Hobby: Frank Horvat

I came across Frank Horvat's work on Fashion Is Spinach.

LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Hobby: Photoshop

Before:
After:

Hobby: Daffodils

My new obsession is yellow. I adore it. So bright and light and happy.

Trader Joes has these puppies for $1.49/8ish stems. Oprah told me to buy them through her maagzine. So I've been stalking the store until they came in. I bought them on Sunday and they were all closed. Monday morning they were open, all bright new and shiny. They actually smell good, which was news to me... I didn't think daffodils had a smell.


When I came home from work the light coming in the window was so perfect. I snapped no less than 86 photos of these beauties. We're going to have to buy more storage hard drives.

Hobby: Speedlight Flash

Every year for birthdays/holidays/celebrations/etc. my Aunt Jill sends me an American Express gift card from my Poppa. As soon as it arrives in it's pale yellowy beige envelope with the blue stripes I drop everything, head to Saks and purchase a ridiculous pair of shoes. That's just how I roll.

But this year was different. I ran to Ritz Camera to check out flashes. What!? This shoe loving lady is choosing technology over fashion. Hell has frozen over and pigs are currently flying through Los Angeles.

My husband is going to be so proud! Not only that I researched/purchased a little piece of technology, but that I didn't jump on the overpriced one at Ritz Camera, but I came home, did some homework and saved $65 on Amazon.com.

Now, I just have to wait. Wait for this new fabulousness to enter my life. Yummy.


In other news, I played with the D300 while there. My wish list just got a little longer.

Hobby: White Balance

Wow! With the hit of a single button. Ice Dome or Sunny Home. Where do you want to live?

Cooking: Basil Beer Bread

So it's St. Patty's Day! My condo association had a little shin dig and I wanted to go somewhere I'd never gone before. To the land of bread. Irish bread.

May I introduce you to Irish Basil Beer Bread.


Unfortunately, I was less than impressed. Very thick and heavy. Perhaps too much yeast? or too much flour? I did substitute whole wheat for all purpose. Does that make a difference? Who knows. I chucked most of it after the party.

However, the pistachio covered goat cheese balls were BIG hits.



SOOOO simple, and I always look like a rock star. Goat cheese, rolled in crushed pistachios and served over spinach leaves. Something with the creamy coat cheese and the salty crunchiness of the pistachio. I dream about them.

I leave you with Green Beer in the making. Have a fabulous St. Patty's day. Enjoy your pint!

Hobby: Light

On Saturday, I played with light.

At about 5:00 pm it filters in through the sliding glass door so beautifully.



My model, Jack.


And when Jack got antsy, I brought in Cartoon Elephant. One of my most favorite purchases in Thailand. There's just something so happy about Cartoon Elephant.


I adore flowers. Chris always has a conniption when I buy flowers. Something about how they die quickly. But they're so happy and bright. I currently have tulips in the living room and daffodils in the bedroom.


I wanted to play with the apeture and sunlight. I was impressed that with a high f-stop my model, Ugly Fat Lady (my grandmothers' knick knack), was still well lit.


And with a low F-Stop, you just get Ugly Fat Lady.

Natural light really does produce amazingness. Need to get outside more during the day to take advantage.

Hobby: F-Stop

So, I decided that I would play with the camera. A lot. Then, when I read the book about the buttons and what they do it will make sense. Less jibberish. More experience.

Tonight was F-Stop night. F-Stop and Manolo Blahnik.



Meet my first ever Mr. Blahnik. We had a quick date at Neimans and I fell hard.


If I'm going to drop this kind of cash on shoes they have to be special. Real special. You want something that you can wear forever. So it has to be timeless. But Payless can pull off timeless. They also have to be creative. Inspiring. Conversation Starters. Not easy to find in one shoe.


I've worn these to death. Should take them somewhere for a little work. A tip here. A tap there. These puppies will be with me forever. So they have to rock fierce forever.



I am continually amazed at how my buttons can produce such different images. Again, same everything but the buttons.



I am enjoying the warmer light ones much more than the cold/bright ones. Think it has something to do with the exposure. Longer exposure=warmer light? I could spend all night with Manolo and Nikon, but Chris leaves tomorrow, so I should spend some time with him. I guess. :-)

Hobby: My Buttons

I am blown away by what I can do with a camera and it's buttons. In all honesty, I have no clue exactly what I'm doing. M. P. A. who the hell knows. I'm guessing it has to do with light. But looky what I can make it do.

The fire was burning. Not pink. Regular flame.



Same photo. Different buttons.

Hobby: Adore This Photo

Love, love, love this photo.

Wish I could've hit the shows as a tot.

Hobby: Another Favorite

I love what a photo can express. Does he/she look sad to you?

I took this at the Elephant Conservation Camp in Thailand. Elephants are so amazingly gracefully and stunningly HUGE!

So, in an effort to get better at this photography thing, (and learn how to use all the buttons on my camera), I bought a book and DVD from Amazon.

Hobby Mastering in Progress :-)

Hobby: Photography

Finding, and mastering, a hobby is part of the Jordana Project. I want to have a skill just for fun. Something that is useful. I've always loved photography, but I was a point & shoot kind of girl. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too difficult.

Last year, Chris convinced me that we needed the Nikon D50 and it's been one of the best things to ever happen to me. Our everyday pictures are so much better.

But then there was the engagement shoot. And the boudoir shoot. And the wedding shoot. And suddenly my good pictures look blah.

I want to be better. I've got the eye, but I want to know what all of those buttons on the body of my beautiful camera can actually do. So, I'm going to buy a book and I'm going to get better.

Although, sometimes, I just hit it.

I love this shot. Played with the color a bit in Photoshop, but I adore the juxtaposition of a person standing in traffic. This was one of our first shots in Bangkok, driving from the airport into the city. The traffic there is like nothing I've ever seen before. And I though LA was bad.