Brothers

This is the story of two brothers on a Saturday.

They conspire.

They share.

They laugh.

And one will occasionally chase the other with an inflatable lightsaber.

Everyday essential

The 50mm meets New York City

Since I've come back to the city I've been trying to make a point now and then to regularly take walks, get out of my apartment and to take my camera with me to get more practice with the 50mm. It's hard adjusting sometimes, just because, well, it's a fixed lens and after a summer of heavily using a telephoto I'm still adjusting.

Lately, even with the bitter cold (and I do mean bitter), I've still made myself go out to practice at the very least. (It's good to get out of the apartment sometimes.) Granted I haven't been going very far (Bryant Park and Times Square), but it's something. Maybe the Highline or Central Park or the WTC Freedom Tower or Battery Park is somewhere in my future.

Oh, and my days haven't really been that devoid of adventure. I did see the Naked Cowboy in Times Square after living in New York for a year and a half. In case you haven't heard of him, I would Wikipedia the link, but due to the SOPA/PIPA boycott, that's not gonna happen. Just a reminder of how much we really do value free speech and knowledge. And Wikipedia.

Everyday

I have a real post coming, full with words and more pictures I swear. But until I can get my act together organize myself, here's an everyday picture.

Everyday

I really have no intentions on taking down any of the Christmas decorations in my apartment. Pretty much just because I love the holidays and seasonal cheer, plus the lights are oh so very pretty and liven up my small, dark plain apartment.

Snoooww

Last week, while I was home, it was bitterly cold for several days. One of those days it snowed. Now I just love snow. It's peaceful, serene, pure, and so much fun. (I've never out grown being a kid--I loved Snowmaggedon in 2010.) So of course when it snowed last week, I grabbed my camera and went outside. In the bitter cold. My fingers froze, but this is my reward.

Oh, and another note: now adding to the list of things ridiculously hard to photograph: snow. (Especially on the manual setting with a 50 mm and frozen fingers:).

Foooooodd!

Do I have your attention now?

Anyways, this is a food post. You know, in case the title didn't give it away. On New Year's Eve my family and I went for lunch with some extended family at Normandie Farm. Me, having received my new lens several day before couldn't resist taking pictures of the food. The food, while I don't remember all the names of the dishes, were all delicious.

Food photography is still something new to me, but I definitely enjoy it. (I have tried it before, but with the 18-55mm, it just doesn't have the same effect as it does with the 50mm.) It involves food and photography! What's not to like? Plus, I've recently discovered/delved into The Pioneer Woman | Ree Drummond. Her recipes seem very real and down to earth (she's not afraid to use butter and fry things), but the biggest thing that struck me about her--she takes all her own pictures.

Her pictures are clear and crisp and help better illustrate and as well as instruct with her recipes. (Although I can't say I've personally tried one of her recipes yet.)

Pairing my new lens and recent discovery of The Pioneer Woman only wants me too keep photographing food. And of course, eating it. (Who wouldn't want to eat? Eating food is fun. Happy people always enjoy eating. Enjoy eating, not overindulge in eating. There is a difference. But I digress.)

So, without me constantly still babbling, here's my first real stab at food photography. Being brand new to this lens and still adjusting to it's quirks there's still a lot to work on, but everyone has to start somewhere. :)

Oh, and there's some non-food pictures also thrown in for good measure.

(All are unedited, original images taken in a mix of natural/artificial light by moi. Enjoy!)

Manual vs. Auto

If manual had a team, I'd be on it.

Manual is my favorite camera setting to use.

Why? Because unlike auto and many other camera setting/modes/whatever you want to call it, manual gives the photographer so much more to work with. The photographer has control of two key components in determining how (and how well) the photo is taken.

The shutter speed and the aperture.

Now, I don't know everything about photography, but something I do know is manual is one of the best modes (if not the best) mode that a photographer can know how to use. It puts the photographer in control. You control how much light is let in. You control how fast that shutter clicks. You do.

And after all, if you're a photographer, that's what you should do, right? It's your photo that comes out when you click that button. Own it even more by controlling how that's determined. Don't let the camera's brain determine if you need flash or not. (You might not, in reality. Or you might.)

Plus, by knowing how to and utilizing manual, photographers are getting more bang for their buck by knowing how to use as much of the camera's functions to their advantage. I've learned this personally from having a DSLR.

With the amount of money those cameras cost, I want to know how to use everything on that camera. From why my videos cut off (got it figured out and now I need to go memory card shopping) to how I can format my memory card (incredibly easy to figure out--just don't do it if you haven't saved what's on your card).

Introducing Everyday

A couple days a go I thought of this idea and with the new year starting, there's no better time than present to launch a new segment on this little photo blog of mine. I'm calling the segment/series/whatever you want to call it, "everyday."

Why? Because this series on the blog is exactly that. It's everyday pictures. It's the pictures that when I get bored at home I just pick up my camera and aim it at random things wherever I am I shoot and practice.

I have so many (and I really do mean so many) random pictures lying around that I thought I'd finally put a use to them. So here's everyday!

The first picture? Just a copy of Sports Illustrated magazine lying around in my house. The bokeh behind the subject is a bit strong, but there's something I still really like about it. Plus this picture is one of my many, many practice shots I've been getting with my 50mm 1.8.