Souvenir Foto School | Food + Foto (Assignment Three)

50mm lens | f/1.8 | 1/30 | iso 640 | kitchen ceiling floodlights at night, diffused by white photo umbrella

Our recent assignment was photographing linguine with pesto, but I only had enough time to work with parts of the ingredients.  Hence, the lonely head of garlic!  I shot this image at night.  I usually like to shoot with available daylight, but this was one of those times when I only had darkness, lamps, and lightbulbs.  I wanted to keep the soft, gossamer quality of the garlic skins.  They are so delicate and pretty to me.  I used my photo umbrella for diffusion, I also worked with some gorgeous Photoshop actions created by Souvenir Foto School.

Souvenir Foto School | Food + Foto (Assignment Two)

50mm lens | f/2.0 | 1/320 | iso 400 | side lighting from the left, white bounce from a canvas from the right

50mm lens | f/3.5 | 1/60 | iso 400 | side lighting from the left, white bounce from a canvas from the right

Our photo assignment for week two in SFS | Food + Foto was Caprese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Miss Tristan B. of Besotted Blog highly recommended the hand spun mozzarella from the Seattle Metropolitan Market.  Boy, was she right!  Thought I would share my senses of this experience this past weekend.

Sight: During my trip to the market, I loved seeing all of the rich tones of the autumn harvest.  Pumpkins outside the entrance, rows of vibrantly red tomatoes, creamy white tones of cheeses...

Smell: Potently fresh basil as I rip a few leaves from the stems.

Sound: The knife as it hits the cutting board as I slice the roma tomato.  Allen whipping up an avocado smoothie in the background.  The boys laughing while trying to construct their marble game upstairs.

Taste: I couldn't wait to try this caprese concoction.  I wrapped a basil leaf around a bit of mozzarella and sprinkled a bit of salt.  I didn't even get to the tomato yet!  The combination of the cheese and basil was enough satisfaction.  Mild cheese + punctual basil + sip of cool white wine = mmmmm... no words. 

Touch: I was on my way to my girlfriend's house for girls movie night in (we planned to watch scary movies over wine, tortilla soup, and pumpkin spice cake).  The warm afternoon day turned into a mildly chilly evening as I walked out of the market back to my car with my ingredients in hand.  A perfect evening with good friends.

Souvenir Foto School | Food + Foto (Assignment One)

Rosemary :: 50mm lens | f/5.6 | 1/200 | iso 100

Herbed flatbread :: 50mm lens | f/5.6 | 1/25 | iso 200

So here are the results of my first assignment from Souvenir Foto School | Food + Foto.  I am having so much fun and definitely learning a lot from this class.  There will be three more weeks of material.  So please stay tuned for more postings.  Bon appétit!

Hello October!

My Monday morning :: calendars, permission slips, a birthday card for Ms. Rose...

Madeline for my Goddaughter Emily's 3rd Birthday :: this should be in every child's library

So that I can stay motivated with my blogging!

Ahh, October...  A gorgeous, crisp, and sunny first day in the Pacific Northwest.  What a beautiful way to start the week!  Autumn is my favorite season and October is one of my favorite months.  I get to celebrate a birthday, cozy indoor weekends, baking, pumpkins, cinnamon sticks, fiery colors of red-orange-goldenrod on outdoor hikes and soccer games...

I'm trying to stay afloat in the busyness of life's waters.  Coordinating my boys' 4th and 2nd grade classroom and after school activities.  Balancing work and my photography business.  Connecting with my loved ones.  Staying positive.  Being inspired by creative folks.  All good things--but they can definitely derail the mindfulness track.  So, I wanted to take a quick moment and record my senses before the day gets too far ahead of me.  

My senses this morning...

Sight: Robust and swelling pinecones on the treetops ready for the birds' harvest.

Smell: My boys' apple-scented hair as I flatten down their cowlicks--more like their rooster combs (I didn't know what the top of a rooster's head thing was called until now--there's actually a Google search named "what do you call that thing on top of a rooster's head?" Apparently, I wasn't the only one who needed this information).

Sound: A neighbor hammering away on some house project.  I wonder what it is?

Taste: Rich and steamy espresso with a drop of heavy cream.  My 'I Heart NY' mug with the perfectly hot temperature for clasping my hands around.

Touch: The coolness of the morning air that I breathe in as I work on today's projects at my kitchen table next to an open window.

I invite you to stop what you're doing right now.  Take a deep breath, and get present.  What are you seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, touching?  Right now?  I would love to know...