Tag Archives: canon

The week in review – nell’s dish style.

23 Jun

Good morning all.  It’s a foggy day here in NYC and I’m excited to be sitting at my desk, drinking a big mug of coffee and dishing.  Lots to talk about today – but we’ll start with an awesome video that Adam posted on his blog the other day.

Great right?

I do several of these things on a regular basis…

  • drink coffee
  • make lists
  • sing in the shower
  • get lots of rest
  • write down ideas
  • listen to new music
  • be open
These are the ones I want to work on most: 
    • Get away from the computer
    • Collaborate
    • Allow yourself to make mistakes
    • Break the rules
    • Stop trying to be someone else’s perfect
    • Clean your workspace
    • Finish something!! 


A good list of goals to focus on this summer!

Meanwhile, I’m sure you’ve noticed I haven’t been blogging as much lately.  Since the end of my 365 project, I’ve been finding blogging everyday (or almost every day) to be a bit overwhelming.  I’d like to have a little more time to digest my days/moods/experiences and process more what I want to write about before I share with all of you.  I’m also trying to work on some other projects and it’s amazing how fast the days just zoom by!  Plus, I’ve been feeling the need for a little more structure and regularity lately.  Therefore, I’m going to try a new blogging schedule – twice a week – on Mondays and Thursdays.  Then you’ll know when to look out for my next dish and I’ll have time to marinate my dishes so they’re even tastier!  Sound good?  
Anyway, last week was a productive and exciting week.  Tuesday night I had the first of twelve group workshops (via conference call) with my career coach Maggie Mistal.  The “Mastermind Program” is made up of a small diverse group of clients whom Maggie has worked with in the past.  The purpose of the group is to “help us master the right mindset to enable, encourage, and support us in achieving our career goals.”  We’ll go over things such as:
  • Regaining focus
  • Envisioning success
  • Committing to follow through
  • Asking effectively for what we want
  • Redefining how we spend our time
  • Transforming our inner critic
For the first call we had to prepare a kind of elevator pitch – who we are, what we do (or what we want to do) and what we wish to get from this group.  Of course, this gave me anxiety!  Anytime I’m asked “what do you do?”  or even “what do you want to do?” for that matter, I get stressed out.  Right now… I do a little of everything!   What do I want to do?  I’m not really sure… a lot of different things!  I remembered a book that Maggie had me read when we first started working together:

When I read it the first time I had an “AHAH!!” moment.  Other people make this work – amazing people… like Benjamin Franklin!  Here is an excerpt from the book that I enjoyed:

Just for fun, let’s imagine that Ben [Franklin] is alive today.  How might his friends and family react to his revolving-door approach to careers?  Having played his key role in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, they might expect him to head for a tenured position at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.  But what about his strange fascination with kite and key experiments?  Fine, his wife might say.  Why don’t you go to MIT and pursue a nice stable career in science?  But no, it turns out that Ben also wants to go abroad to study French culture and language!  Okay, his friends suggest,  he can work for the United Nations or Berlitz.  But wait – he also has plans to design a post office, invent bifocals, and print his Poor Richard’s Almanac!  Looking at Ben’s life this way reminds us that a life can look scattered and fragmented while it’s unfolding but still go down in history as a smashing success.”

Isn’t that fun?

I digress.  Anyway… for my elevator pitch I decided to say that I was in transition career-wise, but I want to create success for myself (including financial compensation) as a Renaissance Soul.  I want to continue to explore many of my interests – writing, photography, helping people, food  - and I want to be able to make an income in at least one of not all of these areas!  That way I can keep things fresh!  I can take opportunities as they come – as they excite me!  I can use many of my skills and talents simultaneously!  I can grow in multiple ways, cultivating different aspects of my personality!

I was afraid I would come across as unfocused and flaky with this response, but when I was finished talking two of the other group members instantly spoke up with support saying they felt the same way!  One of them actually told me I was her “Renaissance Soul sister”!  It felt good.  I felt accepted and energized to follow my non-traditional all-over-the-place dreams.

The Mastermind group will continue to meet once a month for an entire year.  I am excited for this… it is a tool which will keep me on track, focusing on what I want out of life and giving me the guidance and support to help me get it.  Our first homework assignment is a fun one that I will have to give much thought to.  You can participate too if you like.  For next month I have to come up with a list:

  • five things I want to DO
  • five things I want to HAVE
  • five things I want to BE
all before I die.
When I complete my list I will share it with you!  I’d love for you to share yours with me as well. :)
Last week was also a big week for photography.  On Friday I photographed that anniversary party I was hired to shoot.  It was definitely a challenge but I’m satisfied with the job I did. The most difficult part was adjusting for the environment.  When I first arrived, the entire wall of windows made for beautiful natural-light photos of the flower centerpieces, the cake, the room, the hors d’oeuvres, the details. Then all of a sudden the small room was very crowded with people hugging and chatting – this made it difficult to get great people shots – but I did my best.  I always feel a little weird interrupting conversations to get a photo… but that’s part of the job! Then, as it got dark outside, the room shifted to being dimly lit with candlelight and very warm-toned overhead lights and the wall of windows was now a nuisance as it reflected everything indoors.  TOUGH!  I used my new flash, I did my best and I took a LOT of photos.  Of course, there are things I’d do differently next time – but that’s the whole point! Everything’s a learning experience.  Here are a couple of my favorites (haven’t delivered them to the client yet… so no people shots).
On Saturday I did another entire day of shooting with my friend Amie.  She brought home gorgeous hand-woven textiles from her last trip to Guatemala and made dozens of beautiful one-of-a-kind pillows out of them.  She wants to create a website to display and sell her pillows so we were shooting individual pillow shots as well as scenes (like out of an Anthropologie catalog).  This proved to be quite ambitious and after an eight-hour shoot day, we were a little disappointed with what we were able to get done.  After reviewing the shots however, we both felt better as we got plenty of GORGEOUS images and again… we learned a lot for next time! For example, I want to get a cable to hook up my camera directly to my computer so we can see the images larger while shooting. It’s too difficult to tell what you have when viewing it only on a three-inch monitor on the back of your camera.  Looks like another trip to B&H is in my future!

So all in all a very productive week.  I’ve become even clearer that shooting events is not my favorite thing – though now I feel more confident and it’s definitely a good way to  make a little money!   I can probably cross ‘wedding photographer’ off my list of possible careers though.

I definitely enjoyed my shoot with Amie even though it was extremely hard work.  I loved collaborating with her!  It was fun having a stylist and being able to focus on getting the shots.  I felt good as I realized that I actually have learned a lot over the last year.  I was pretty impressed with my knowledge of the advanced camera settings… and I was using Adam’s 7D, which is even more complex than my Rebel!   Anyway, it was exciting and Amie and I are already planning the next shoot.

Blah blah blah… sheesh – when I post less frequently I have so much to say!  I hope I haven’t bored you to death.  So I’m putting my new blog schedule in effect.  Stay tuned for my next dish on Monday and have a fabulous weekend everyone!  I’m going to be enjoying a weekend-long bachelorette extravaganza so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about. :)

Brooklyn Boys, Photo Gear and Kicking Fear in the Butt!

16 Jun

Hi everyone!  Sorry for my absence over the last week.  As always – lots of fun stuff going on.  We took off for the Poconos last Friday for our annual Brooklyn Boys summertime reunion.  For those who don’t already know about the Brooklyn Boys, my dad grew up with this bunch of guys in Brooklyn, NY and most of them have known each other since elementary school.  We get together with all of them as well as their wives, children and children’s children, two or three times a year.  We’ve been doing it since before I was born.  We always go to a big resort-type place somewhere between Maryland and Massachusetts (typically in PA or NJ) and we spend an entire weekend eating together, playing together and visiting!  Here is a photo of the entire group this year (minus a few who were not able to make it) in our matching “Brooklyn Boys 2011″ T-shirts.

Brooklyn Boys & Fams

This week was also my dad’s sixty-fifth birthday as well as my parents’ forty-first anniversary… not to mention Father’s Day this weekend.  June is a busy month!

Speaking of anniversaries… I’ve been hired to photograph a fiftieth anniversary party tomorrow night!  I got the job through a friend who recommended me.  I’m totally psyched (and a tiny bit nervous) – but mostly psyched!  I paid B&H a visit on Tuesday and finally bought myself an external flash – a Canon 580 ex II.  It’s awesome.  Just like all photography gear – it wasn’t cheap – but I’m looking at is as an investment in myself as a photographer.  Now I feel like a total pro.  And as with most things… I feel like more confidence (and the right gear) = better performance.

I’m also re-reading a book my mom gave me ages ago called Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.  Anyone ever read that book?  The main point is that as long as you’re learning and growing and trying new things, you’re always going to experience fear – it’s human.  So the important thing is to expect the fear (because everyone has it), accept the fear (don’t let it scare you away) and make the choice to power through it.  As you keep ‘feeling the fear and doing it anyway’, you’ll gain confidence and feel less fear… until you try something totally new again. It’s a productive read… a good kick in the butt.

Meanwhile, I stumbled upon a great website this week called Creative Edge, where for a not-so-steep monthly fee you get unlimited access to thousands of books, videos and tutorials covering all kinds of creative topics.  Right now I’m learning a ton from this book called “Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites“.  If you’re a learning/book addict like I am – it’s a very good resource.

Now – I’m off to see Super 8!  Will let you know how it is tomorrow!

Spring’s Approaching… Time for a Health Kick (in the Butt).

14 Mar

So, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve lost two and a half pounds in the last two weeks.  Though I made it a New Year’s resolution back in January to get my body into kick-ass shape, this really only started a couple weeks ago, when we went to the Hamptons to visit our friends.  I was about seven pounds heavier than my normal weight, with only two pairs of my jeans fitting comfortably (leaving about six others sitting on my shelf untouched for the last eight months).  Winter… that is all I have to say.  My friend Julie was also feeling on the heftier side so we decided to tackle it together.  She made charts and we had an official weigh in.  We also measured ourselves (chest, hips/butt, tummy, waist, thigh, arm, calf) – this was the real deal.  We would weigh and measure ourselves once a week and record our progress on our charts (which we both have access to).  Our target date to get to our ideal self is Memorial Day.

Now let me first say, that my goal with weight loss is always to create a program for myself that is sustainable.  As you all probably know by now, I really really really love food.  It’s one of my greatest passions.  And I don’t believe that depriving myself of what I love will ever lead to long-term success.  I even bought two cheeses today!  (I’ll eat them responsibly).

So in my mind… I had to:

  • make smarter choices – instead of indulging every single day, indulge a little and then hold back a little to create balance
  • cook more at home
  • watch my portions
  • EXERCISE!!!

Aside from some sporadic yoga and pilates classes, I really haven’t exercised regularly since before our wedding back in October 2009!  So I figured if I changed my eating habits a little while adding in a regular exercise routine, I would be able to lose the weight.

So now I’m feeling pretty good… two weeks in, making some progress and seeing a little change already.  I’m also starting to notice a shift in my mood.  I have more energy and I’m feeling a bit lighter (in spirit – that is).  Spring’s on the way of course, so that might have a little something to do with it too!

Most of all, I’m really starting to enjoy yoga.  I’ve done yoga on and off over the last several years.  I was never able to maintain a regular practice for any serious length of time.  I would do it for a while and then get bored (typical).  But really… the classes would always be the same, with the same poses and routines and… ho – hum, yawn, two or three months later I’m bored.  But I’ve started going to a new place called Yogaworks and every class I’ve been to has been totally different.  They’ve all been challenging, but the teachers really mix it up every time.  The best part, is that I keep surprising myself as to what my body is capable of.  Our teacher will demonstrate a pose for us in class and in my head I’ll be like, “yeah right… there’s no way my body is doing that”. But then I’ll try – and more often than not, I’ll find I can do it!   Yeah, that’s right… TAKE THAT  little negative voice!

Anyway… on to the pictures!  My photo shoot with Jess was a blast last week.  It was also a challenge.  We had to do it at night, in her apartment.  I knew the light would be crappy, so I rented a flash (Canon Speedlite 580 exII) .  I’ve never used an external flash before so it was a lot of trial and error, but I got several shots I’m quite pleased with.  It also doesn’t hurt that Jess is an incredible model!

Photo 335 out of 365 – “Jess Making Music”

"Jess Making Music" - Settings: ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/60 sec, 50mm lens

Here are a few of my other favorites from our shoot:

What a beauty right??

Photo 336 out of 365 – “Water Meditation”

“Water Meditation” – Settings: ISO 100, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec, 50mm lens

Photo 337 out of 365 – “Lucy’s Birthday Halo”

"Lucy's Birthday Halo" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/50 sec, 50mm lens

I love how the candles on the cake created this little halo around Lucy’s head!  A happy accident!

Photo 338 out of 365 – “Adam’s Badass Tattoo”

Adam's Badass Tattoo - Settings: ISO 1600, f/4, 1/50 sec, 100mm macro lens

Yes, this is my husband’s arm.  It was one of the first things that caught my eye when I saw his profile online before we met.  I always thought tattoos were kind of hot – but this is the coolest one I’ve ever seen.  It’s a bunch of words he loves.  Sexy. :)

 

One of those weeks…

10 Mar

This week has just been one of those weeks!  I feel like it has to be a full moon or something – but it’s not, because I looked up the lunar cycle online.  Side note… can we talk about how awesome it is to be able to look up any question you have IMMEDIATELY at any time?  I’ve been recently developing a deep love for the internet for this reason.  Curious minds have every piece of information at their fingertips!  Amazing. Anyway, I’m just feeling off this week!  I’ve been a little anxious, feeling like I’m not getting anything done, feeling the hours in the day are just flying by.  I’m a little overwhelmed.

I recently signed up for this “Mastermind” program that my career coach started.  I was inspired by the lunch we had about a month ago and thought it would be a good thing for me to participate in.  It’s a once a month phone session with a small group for twelve months, where we focus on our goals, what we’re trying to achieve and how we’ll get there.  I was really excited when I first signed up, but then she sent me this worksheet to fill out that asks questions like…

Specifically, what would you like to achieve with your career in the next twelve months?

This question made me freeze!  Oh god… I need to focus on a clear goal concerning my career??  Thinking about this instantly gave me anxiety!  I thought about all the career ideas I’ve been juggling lately… photographer, writer/blogger, cheese consultant, online dating consultant (yup… have I mentioned that one yet?).  My interest in these career ideas comes and goes. For example, when I met with Maggie (career coach), we were blabbing over lunch and she pointed out to me that I was talking about cheese stuff much more than photography stuff.  Now, I am feeling much more fueled by the photography and I’ve been taking a little cheese break (I am trying to lose my winter weight… so that could be why).  So, at the root of some of this career anxiety is the fact that I know that I am interested in several things at once and I get bored fairly easily and I like to shift my attention to whatever it is at the moment that is getting me excited.  Is this a total flaw?  Can I pursue several things at once and change course when I want to?  Can I actually build success in that way?

Of course – I’m putting all this pressure on myself.  No one is forcing me to establish a career at this moment but something in me is feeling a need to further define the direction I’m heading in.  Anyway, more on that later… I have to run!  Doing a yoga/pilates class and then going to pick out a flash at B&H.  I’m doing a photo shoot with my friend Jess tonight for my portraiture class homework.  Hopefully I’ll have some fun pictures to share with you tomorrow.

Oh – and speaking of Jess… Jess has started a blog and I’m loving it!  She’s a powerful writer and a great storyteller and I’m really proud of her for putting it all out there!  Check out her blog:  Don’t Scare the Normals.

And finally – my photos from the last two days:

Photo 333 out of 365 – “The Lens Has Two Faces”

 

“The Lens Has Two Faces” – Settings: ISO 1600, f/4, 1/80 sec, 100mm macro lens

 

I took this one in my bathroom mirror.  I worked on it for HOURS yesterday in Lighroom.  I liked the diagonal line down the center and wanted to play with color.  I tried a million different things and I still don’t exactly love it… but I ran out of steam!

Photo 334 out of 365 – “Taco Suave”

 

"Taco Suave" - Settings: ISO 3200, f/2.5, 1/60 sec, 50mm lens

 

I took this photo in the taco shop where Amie and I met for dinner last night before our photo lecture.  This guy worked there, and seeing my camera, he volunteered for a photo!  Of course I obliged.  Love his attitude!

Thanks for reading!  To be continued…

Friday at the Glass Studio

15 Jan

Photo 280 out of 365 – “Glass on Fire”

"Glass on Fire" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/10, 1/800 sec, 24-105mm lens (105mm)

Yesterday I went out to Long Island with Ben to hang out and take photos/video at his glass-blowing studio.  Though I took a bunch of photos, I actually enjoyed filming more.  I think it’s more exciting to watch the process in motion.  That being said, I love how this picture came out.

This was a great exercise for me in shooting in 100% manual mode.  I’ve been practicing that a bit more lately, but most of the time I shoot in aperture-priority mode (AV) – and then change it to manual if I’m not liking the result.  In this situation, I quickly found that if I exposed the shot correctly according to the meter, the white-hot fire and burning, glowing glass, were totally blown out in the pictures.  So, I switched to manual mode and had to completely under-expose the shots in order to get the detail within the fire.  When I did that, however, the background was totally black and under-exposed.  It is a trade-off I guess, and I experimented with lots of different exposure settings.  Sometimes it was more important for me to capture Ben and his surroundings, so I didn’t care if the fire and glass were blown – but in this instance, I wanted to capture the beautiful detail towards the bottom of the flame as well as the glowing piece of glass with all those little bubbles.  I didn’t re-touch this photo at all in Lightroom.  This is exactly how it was shot.

I do have even MORE of an appreciation for what Ben does now.  His pieces are so artistic and now I know how delicate he has to be when putting them together and adding color and design.  He gave me a brief lesson and I made a little pendant, which is now hanging around my neck… but it was super challenging!

Over the next week or two, I plan on editing together a short video from all the footage I took and I will post it here!

Oh – and I saw another smiley face at the studio:

Smiley Face Tool

Now it’s off to Woodside, Queens for a delicious Thai dinner at Sripraphai with Dan & Yvonne!  Yummmmmmmm.

Now I love Beets.

10 Jan

We had the pleasure of having Adam’s niece Michele in town for a visit this weekend.  She is on holiday break from her freshman year of college in California.  While Michele was here, Adam and I were constantly trying to get her to expand her horizons… from tasting new foods, to trying out a new haircut, to trying on new styles of clothes, etc.  At times she seemed frustrated by the pressure we were putting on her, but by the end of the weekend, she seemed like a new woman… more confident, more open-minded and more happy with herself.  (Am I right Michele?  I know you’re reading this).

This experience made me think of how much I’ve grown as a person since I was Michele’s age.  When I was in college I…

  • hated tons of different foods that I love now (sushi, beets, ginger, cilantro, salmon, spinach, blue cheese, olives, sausage, white wine, pork)
  • hardly ever cooked – mostly because I was intimidated
  • smoked cigarettes
  • had a mini identity crisis because I got rejected from my top choice sorority (I really wanted to be one of the “cool” girls and believed that was my way in)…. in retrospect, it was the wrong place for me anyway.
  • never had a boyfriend – most likely because I was constantly attracted to the wrong guys
  • was lazy and complacent in regards to finding and exploring my passions

Now – after ten years in NYC, I am living a much richer and more fulfilling life than I ever did in my college years and before.  The biggest part of that, has been keeping an open mind and trying new things all the time, paying close attention to what makes me happy and what doesn’t (that also includes relationships), changing things when they’re not making me happy (even if its REALLY hard to do so), and no longer trying to be ‘cool’ – instead – just really trying to be me.

It felt good telling Michele that so far… the older I get, the happier I get.  It makes me excited for what lies ahead.

Anyway – let’s catch up with the photo project!  Here are my photos from the weekend:

Photo 273 out of 365 – “Statue in Tompkins Square Park in Winter”

"Statue in Tompkins Square Park in Winter" - Settings: ISO 100, f/3.2, 1/400 sec, 50mm lens

 

Photo 274 out of 365 – “Congee Village”

"Congee Village" - Settings: ISO 100, f/1.2, 1/250 sec, , 50mm lens

 

Photo 275 out of 365 – “Glass Bottles on the Barber Shop Windowsill”

"Glass Bottles on the Barber Shop Windowsill" - Settings: ISO 200, f/5, 1/2000 sec, 50mm lens

 

Inspiration…

7 Jan

Photo 272 out of 365 – “Wish”

"Wish" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm lens

I came across a photographer today who I had never heard of before.  His name is Ernst Haas.  As I started looking through his work, I felt really inspired about my own.  He is known as one of the world’s great influential photographers and I feel like we share a similar aesthetic.  I even saw some of his photographs that reminded me of ones I have taken myself – or would take myself.

Then I started reading some of his philosophy on photography and became even more inspired. His words on photography made me feel more at ease with my own style and also with my thoughts and concerns about pursuing photography as a profession.  Here are some of my favorite findings:

There are two kinds of photographers: those who compose pictures and those who take them. The former work in studios. For the latter, the studio is the world…. For them, the ordinary doesn’t exist: every thing in life is a source of nourishment.

I am definitely the second kind of photographer.  I don’t typically have an idea of what I want to photograph and I don’t like to style things.  Instead, I just walk out my door with my eyes open and I am constantly drawn to the real things happening all around me…things that are happening naturally… and I like to capture those things.

I looked at an apple for such a long time until it became the first apple I had ever seen.  I was so excited that I called a friend to tell him my experience.  But how could I find the right words for what I had experienced?  How could I describe my visual sensations with such literary words as red, yellow, green, shining, round? …  Anyhow, I did not find the right words, and my friend did not believe me.  So, I ate the apple, as I have eaten many an apple before.  It was a fairly good apple.

I called my friend again, telling him I just ate a fairly good apple, and he understood me immediately.  Conclusion: in visions we are alone, in taste we can be together.  All I try is to find my inside images in the outside reality.

And…

Beware of direct inspiration.  It leads too quickly to repititions of what inspired you.  Beware of too much taste as it leads to sterility.  Refine your senses through the great masters of music, painting, and poetry.  In short, try indirect inspirations, and everything will come by itself.

Just some food for thought – but anyway, I am feeling rather filled after being exposed to this artist.  I am excited to now seek out more of his work.

Risk and Bodegas…

6 Jan

Adam downloaded a new game of Risk on our Playstation last week and I have become quite obsessed with taking over the world. Have you ever played?  There’s so much strategy involved – I love it!  Though I just got CREAMED by the ‘Adam and Michele’ duo. Michele is Adam’s niece, who is in town visiting us from California.  We cooked up some delicious chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight and now I’m beat!  I haven’t been sleeping very well lately – can I still be on California time??  Can jet lag last two weeks?

Anyway, here is my photo from yesterday:

Photo 271 out of 365 – “Bodega”

"Bodega" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, 85mm lens

Bodega is the name of Adam’s company, but it’s also the Spanish word for “small store”, and there are hundreds of them scattered throughout the city.  It’s funny, ever since I’ve lived in New York, the word “bodega” has become part of my daily vocabulary.  Bodegas are awesome!  They are on just about every corner, they always have an ATM, and as you can see, they are typically pretty stocked with anything you might need at any hour of the day or night.  This picture was fun to me because of all the bright colors (which I enhanced just a tad in Lightroom) and the repetition in the way the shelves are stocked.

Oh – and it was a tough decision between two pictures from yesterday for photo of the day.  Michele helped me deliberate this afternoon.  The runner up is pretty fun too – thanks to Robyn, who was totally game to be my photo subject last night and ran throughout the store doing goofy things.  Love you Robyn!

Robyn in a Blue Mirror Outside a Soho Bodega

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Gross Juice… Hot Lens!

5 Jan

So The Juice Press one-day juice cleanse… not really a fan.  I’ve actually done a juice cleanse once before and the juices were pretty tasty.  There were a couple in the bunch of eight yesterday that were actually enjoyable, a few that were manageable and then the rest were absolutely horrible (at least in my opinion).  I had to completely dilute one of them to even get it down at all because it had the consistency of sludge and tasted like spicy, salty, garlic and spinach mush.  I really thought puking was a possibility.  But I held it together.

Also – last time I do remember feeling really energetic… and while I was a bit wired/strung out (not exactly energetic) last night, today I am totally exhausted and sluggish.  I do feel a little lighter though.  And it has inspired me to keep putting good things in my body – especially more fruits and veggies and WATER!  And that was really the point… to get me started on a new healthier foot in 2011.  An interesting experiment for sure.

Oh yeah – and by the way… every muscle in my body is hurting (thank you Pilates) – so I’m sure that’s contributing to the sluggishness a bit. :)

Anyway, here’s my photo from yesterday:

Photo 270 out of 365 – “Dropped Call”

"Dropped Call" - Settings: ISO 1600, f/2, 1/50 sec, 85mm lens

For this photo, I had the pleasure of using a GORGEOUS 85mm L Canon lens.  I think it makes the subject look so crisp and vivid.  If you’re interested (camera nerd talk for a minute), the aperture (the opening letting in light) on this lens opens to a maximum of 1.2 – which, I believe is the widest aperture Canon makes.   The wide aperture is what gives you this shallow depth of field… where the telephone is in sharp focus but everything in the background is super blurred out.  I decided to play with the color on this one a bit in Lightroom – I thought this greenish/bluish hue kind of went with the mood and the environment in the shot.

Oh… and this lens is apparently really great for portraits – I’m excited to test that out.  Let me know if you’re interested!

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Cleansing…

4 Jan

Photo 269 out of 365 – “Liquid”

"Liquid" - Settings: ISO 400, f/4, 1/125 sec, 100mm macro lens

This photo is appropriate for today because today, my diet is consisting of only liquid.  Just for today.  I actually got my butt up this morning for an 8:30 am Pilates class in MIDTOWN!  Yes – that’s a big feat for me.   The class was great and it felt awesome to use those muscles again that have been laying dormant for the past year.  Yes abdominals… I’ve come back for you!  I haven’t forgotten you completely!  It’s been a while.

Meanwhile, I was feeling all good and wanted to grab a healthy breakfast before heading over to the nursing home for art class and I passed this juice place right in my neighborhood that I’ve never noticed.  Apparently, it’s been there for seven months… I don’t know how I haven’t seen it, but that happens in New York.

The place is called The Juice Press and they sell juices made from organic raw fruits, vegetables and spices.  They also offer a cleanse system, which on a whim, I decided to try today.  The deal is, you drink eight juices in a designated order and that’s it – no food – all day!  Also – lots of water and you can have decaf tea I guess.  So, I’m currently on my fifth juice of the day and MAN… this one is tough. Here are the ingredients:

  • ripe tomato
  • carrot
  • celery
  • beet
  • parsley
  • kale
  • spinach
  • lemon
  • pinch of cayenne
  • pinch of onion
  • pinch of garlic
  • pinch of sea salt

It’s called “drink your salad” – cute.  But I think it’s really pretty gag-worthy.  The next one’s just coconut water – and I’m quite looking forward to it after this garlic explosion in my mouth.  EW.

Anyway, I’ll let you know how I feel tomorrow!

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