting the exposure around.
On that note, I must go to work. Goodbye, beauties!
Camille
July 10, 2010 at 10:45 amGorgeous photos! I can’t wait to see the photo products of your experimenting!
Ann LIu
July 10, 2010 at 9:31 pmAgreed. I’m excited to see your results! I recently started working with dSLR cameras at work and it’s definitely a trial by error method, but I think learning to use manual settings will be well worth the work!
Allie
July 10, 2010 at 10:56 amreally crisp photos! i’m hungry for pancakes.
Freya @ Brit Chick Runs
July 10, 2010 at 11:10 amBeautiful photos! But the dark chocolate dreams is even better – LOVE that stuff!
Bethany @ More Fruit Please
July 10, 2010 at 11:19 amThe photos look great! I must find some Kodiak mix!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
July 10, 2010 at 11:22 amThe photos look great! And since I love DCD and Siggi’s, that is my dream meal.
Kaz
July 10, 2010 at 11:28 amI love the photographs! I spent my morning trying to figure out my camera, and I’m still totally lost. =P
Meg
July 10, 2010 at 11:35 amSerious drool! Dark Chocolate Dreams goes so well with anything, and Siggis – what a perfect pancake topper 🙂
Annie @ stronghealthyfit
July 10, 2010 at 11:38 amI’m the same way, I like to learn by doing. 🙂
Cynthia (It All Changes)
July 10, 2010 at 11:43 amWe are having pancakes for dinner so those look great for inspiration 🙂
That’s my biggest fear about getting a better camera. I don’t know how to use one and I don’t really have time to learn right now. But you seem to be doing great.
Lindsay @ Summit Sandwiches
July 10, 2010 at 11:51 amI’m impressed your photos don’t look grainy with the ISO at 1600. Gotta love DSLRs. I’m still figuring out how to use my DSLR in manual mode too….what I haven’t quite mastered is knowing what my depth of field will be at various apertures. I guess it’s a matter of trial and error, as you said.
Alyssa
July 10, 2010 at 11:52 amOh my god, you are totally teasing me with that Dark Chocolate Dreams!!! Geesh, I needs ta get me some stat!
~Alyssa
Laura @ youngDCliving
July 10, 2010 at 12:00 pmThe photos look great! What kind of DSLR camera do you have?
Alycia @ Fit n Fresh
July 10, 2010 at 12:08 pmWow that yogurt is so light and fluffy – I totally thought it was whipped cream! Delicious looking (:
Jessica @ The Process of Healing
July 10, 2010 at 12:11 pmThose pancakes look to die for!
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
July 10, 2010 at 12:43 pmI was totally lost on that camera talk, haha. I am photograph challenged, though, which probably explains my cluelessness. The photos look good, though!
And your pancakes looks ah-mazing!! I always see you using Kodiak mix and am intrigued. Where do you get it??
Allie (Live Laugh Eat)
July 10, 2010 at 12:58 pmI actually don’t know much about photography but I do know that the higher the ISO the more grainy your photo. Perhaps you can lessen that and slow down your shutter speed to compensate. It might make for clearer photos? Although your photos are very nice…just a suggestion.
Rebecca
July 10, 2010 at 1:05 pmI learn the same way. Your pancakes are beautiful and I’m sure they tasted that way, too.
Diana @ frontyardfoodie
July 10, 2010 at 1:15 pmI have GOT to get a hold of some of that peanut butter. I keep seeing it pop up around and now I’m drooling. Nothing better than chocolate and peanut butter.
The Wife of a Dairyman
July 10, 2010 at 1:17 pmThanks for the tips on photographing food! I have a difficult time remembering all the exposure settings and what they do. I guess I just need to practice. Pancakes look Heavenly :0
Staceyhttp://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/
July 10, 2010 at 1:50 pmThose pancakes look better then mine.
Emily @ Beyond The TextBook
July 10, 2010 at 2:08 pmDark Chocolate Dreams is one of the best things that has ever happened to my tastebuds. There, I said it!
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down)
July 10, 2010 at 2:33 pmAwesome pictures!!! It’s so fun messing around with a DSLR. 😀
Anya @ Fitness & Sunshine
July 10, 2010 at 2:36 pmMm, chocolate and PB! Glorious!
I have a fancy schmancy digital camera and I only discovered the manual mode in the last few months. Playing around with the shutter speed and aperture is interesting, and makes photos look much better. 🙂 I’m still working on my photography but it’s nice to see someone else playing around with their cam, haha
Carly (Swim, Run, Om)
July 10, 2010 at 2:46 pmPhotography is something I’m really interested in, so I hope you continue to share what you learn!
Julie @ pickley pear
July 10, 2010 at 2:55 pmI think your photos look great! I have no clue when it comes to cameras. I’m on a waffle kick right now, can’t get enough!
Jenna
July 10, 2010 at 3:06 pmThe photos do look great! One thing that might help is taking your shutter speed down to something like 1/200, then you won’t have to bump your ISO up so high! Great choice for your aperture setting though IMO.
Jaya
July 11, 2010 at 7:50 pmI totally agree with this suggestion and the one above about getting ISO down to reduce the noise factor. These are beautiful photos and I’m SO glad to hear that you’re taking advantage of the camera’s real treasure-trove of tools. I had the good fortune of learning photography on an old (1969) Pentax 35mm SLR and moving to DSLRs was so exciting! We see so many tourists in the mountains with gorgeous high-end cameras who don’t use any of the features and I always shed a tear for those expensive, understimulated, under-appreciated beauties. I think you are going to have a great time fooling around with the manual stuff!
Kristy
July 10, 2010 at 3:16 pmI just bought my first jar of that chocolate peanut butter today! Yippie!
Stacey @ Tipping the (Kitchen!) Scales
July 11, 2010 at 8:40 amHey me too!! I am in the UK and we don’t get the kind of stuff you guys do in the States so when I came across this I just had too snap it up. The only problem is, I wish I had gotten two because it is absolutely delish!!
Ida McCarty
July 10, 2010 at 3:28 pmI have to get some of that chocolate peanut butter. I can only imagine how it will taste with nutella spread
Conni
July 10, 2010 at 3:52 pmDark Chocolate Dreams……..foodgasms…..every. single. time.
**was that inappropriate?
Ashley S
July 11, 2010 at 6:26 amheck no, that was’t inappropriate! It’s involuntary every time! lolol
Paige (Running Around Normal)
July 10, 2010 at 4:04 pmI loved learning about ISO and aperture and shutter speed!! 🙂 So many cool things one can do with a camera.
Sarah-Mae @ Eat, Run, Knit
July 10, 2010 at 6:45 pmChocolate peanut butter on pancakes = heaven on earth! This morning I used some Mighty Maple on my Saturday morning pancake and it was equally good!
You can never go wrong with sweet nut butters!
Lori Lynn
July 10, 2010 at 8:44 pmI haven’t heard of the dark chocolate dreams before. It looks really good. Where do you find it?
Cara
July 10, 2010 at 8:51 pmMmmmm!
Pancake perfection
Amber K
July 10, 2010 at 8:58 pmOMG that dark chocolate peanut butter is THE best!
Deva (Voracious Vorilee)
July 10, 2010 at 9:29 pmMy first major in college was photojournalism and I still love playing with manual mode with our camera – it’s a lot of fun and produces some great pictures with no outside editing!
Janna (Janna's Keeping it Real)
July 10, 2010 at 9:54 pmlovely photos!
Taylor
July 10, 2010 at 9:55 pmI am DYING to try the Dark Chocolate Dreams….talk about heaven!
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
July 11, 2010 at 12:59 amI can certainly see a difference in those photos and that yogurt looks like whipping cream – mmm!
Christie {Honoring Health}
July 11, 2010 at 4:53 amThose photos are gorgeous. I don’t have a 1.4 but I do have a 1.8. I just bought a book about how to use my camera that goes into the how’s and why’s instead of just the what’s in the manual and I swear I learned more in like three pages of that book than I have from using my camera for almost 8 months now. I have been playing in AV mode and getting good results but haven’t braved full on manual yet.
Ananda Rollason
July 11, 2010 at 5:55 amOk, you and Tina must have heard some of the same photography advice because she made some similar comments on her blog….
We’d all REALLY love to know what you two learned!
I bought a Canon XS about a year ago and am loving it but I definitely make alot of beginner mistakes still. I used the auto modes for probably the first week or so and then I switched to primarily Av or Tv. I actually just ordered a 50mm 1.8 and I’m SO excited for it to arrive…..
Anyway, share the wealth of knowlege!
Therese
July 11, 2010 at 6:13 amI just bought the PB&Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dreams yesterday! Holy yum!
I learn the same way, I have to actually do it myself to understand it. I just can’t seem to learn any other way!
Tina
July 11, 2010 at 10:21 amI would never have guessed you shot your photos in Auto mode all this time. It is fun to learn new tricks with photography. I want to learn more and more all the time! But it is much easier to understand when you’re doing it vs hearing about it.
Laura (Starloz)
July 11, 2010 at 6:56 pmWhen i get my DSLR camera, I vow to never shoot using Auto. Apparently, it’s a sin
OK Chick
July 12, 2010 at 5:27 amI’ve been wondering if dark chocolate dreams was good. I always see it at Target.