Practicing My Photography & Getting Accepted!

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A while back I got my first DSLR camera, but only within the last couple of months have I been putting it to good use. If you’ve read my blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I use it mainly for food photography (more exciting news on that in a sec!), but lately I’ve been wanting to learn more about how to, you know, actually take pictures of things I can’t eat. For example, people. Cannibalism aside. 

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I made a trip to the library and spent a relaxing couple of hours browsing and reading some books on portrait photography before checking a few out. I love the quietness and general “feel” of libraries, don’t you? 

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I tried to expedite my learning since I was seeing my younger cousins later that day and wanted to borrow them as models. What I’ve come to learn is that nothing can teach you better than practice! I don’t have any fancy editing software, just iPhoto, but was happy with how my pictures came out for the most part. They have a lot of room for improvement, but I had a great time laughing and actually interacting with my models! As it turns out, cousins make much better company than scones or muffins.

Olivia headshotDSC_1184There is nothing more satisfying than catching the perfect smile!

Olivia candid lol

At first, learning how to use the manual settings was a pretty daunting task, but now I’m wholeheartedly embracing how much control it gives you and how quickly it can change the quality of your photos!

If you’re interested, Sarah at Sweet Miles is making a Photography 101 series, which I will, without a doubt, be following like a stalker ;). She’s a wedding photographer and takes the most stunning photos! 

In other photography news, I was ridiculously excited to see that my Healthier Cinnamon Roll Scones  were accepted to both Foodgawker and Taste Spotting! I’ve gotten a couple of rejections from them, so finally seeing one of my pictures up was a huge confidence booster. I may or may not have thrown myself a one person dance party when I saw them up on the sites. Not to mention how much traffic it drives to your blog! My jaw dropped when I happened to look at the blog’s stats. It’s an awesome feeling to know that other people are reading what you write :). 

Healthy Cinnamon Roll Scones

Oh, and Kyle’s back home, so I’m one happy girl! 

Some of tomorrow’s plans include a group class at my gym, tennis with Kyle, a doctors appointment, and working a bit on my new freelancing job! 

Hope the week is moving quickly for ya!

xo Christine

Comments

  5. says

    Aw super excited to see you diving into photography! My hubster bought me a really nice DSLR camera a while back and I feel so bad because I haven’t even begin to really get familiar with it or use it that much. It is definitely something I would love to get into though, I think photography is such a beautiful and creative thing! Super excited for you!! (And REALLY excited that Kyle is back with you, too! ;))

  7. says

    CONGRATS!! That is awesome! I knew they would be a hit! I don’t get too many views, but on WIAW it’s crazy all the traffic I get! Nice job on the photos btw!:)

  8. says

    Your. Pictures. Are. Stunning. You should teach me your ways one day. 😉 I hope that one day I’ll have the time to learn how to use the DSLR properly–I know how to use the manual setting, but I don’t really know how to USE it, ya know? Huge congrats on getting your scones accepted, by the way!

  9. says

    Aww thanks for the shout out!! Yes yes, I have so many tips and tricks and things to talk about photography wise I can’t wait to get started! Once I get some example photos rounded up and my points figured out we’ll be good to go!

  13. says

    Congrats again on the acceptance! Those scone pictures were wonderful, and you definitely deserve it. Photography is something that I really adore, but no matter how much I improve, I never really feel like I’m doing as well as I could. Good thing its such an enjoyable hobby to practice and learn about :)

  14. says

    When I took AP photography in high school, I was SO overwhelmed with all of the settings but the more you play around with it, the better! I fell in love with the uniqueness the settings allows you to capture, as well! I miss photography a lot and really want to get back into it! The best thing is taking drives around your town and capturing nature. Love it! And congratulations on the photo acceptance!!!

  15. says

    Yayyy congrats on your acceptance!! Isn’t photography just wonderful :) The past year I took 2 photography classes, one film and one digital and it has become one of my favorite hobbies. I need to work on using my photography skills for my blog. The iphone does a pretty good job, but if I have a camera I need to use it! Love your scone picture by the way!

  17. says

    YAY! Congrats on getting one of your recipes accepted! :) looks delicious. And you have some serious photog skills. You can take my portrait anytime :) Although I probably won’t look as cute as those two little cousins of yours!

  18. says

    I love photography. I was looking through a ton of photos the other day and it really made me miss the NON DIGITAL AGE!!! I miss when you had to go get your photos developed and then when you picked them up, you get all excited about the photos!! Now it’s all just too instantaneous for me! lol

  20. says

    I think your pictures look amazing! A lot better than the ones I take with my iPhone. 😉 I love trying to take better pictures though, and I couldn’t agree more that practice is where it’s at!
    Major congrats about your scone picture being accepted! It is a gorgeous picture, and speaking of those scones, I made them today and omg they are incredible! My parents are absolutely in love with them too. My dad even told me they were excellent twice while eating them (and he can be picky!). :)

  22. says

    Your portrait pictures look great! I hope to one day get a nice camera. I’m a horrible blogger and still use my iPhone camera for everything. And yes, those cinnamon scones look amazing!

  24. says

    Wow, congrats! I am so envious, I really want to learn how to take great pictures. Yours are wonderful. If you had a tip for someone who is a bit intimidated by a big camera, what would it be?

    • says

      Thanks Brynn :D. I would probably say that by learning how to adjust just 3 settings on your camera can make the biggest difference in the world! And that it feels overwhelming at first, but you pick it up fast :)

  27. says

    Congratulations on getting your pictures published. I have yet to get a photo accepted so I know first hand how hard it can be. Your photos are beautiful; I’d say you’re getting the hang of it real quick.

  30. says

    Now that you’re quite the expert on taking photos, I think it’s only acceptable that you fly to the East coast in September when Joshua & I are visiting & we do a photo session :) … just sayin!

  31. says

    Congrats girl that’s awesome! I keep saying this bit I seriously need to work on my photography skills. Random snaps with my iPhone really just won’t cut it much longer :)