peeks from texas!

I've been having a blast here in Texas!  Reconnecting with old friends, meeting online friends for the first time, meeting new people.  My feet are totally destroyed from dancing for hours at the prom party.  Here are a few instagram snaps from the weekend so far.  I'm exhausted so I'm gonna hit the hay, but soon I'll get some more photos up from this weekend!








top photo from Brickyard Buffalo and b+w photo from Maiedae

tips for taking great self portraits with a tripod + self timer

This weekend I'm in Austin teaching a workshop at Texas Style Council about how to take your own self portraits with a tripod and self-timer!  For those of you who weren't able to make it out to Austin, I thought I'd repost (and update) this article I wrote over a year ago with some tips on how to take better self-portraits with just a tripod and self-timer.  I take almost all of my own photos here on the blog, and anytime someone else takes my photos it's always noted right after the outfit details.  You don't need a professional photographer to take great photos of yourself, and I want to empower you to stop making excuses as to why you aren't creating the best photos you possibly can!  Remove the excuses and get out there and start learning to become your own professional photographer! 

Some bloggers are lucky enough to have a friend, significant other, or husband/wife who takes their daily outfit photos, but the rest of us are stuck doing it ourselves with the help of a tripod, self-timer, and maybe a remote. I personally have never used a remote.  Since the beginning, I've always just used the self-timer, so I can't give any advice on using a remote. I've never liked the idea of having to hide the remote and it's already hard enough to "act natural" in front of a tripod, so I felt like adding in the hiding-the-remote factor would just complicate things further. I've been taking outfit photos with a tripod & self-timer for over 5 years now, so I'll let you guys in on some tips and tricks I've learned over the years.

USE THE AUTO AND MANUAL FOCUS TO SET YOUR FOCUS POINT

I get a lot of questions about how I get myself in focus when I'm using a self timer. Here's what I do: I autofocus on something at the distance I'll be standing (sometimes this is a tree, a garbage can, etc), and then once that focus is set, I switch the focus to manual, so the focus

won't change

when I click the shutter. If you don't put your focus on manual, the camera will autofocus to something in the distance and you'll be all blurry and out of focus because the camera focused way behind you when you clicked the shutter/autofocus. If you can't find something to focus on where you're taking photos, use a purse or something to set where you'll stand and focus on that.

For the photo above, I focused on the grass right in front of the back wheel of my bike.  Then, I set focus to manual so it wouldn't change, made sure my camera was on the 10 second self-timer setting and clicked the shutter.  Then I went and sat right where the focus was set: in front of my back wheel.  Voila, in focus!  I really like taking photos with my bike because it's something I can place in the frame to set the focus.  Then, I can either remove the bike and take photos without it, or I can just leave it in the photo, depending on how I want the photos to look.

For the photo below, I focused on the trunk of the tree, just out of frame to the right.  For the photo next to the turquoise wall, I focused directly on the wall, and then moved my camera and tripod back about two feet, so then the focus would be set two feet in front of the wall, which is where I wanted to stand.  The top photo in this post had the focus set on the little blade of straw/grass to the right of me.

FIND RELATIVELY UNPOPULATED LOCATIONS

I don't know about you guys, but taking photos of yourself with a tripod & self-timer is kind of, well, weird sometimes. Especially if you're trying to do it in a public place. I personally have found I have a hard time taking photos that look natural if there are people watching me, or walking by. I get stiff and the photos just don't look as good as when I'm alone without strangers staring at me.  I'm better at taking photos in public now, but I still find the photos I like best are taken in more private locations. Try to find places that are vacant so you can feel free to be silly and do whatever photos you want, without feeling awkward. I do a lot of jumping and spinning photos, and those are even weirder to try doing with people around!

I find that an alley is a good place to take photos.  People don't walk down alleyways as much as they do sidewalks.  Finding a park with some wooded areas are great, not only because they are more private, but because you have lots of things to set your focus on!  Other places I've found are relatively vacant: Parking garages, sidewalks in quiet neighborhoods, behind buildings,  and if you really want super privacy: your backyard or your living room.  I find those can be difficult to make look good depending on the lighting you get inside your house, and how picturesque your backyard is.  

EMBRACE ROUGH TERRAIN

I've found that my favorite place to take outfit photos is the woods. Unfortunately, oftentimes the forest doesn't have a flat floor, but lucky for us, tripods have adjustable legs! If you find a great place to take photos in the woods, but the ground is uneven, just adjust the legs to make the camera level. I've taken lots of photos on some pretty steep hills, but because the legs adjust on my tripod, I can make it work!

HAVE AN EXPLANATION FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING

I always have a phrase to use if someone comes up and asks me what the heck I'm doing. Mine is that I'm working on an assignment for a photography class (a self portrait assignment, maybe?). I find that it's easier than trying to explain the whole, "well, I'm a style blogger and I take photos of what I wear every day" thing. That usually just perplexes most people and then they ask me more questions when what I really want is for them to move along and let me finish taking photos. Kind of silly, but it's nice to have an answer ready so you don't panic and start rambling on to a stranger about your odd behavior.  Don't let them make you feel like you're doing something wrong, because you're not (unless you're like trespassing or something). 

TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS

The more photos you take, the more likely you are to have a few good ones to choose from for your post!  If you take five photos and you post five photos, then you have to post even the ones you don't like very much.  If you take 50 photos, you're likely going to be able to pick five photos that you

really

like.  I've done self timer photo shoots where I took 100-200 photos.  I think my standard is usually 30-70, though.  Once you have a groove down, you can set things up pretty quickly and take quite a few photos in a relatively short amount of time.  

HAVE YOUR GO-TO POSES

It's nice to know which poses usually yield good photos. Sure, sometimes it can get repetitive and you don't want to take 30 photos of you in the exact same pose.  Outfit photos in general can be relatively repetitive and it's nice to have poses you know well that result in photos you like.  Even professional models have go-to poses that they know look awesome every time.  I like to always do some shots with my go-to outfit poses, but then also try out some different things that may not result in good photos, but can be fun if they happen to turn out.

GET DETAIL SHOTS + VARIETY

Remember to get shots of the details of your outfits, like your shoes, some cute buttons on your dress, or fun jewelry you're wearing.  Shots like this add variety to the images in my blog posts and are visually interesting.  Change angles at your location, don't take all your photos with the tripod in one place.  Move around, find different backgrounds, take photos at different distances.  Maybe get a full length shot or two, a couple mid-distance shots from the thighs/hips up, and then a close up detail shot.  

USE MOVEMENT

I love getting photos that capture movement because they show more of how your outfit reacts to motion. I like to see how fabric looks when it's in motion, as well as seeing how an outfit looks when a person is stationary. I think it's interesting that almost all fashion shows are done with the models walking, in motion. Seeing clothing move can be a lot more interesting than seeing it just sitting there motionless. Plus, clothes are designed to move with us, so it's nice to see it actually doing that!

DON'T ALWAYS LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE CAMERA

And not just in the pigeon-toed-look-at-my-feet blogger pose way. While I definitely take plenty of those kinds of photos, I also like to look off in the distance (corny, I know!), or turn my back to the camera.  It adds variety to your photos, and also gives you a chance to show of different angles of your outfit.  Not looking directly at the camera gives photos a more candid feel as well, as if you're unaware of the camera.  It can make you look more natural, rather than posed and rigidly looking into a camera lens.  Obviously

you know

the camera is there, but acting like it isn't can result in photos that are much more natural and relaxed.

USE DIFFERENT ANGLES + POINTS OF VIEW

I'm not a big fan of seeing 10 outfit photos of someone standing in the same place with slight variations on the same pose. Granted, I'm guilty of it at times when I'm not feeling very creative or am being more lazy, but I love outfit photos that are visually interesting in addition to showing my outfit. One way to help your photos be more interesting is to use some different angles. This can be a bit more difficult if you're using a tripod, but the more you get comfortable using a tripod & self-timer, the better you get at making it work to get the angles and compositions you want!

Sometimes using a self-timer and tripod and be really frustrating, but don't give up! True story, I've gotten so mad trying to take photos that I've thrown my bike and screamed after trying to get shots of myself riding it (I think PMS may have contributed to that incident...). It can be hard to take outfit shots with just a tripod & self-timer, and there will for sure be times you wish you could just have a professional photographer boyfriend to take your outfit shots every day, but I love the independence that taking my own outfit photos has given me. I don't need to have someone around to do my photos, I can take my own! Whenever, wherever!  And taking your own photos helps you get better at photography in general.  You'll learn about composition, how your camera works, what lighting works best, and more, just from practicing it all the time.

Want some more tips for photography?

Q + A // What's you're post processing routine?

Q + A // Should I spend my money on a great camera body, or great lenses?

peach carrot bread

A couple weeks ago when I picked up our CSA at the farmer's market I perused the rest of the market and ended up buying some peaches.  I've always wanted to make peach cobbler, but I still haven't.  Instead I made this peach carrot bread because we got a bunch of carrots in the CSA too.  It's been a while since I made a yummy loaf.  Dan's been making a lot of soda bread these days, which I love.  I think I could probably eat bread and cheese for the rest of my life and be happy.  Also because bread + cheese = pizza, so that works out nicely.  But slices of cheese on bread is also my favorite.  But I digress: Peach Carrot Bread.
Lately I've been having trouble getting my banana bread to turn out right, so I'm taking a break from banana bread to make some other breads.  I see zucchini bread around all the time, but I don't think I've ever had it, so that's definitely a bread that's on my list to make soon.  After we harvested apples last summer I made some apple carrot bread, but I think this peach carrot bread is even better.  

 

(recipe adapted slightly from My Recipes)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped fresh, ripe peaches

3/4 cup freshly grated carrots

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl; add peaches, carrots, veggie oil, milk, and eggs, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, or you can use parchment paper to line the pan, I've found that this works better for me. I also used two smaller loaf pans, about 8 x 4 inch pans, instead of one large 9 x 5 pan.

3. Bake for an hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

 

 

Q + A // how to style jeans

In high school all I wore were jeans.  Mostly low-rise flare and bootcut jeans because it was the early 2000's and, well, that's what you wore.  My "uniform" was jeans, skater shoes, and little boy's t-shirts.  When I began exploring my style I ended up swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum and dressed very "girly" for a few years.  You almost never saw me in pants.  Now I feel like I'm settling in somewhere between my high school style and my super-girly style.  Since getting a big more in shape, too, I feel more comfortable in pants.  I have rather short legs, and I'm short to begin with, so I never look like those NYC street style photos of tall model-like girls wearing skinny jeans.  I think for a long time it frustrated me to not look like I envisioned an outfit looking, because I saw the same outfit on one of those tall, slender off-duty-models and my body is not ever going to be that.  But I think something about feeling more fit made me feel like I looked better in jeans, even though I don't think my body's actual shape changed too much.  This pear shape girl will always be a pear shaped girl, no matter what weight I'm at.  But anyway, I digress.  Styling jeans.  First step: don't expect to look like girls who don't have your body shape.  Get over that.  Stop being disappointed that you don't have a thigh gap, or that your ass is as flat as a pancake, or that your hips are "weird."  

 

HIGH WAISTED BLUE JEANS

Lets start with just blue jeans.  They're pretty standard.  I walk into any store or restaurant and I bet 90% of people are wearing blue jeans.  I like a darker wash jean, just because it feels a bit less casual.  It seems easier to wear dark jeans in a stylish way.  I like to pair jeans with fun heels and a fun top.  Jeans will almost always be a neutral aspect of your outfit, so doing something more exciting with the other elements of your outfit is a good way to raise the level of your outfit a few notches.  Pick a bold print, or bright color.  Or do both!
I love high waisted jeans because I feel like they give me more options for styling.  I can either style them as high waisted by pairing a crop top 

 

LOW RISE BLUE JEANS

The three outfits above all are with more low rise jeans.  I'm not a huge fan of low rise anymore, but low-rise is still a very popular cut.  For low rise jeans I don't tuck in my top as much, like I do with high waisted jeans, but you can take a longer top and just tuck the front bit in.  The jeans in the very top photo of this post are more mid-rise and you can see I tucked one flap of my button down shirt in.  But if you have a longer tee or blouse, instead of tucking the shirt all the way around, just tuck in a little bit to reveal your belt buckle!
I've never been a fan of the dress-with-pants fad, but for some reason the photo above is one of my favorite outfits.  Nowadays I would choose jeggings instead of regular jeans, but it can be a nice way to keep warm on a cold day while still wearing a dress.  I think the dress-with-jeans look can be super tricky to make work, but sometimes...
 
Plaid is one of my favorite casual tops to pair with jeans.  This is definitely a more casual look, not dressy, but it's still a great way to style jeans if you're just going to school or going grocery shopping and don't care to look fancy at all.  Creating layers adds interest, so you can layer a plaid shirt over a tee and then wear a jacket over that.  Or roll up your jean cuffs and add a belt. 

 

BLACK + GREY JEANS

This is a super old outfit, but I really like this look and it's also the only example I have of a wash like acid-wash.  I really love pairing a blazer with a more casual top and jeans.  I currently don't have any good blazers (I really want a neon blazer!), but I'd love to wear an outfit like this one again.  I went super mono-chromatic with this one, just black and white and shade of grey, but I can imagine this with a bright pump and maybe a colorful statement necklace bringing just the right little element of color.

COLORED + PATTERNED JEANS

When it comes to colored or patterned jeans I tend to keep the other elements less crazy.  Paring black and white is a pretty safe bet when you're styling with colored jeans.  One fun thing to do is go on pinterest and search for something like "mint color palette" and it'll show you tons of color palettes of colors that pair well with mint.  So if you're not sure what colors will go well with your colored jeans, try that!  I personally am currently obsessed with mint and coral paired together. 

FOOTWEAR

Footwear with jeans is really limitless.  I wear pretty much all kinds of shoes with jeans.  Statement heels, moccasins, boots, flats.  But wearing a shoe with style of it's own will help your jeans not fall flat.  Don't just wear your old sneakers.  Find a pair of shoes that goes with the vibe of your outfit and compliments it.  Have a go-to pair of shoes that goes with almost everything so, when in doubt, you can just go for those.  Maybe a cute pair of black flats.  With a couple repeats, I'm wearing a different pair of shoes in every photo in this post.  I love how heels make jeans a bit more fancy, and then moccasins make them more casual.  Boots tend to add a layering effect, which I like.

blackberry

Life has been going non-stop lately, and it doesn't look like it's gonna slow down for a while.  I leave on Thursday for Austin to speak at the Texas Style Council Summer School, then next week we bring home our new pup, then I'm throwing a party for my best friend Kristina, as a welcome-to-Tacoma-here-meet-some-awesome-people type thing.  Hopefully after that things will settle down for a bit.  I can't believe it's nearly August.  There were some blackberry bushes right next to where I was taking these photos and there were ripe blackberries on them already!  The end is nigh!  Actually I'm kind of excited because I'm reminded of how many pounds of blackberries and blueberries we got for free last year by just foraging.  They lasted for quite some time into the winter in our freezer!
This past week has been a sort of pre-TxSC for me in the PNW.  I met up with Colleen (and her man) from Pretty Prudent last Friday and we enjoyed tacos and fruity cocktails on Masa's sundeck while talking for hours.  Then on Sunday I headed up to Seattle to have brunch with Julie and some of the ladies from Modcloth who were in town to attend the Timber! Music Festival.  Julie and I ended up hanging out for the entire afternoon, hitting up the Fremont Sunday Market and a couple vintage shops in Ballard... and getting gelato, because, well, because.  I'll get to see Julie in less than a week in Austin, but it's always fun to get to see people in your stomping grounds and show them neat local places.  We were scheming ways to convince Modcloth to open an office in Seattle so we could both work there and she could move to the PNW.  But srsly Modcloth, open an office in Seattle because the PNW is the bee's knees.  



dress/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/courtesy of bali elf  shades/courtesy of lulu's :: bag/courtesy of hearts