Time Change & Tripod Tips

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I had a really busy weekend and the time change didn’t help.  Losing an hour made my whole Sunday feel very rushed.  It wasn’t even the hour of sleep but the loss of an hour of productivity. It sounds crazy, but I was scrambling around all day trying to get that hour back before I had to go to work.  I did run tons of errands:

The Mall

Grocery Store

Trader Joe’s

And more.

And I spent lots of time in the kitchen.  I have some recipes for you this week that I think you’re going to like!

I was wiped out after that but I plated up some plants.  Both for eating purposes and photography purposes.

Green salad with vegetables on plate with fork


I made some vegan Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing to go with my salad

Ingredients for Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing in bowl with spoonMixed up Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing

And then I proceeded to take about 50 pictures of salad.  Kind of like my photography lighting homework post. Except this was just “for me” rather than homework.

I am trying to figure out what happens to the photo when shooting in true manual mode when I adjust:

shutter speed

aperture

white balance

take my lens off auto-focus and manual focus it

and then throw in how light effects the shot, even while keeping all those other things the same...

…and the options and choices and settings are dizzying.

So just taking lots and lots of pictures is the only way I am going to learn.  I took about 500 pictures of food this weekend.  I know, crazy.

Close up of plated salad with vegetables
Some Caramelized Cinnamon & Sugar Chickpea “Peanuts” also hit the spot after taking entirely too many pictures of green food.

Caramelized Cinnamon & Sugar Chickpea "Peanuts"

As did some Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse5 minutes, 4 ingredients.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse in container

I am also thinking of getting a tripod.  They are not cheap and lately I have been spending a small fortune on camera equipment, lenses, bags, you name it.  But I am loving photography and exploring this new-to-me world.  It’s been a blast and I want to learn, learn, learn and try out new things and pursue this newfound hobby because it makes me happy and brings me joy.  It’s also one of those hobbies like yoga, you can do at almost any time, you will never learn it all, but it’s fun to try and grow in the process.

So I don’t mind spending some money on a tripod.

Ashley did this post on tripods.

I am torn if I should get a Gorillapod.

Pros = smaller, takes up less storage space, cheaper (and cuter-that counts too)

Grollapod tripod

Or if I should get something bigger and more substantial with all the bells and whistles like a ball head, pan tilt, longer/adjustable legs, etc. right from the start.

Camera tripod

And if I do go with a bigger and more substantial tripod, is there that much of a difference between a $350 tripod and a $100 one if I am primarily going to be using it in my house, to shoot food?  Probably not, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From my last post about my Brazilian Blowout, thanks for the compliments on my hair.  I am really happy with it and am saving time, both of which are great things when it comes to hair.

If anyone is thinking of getting a Brazilian Blowout or a keratin treatment, I say just Go For It! You’ll probably end up loving it and wonder why you waited so long!  For all questions and thoughts, I addressed lots of them within the comments section, too, so go check that out if you’re craving the sleek look.

Dessert: Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars with Vegan Chocolate Frosting (No-Bake, Gluten Free)

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bar with Vegan Chocolate Frosting on plate

Questions:

1. Do you change the clocks where you live?  And if so, are you noticing any effects?

In California, we do “spring ahead”.  I love that during daylight savings time, the evenings are lighter, later.  I don’t love the fact that I lost an hour of sleep on Saturday night into Sunday, though.  But as I said at the beginning of the post, I felt behind the eight ball and scrambling all day on Sunday!

In Arizona, they don’t “spring ahead” for daylight savings time, so for half the year (right now) Pacific Time and Arizona are on the same schedule and for the other half the year, Arizona is an hour ahead of Pacific Time.

Same with Aruba.  They don’t change the clocks there so for half the year (now) they are on the same time as Eastern Time, but for the other six months a year they are one hour ahead of Eastern.

Confusing much?

Part of me just wishes we’d never change the clocks.  Just leave them where they are.  We’ll all adapt!

2. Do you have a tripod?  Or if you’re into photography, do you want one?

Yes I want one.

I don’t have one.  Yet.

3. If you do have one, what brand/type do you have?  Do you think it matters how much I spend on it? 

There are some things in life that, in my opinion, are worth spending the extra money on, i.e. a Vita-mix rather than a cheapie food processor (check out my fave kitchen appliances post and what I spend on, and what I save on)

I’ve also posted on Does Price Paid Effect QualitySometimes yes, sometimes no, I think.

Then there are other things that I’d rather go el cheapo on and do, i.e. no shame in buying recycled (used) $3 tshirts from Buffalo Exchange

Not sure what to do about the tripod.  Any ideas?

Have a great day, everyone!

P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts from the weekend, here are mine since Friday.  Everything from candy to stinky things to boots to balance to hair.  Something for everyone.

 

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Comments

  1. Hey Averie- been awhile since I commented, but i’m still here reading :) I was interested to see what others thought about the tripod issue, as i’ve been thinking about it too. I got a 50mm lens and made a makeshift lightbox, but I do notice that I have a few photos that have that shaky hands look. luckily i usually have taken enough photos to have one or two that look good though :)

    i wanted to see, i’m not a canon user, but when i upload my photos using nikon’s software, I can see the settings of the camera. I can also check them on my screen, but it’s easier to see how the photo looks larger… i’m sure that information is stored, perhaps a google search will find your answer?

    1. hi shannon thanks for saying hi!

      i actually figured out on iphoto there is a place where you can get some numerical/settings and values for photos. Not perfect or totally “complete” but aperture and shutter speed, so that’s helpful at least :)