Choc-O-Cherry Ice Cream is a smooth & creamy homemade ice cream recipe packed full of bing cherries & chunks of milk chocolate. It’s the perfect frozen dessert to enjoy all summer long.
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Smoke Photography Tutorial
Hi everyone! I originally shared this tutorial on paper Heart Camera years ago because of my fascination with Smoke Photography. I have always been intrigued by photographs of smoke. Learning how to do it has been on my “to-do” list for forever. So when Sarah asked me to be a contributor on Paper Heart Camera, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to finally take a stab at it & create this Smoke Photography Tutorial.
This was really fun!
Please excuse the watermark- this was my personalized watermark for contributing on Paper Heart Camera.
You will need a black background, a spotlight or reflector, off camera flash WITH a snoot, incense & plenty of space. I tried this in my office. I probably could have used some more room & when I try it again, I will definitely choose a different location.
The thing to remember here is to keep the light OFF the backdrop. Don’t let it shine there & don’t let your flash bounce there (which is why the snoot is so important).
The other thing to remember is to be far enough away from your set up so that you are not getting flare in your lens from the flash. Being that I had limited space where I was- I trashed a ton of images that otherwise would have been great if I didn’t get the flare in there messing the whole thing up.
I set my settings at ISO 200 (probably would take this down to 100 though), 1/160, f/7.1
I switched back & forth with my 85mm & the 50mm trying to see which one was better for me.
I think all of these were captured with the 85mm.
I had seen this done before & so I asked my son to insert his hand in there so I could try it out. As it turns out- this gave the camera an added steady point to focus on rather than the smoke- so I ended up liking more of these with his hand than without.
When processing- I shoot in JPG but opened in ACR & adjusted the blacks to deepen the background, brightness to pop the highlights in the smoke & the clarity. I also upped the vibrancy but didn’t touch the hue/saturation- although I have heard of people really liking the effect. In this case it would have messed with the skin tone- so I left it as is & I like it that way.
Don’t forget your patience.
It’s a lot like capturing lightning- you get a bunch that you end up tossing & a handful that are amazing keepers.
Want More Photography tutorials?
10 Tips for Capturing Lightning
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Raspberry-Pineapple Frozen Fruit Pops
Did you all have a FANTASTIC 4th of July??
When my dad & step-mom were here we went to good ol’ Walmart so they could “spoil” the kids a bit with some things they needed & wanted. I was so grateful because they all needed shoes. Literally- every pair they received for Christmas & recently again in April when my mom came with new shoes for them- ALL WERE OUTGROWN. I was so bummed- they still look brand new. A couple pair only worn maybe 3 times at best. So when my dad offered to pick up the tab on new tennis shoes & sandals for all 3 of them I WAS THRILLED. Plus- he let them choose whatever they wanted. Here I was looking at prices & trying to steer them in one direction or another based on price & he quickly put a stop to that & let them have what they really wanted. I was so grateful! Saved me a good chunk of cash. THANKS DAD!
So they spoiled the kids (they got toys & craft supplies too). I was not left out in the dust here. I mentioned I wanted to add some new shapes to my Popsicle molds. I really intended on just getting one new set to add to my already growing collection. What I didn’t know is that they would have 4 colors to choose from & I then remembered something about my step-mom. She always has to have the whole collection of whatever it is. If she buys something & it comes in a variety of colors- she buys ALL the colors. This is true with everything she buys. If she buys one pair of flip flops- she also buys every other color available. So I didn’t even have a chance to take a look at what was on the shelf. I said I wanted new molds & she promptly grabbed every color they had & threw them in the cart. I didn’t even have time to check prices or see what else there was on the shelf. It was done. She is so much fun!
So we HAD TO put them to use before they headed out of town. I had lots of raspberries & a pineapple that wasn’t going to last much longer. Way too much fruit to eat in the time we had. So I made fruit pops. The best part is that I was able to make so many with all the molds I have- that we are still eating them. Both my freezers are packed with all these cool treats I have been making lately- so we are set for a while with a great variety.
Raspberry-Pineapple Frozen Fruit Pops
2 cups washed & hulled raspberries
2-3 cups fresh cubed pineapple
puree, pour, freeze & enjoy
Blackberry Pops
Like I mentioned on Friday- I have been making frozen treats like crazy. Not only because it’s flippin’ hot here- but I’m sort of obsessed with creating the photos afterwards too. I can’t help it. I see something of inspiration & then all I can think about is getting in the kitchen & making whatever it was. Literally the entire time I am making the treats I’m thinking in my head exactly what I want to do with the styling for the photos. I have an addition to food photography. I totally admit that. It’s so much fun from start to finish & it makes me happy.
Like everything else this summer- I am trying to streamline things & make them simple.
I don’t want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen & so these pops are perfect w/ less than 10 min prep time
Blackberry Pops
3-4 cups Diet V-8 Splash Berry Blend
1 handful of blackberries
Pulse in blender & pour into pop molds. Yes- that simple. They are SO GOOD.
And the kids don’t even know or care that they are healthier too.
Have a fabulous Sunday! I have family in town so I will be hit or miss for another couple days.
Catch up with you as I can get into the office.
Summer Cherries
You know- there are some things about summer that I really look forward to. One is that the fruit selection at the store gets so much better. I always have a wide variety of things to choose from in the house to keep me satisfied. I love eating mostly fruit throughout my day – cherries being one of my favorite “go-to” snacks.
They are pretty fun to photograph too.
See you tomorrow…
The Coffee Shot- How to’s
You asked for it!
I had so many of you asking how I achieved my coffee shot last week that I decided to share with you what I did. It wasn’t all that difficult & I admit, I did have 2 helpers. That made all the difference- believe me.
So I brewed a pot of coffee. I used the gross canned stuff that I keep in the freezer for cooking so as not to waste the good stuff because I knew it was going to be messy & I was going to dump it. I went out back , working on the grass in case it got really messy. I set up in the open shade so I would have plenty of light but not direct sun. I set up my white boards on top of a TV tray & then had Mini-Me hold the reflector behind the set up with the silver side showing. I then set up the cup & saucer & sprinkled some extra beans for good measure. Set up the tripod a few feet away & had Mr. Man standing just outside the frame with a cup of ice cubes to make the “ker-plop”.
Camera settings were at…
ISO 400, 1/4000, f/3.5, 85mm because it’s so tack sharp even from farther away.
Here is the set up- I’m sorry I didn’t think to take a pull back as well.
Coffee was still hot- I literally grabbed it right after it was done brewing.
Then I got behind the camera, set my focus on the cup, shutter half depressed & ready to go.
Then it was literally 1,2,3- drop & I clicked. This was take #1.
You can see that the boards are still clean as nothing had hit them yet.
I was happy with it but wanted to make sure- so we did it again- this time it was messier.
I liked it so I didn’t clean up the spills between takes. This was take #2.
I didn’t share this one before- this is take #3.
You can see I must have finished pressing the shutter a bit slower than I did in the others.
It’s also much messier- you can see all the spills in this one.
So that’s it- literally. I don’t have any more shots- this was all I took.
Give it a try- it was really fun!
Grab a Spoon ~ COOL WHIP & Coffee Ice Cream
I know I know- I post pictures of treats a lot. I told you all that I was practicing my food photography this year. It just so happens that in my mind- treats are the most exciting thing to photograph. I love making them- no matter how everyday they seem & I love to photograph them. It’s so fun to see just how yummy I can make them look in my photographs. I love practicing with styling & I even went prop hunting this last weekend. Love doing that!! I found some really great things that I am looking forward to put in my pics- so be ready to see more treats coming your way.
So, the other day the kids asked me what my favorite flavor of ice cream was. When I said “coffee” they looked at me confused. They didn’t know that there was such a flavor. They immediately thought that it must taste as awful as a regular cup of coffee- awful in their opinion. I love all things coffee- ice cream included. I grew up on it- my whole family loves it. I want my kids to love it too. It brings back so many wonderful childhood memories of curling up on the couch with my mom or grandmother to share in a treat. Those are special memories that have stuck with me & I hope that some of the things I do for my kids stick with them the same way.
So I sent the hubs to the store to pick up some coffee ice cream so they could try it. But I wanted to make it SUPER special. I started thinking I could crush up cookies or candies on the top- but that just didn’t seem like enough. It needed something more. Ahhhhhaaaaaa! COOL WHIP Whipped Topping. That ALWAYS makes everything we make – those everyday desserts- more special. I had it- I was so excited. I knew they would love it.
You know- honestly, I turn to COOL WHIP whenever I want to give my family that feeling that we are sharing a special moment. Even if it’s just a dollop on top of a cookie- it’s something that makes the kids Ooooooo & Ahhhhh. Really- as a mom, who doesn’t want their kids to think you are the coolest mom ever because you prepared a treat that they think is elaborate. Really- nothing elaborate about it- just simple treats like chocolate chip cookies, apple pie & that strawberry shortcake that I shared with you a little bit ago- all would be a bit dull if it were not for the fact that I added a nice dollop of COOL WHIP. Heck- I even put a dollop on my morning fruit if I am in the mood.
When the hubs came home we set everything up. The kids watched me put it all together & then we shared a moment where we all just enjoyed each other’s company & the treat. It was a great thing to add to our Memorial Day weekend. Quality family time & a cool treat.
Ummm- yeah- I took a swipe during the shooting process. Food photography is hard 🙂
Coffee Ice Cream
Cream Filled Sandwich Cookies
COOL WHIP
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The 50 Comparison
Not long after I bought my camera I added the 50mm f/1.8 to my camera bag. I was thrilled to have a prime lens & all that extra light capable of coming into my shots. It has been on my camera all the time- it’s what stays on there until I have a specific need to change out for some other reason. I really didn’t think there was anything wrong with it at all- until I started my class. I was using it to take full body shots & I just wasn’t getting the tack sharp image that I was looking for- even when closing down to f/9.0 or higher.
So a dear, sweet, GENEROUS friend said she would loan me her 50mm f/1.4 to try so I could get an idea if it was my lens that was the issue. Well- it wasn’t until after it was already shipped off to me that we talked about my expectations when shooting people from father away. I was thinking that when I look at the image in full size on my screen- I should be able to see faces JUST AS tack sharp as I do when I am up close. Yeah- she told me I was being unreasonable. But the lens was already on it’s way to me.
SO – her lens arrives & the first things that took me back was how the same focal length from the same company would be so much larger in size. Now that I have her lens here for a couple weeks & I am putting it to the test. First thing I like is that it’s QUIET in comparison to mine. It “hunts” for focus a lot less & my images are ever so slightly sharper SOOC. I like that it’s heavier & feels more sturdy. In fact- I love it so much- I am going to just buy it from her so I don’t have to be sad to send it back. (for the record- I do think that it is sharper when shooting from afar)
I was totally diggin’ the “low key-ish” with the shadow here.
This set processed with Paint the Moon’s Eclipse action that I mentioned yesterday.
(It’s one of my top picks)
Super Moon ~ Tips on Capturing the Moon
First I have to tell you- my dear friend Kim (who creates some amazing pictures btw) is going to be offering some online workshops teaching Photoshop & Elements. I know there are a lot of different classes out there- but if you are just getting started & it’s all so confusing right now, this would be a great place to start. I can’t tell you how long it’s taken me to learn everything she will teach you in about 2 hours time. Seriously- I so wish she would have done this a year ago. AND—– it’s so affordable. You won’t have to forego picking up new gear just to pay for the class. Click the button below & check it out & sign up!
NOW- Let me start by saying- a good portion of capturing the moon depends on it’s placement & the phase it’s in. In my experience- my view of the moon when it’s full, like the super moon, the face that I see has less craters & detail. I have always been less than impressed by my moon shots when it’s full. So I had low expectations when it came to the super moon on Saturday.
Now- here are some things that I have learned about shooting the moon.
First– you need to go against your urge to open the shutter. Capturing the moon is actually like shooting directly at a giant flashlight. You can keep your ISO low & your shutter speed fast. I’m usually using my long lens- so my aperture is usually at a minimum of f/5.6 when zoomed at 300mm.
Second- don’t expect those fabulous moon over the horizon shots to just happen. If you want a detailed moon- you have to go with the settings I mentioned above. When you do this- everything else is black. If you want to capture everything below the moon- you have to open your shutter & your result will be a big glowing dot in the sky. (like this shot below) You have to use a double exposure to get the look you are after. Unless you are shooting at dusk & still have some light in the sky. This being said- the example below shows that I didn’t have quite as much light as I thought- I ended up with the dreaded glowing dot. (I have yet to play with double exposure- maybe someday I will give it a whirl.)
5/5/2012 Super Moon 125mm ISO 200 1/25 f/4.5 (not what I wanted)
It was a good thing that I had low expectations for Saturday- because these really came out like crap in comparison to others I have done in the past. (shown towards the end of the post) I really wish I would have done the bulk of this post before going out to capture the super moon because I would have had all these things fresh in my mind before setting up to shoot. I know that the hubs is going to ask me how they turned out & I am going to have to say- not so good. I thought I was getting it while it was happening- but as you know- the little screen can be deceiving at times. So a good part of this post will be examples of the good & the bad. When looking at my settings between the good & the bad- there is a lot I can tell you of what I should have done & then there are some where I really don’t know what went wrong.
5/5/2012 Super Moon 300mm ISO 800 1/160 f/5.6
I thought the sky was light enough to be able to still capture the details. It just wasn’t as sharp as I thought I could get.
I didn’t adjust the warmth either- because at the time it was that yellow while rising.
5/5/2012 Super Moon 300mm ISO 400 1/200 f/5.6
I should have lowered the ISO to 200 to get this sharper.
5/5/2012 Super Moon 300mm ISO 200 1/250 f/5.6
I really don’t know what the deal is with this one. I had my settings right- but the clarity is beyond disappointing. This particular lens has been less than sharp for me lately. I don’t know why. Maybe from when it dropped back in October. But I don’t know why it would take so long to show the effects of that. It’s just not consistent- which is a bummer.
So it was bugging me & bugging me & bugging me. I couldn’t let it go. I waited all day on Sunday to get out there & try again. It finally rose around the time we were heading to bed & so I rushed out to snap a few before turning in. I was pleased with how they turned out & I even like the mysteriousness of it slipping behind the one lonely cloud that was in the sky that night.
5/6/2012 300mm ISO 400 1/200 f/5.6
I upped the ISO & lowered the shutter speed because it wasn’t nearly as bright while rising.
So- what a difference a couple days makes. I shot this yesterday morning. Yes- I got up at 5am because it was all I could think about. I knew that the moon would be brilliant & bright & I wanted another stab at it. So I got up & got exactly what I was after. You can see that it’s slightly less than full- but that allowed me to capture those craters better & all I did to this image was run a sharpening action on it.
5/7/2012 300mm ISO 200 1/250 f/5.6
Now here are some examples & settings of some past moon shots.
This one I captured back in October. I like that it shows the detail & it’s clear- but it still looks less spherical to me.
October 2011
Then there was the lunar eclipse. This was trickier because it wasn’t glowing at all. So I opened the shutter wide & went against all the rules in my head. The result wasn’t sharp- but I was able to capture exactly what I was seeing with my eyes.
12/10/2011 The Lunar Eclipse 300mm ISO 400 1.0 sec f/5.6
As I mentioned before- sometimes capturing the moon while the sky is blue- rather than black, is the best option. I actually captured this in February one morning at sunrise. While the moon isn’t detailed & sharp- I was able to capture the mood- which at the time was what I wanted.
2/12/2012 Sunrise 100mm ISO 200 1/250 sec f/6.3
This is my favorite shot of the moon to date. I shot this back in January & I love it because not only did I get all my settings right- but I like that it’s less than full, which actually gives it the 3 dimensional feel. Like you see in the images above- when the moon is completely full- it can sort of look flat when captured.
January 2012 300mm ISO 200 1/160 f/5.6
So- it’s obvious that I have a lot to learn still. I’m far from an expert.
But I hope that you are able to see what I have done & it helps you capture what you are after.
Drip, Drop………. Drip
Okay- Jaymi- my dear sweet Jaymi!!! You have given me so much fun with the camera these past few weeks. God bless you!!!! When Jaymi posted her drops & told us all how to do it- I promptly wrote it all down & here it sat on my desk. For a week!!!!! I finally decided to give it a go. But I don’t have a macro lens – so I did things a bit differently. I didn’t think to take pics as I went- so you will have to just imagine.
First- I set up the tripod next to the sink. Picked out my fabrics I wanted to use as the back splash behind the water. I used my cheapo macro extension tube with my 75-300mm lens. (this set up works the best for macro for me) Now because it’s not the Canon extension– when I use the tube it not only gives me F/00 on my screen but it also forces me to focus manually. So I put my other settings at ISO400 & shutter at 1/200- focused on the bottom of the faucet & just kept clicking the shutter. I did also use my softbox on my speedlight too. It was a lot like capturing lightning- you just click & see what you got later. But I think that was what was fun about it. Sometimes you get a great one- most of the time you catch it in-between the drops & get nothing. Hurray for digital- right?!!
Now processing- I did boost clarity a bit & sharpened like crazy. But that was it.
Thanks Jaymi for giving me something cool to try.
Now I know I shared this last one on Saturday- but it’s my fav!!
Those of you that have this Cardiff fabric on your strap will recognize this.
Chocolate Pralines
Chocolate pralines with pecans are a quick decadent sweet treat for chocolate lovers that you can make for a gift box or dessert in 30 minutes.
A dessert with melted chocolate that you can make from scratch in your kitchen in about 30 minutes without any special equipment, is it real? Absolutely. If you love chocolate candy, you should try these chocolatey pralines with pecans and vanilla.
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