Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Food and Fotos...

I love food, no doubt about that.  I used to have this friend who didn't enjoy eating.  He ate because he had to...and rarely found any enjoyment out of it.  You can see why he USED to be my friend.  I never understood that because if I felt this indifference towards a filet mignon (medium rare'd to prefection), or a perfect New York style pizza, or the freshest piece of Uni nigiri, I wouldn't know what I was living for.  So it's no wonder I'm posting you some more food pictures today...AGAIN:


But rest assured...I'm no Martha...I did not cook this yummy and delicious meatloaf.  Today was a long day for me, I had to show up at one of our golf courses at 7 am for inventory and I was not in the mood to cook after work.  Where do we go for a cheap and dependably good  meal?  COSTCO!!!  Have you checked out the already prepped meals at Costco?  Next time go ahead and take a look.  Notice how a lot of their meals are prepared using a commonly famous ingredient...the Costco roasted chicken!  Roasted chicken alfredo pasta, roasted chicken pot pie, roasted chicken greek salad, roasted chicken and seafood paella...the list goes on and on.  I guess the Chef is pretty good at creatively getting rid of those left over roasted chickens eh?

My cat is not amused by this, Costco:
I really did have a point when I started this blog entry so for those that's read to this point, thanks for putting up with me.  Today I made a pretty spontaneous, but satisfying purchase:

There's a local camera store in Seattle that sells used cameras in really good shape, so I stopped by to pick up the Canon 20D DSLR.  We have a Canon 7D already, which my husband loves and uses most of the time.  Since we both decided we wanted to develop our photography skills, I decided that I needed my own camera to practice on.  When I called the store to ask for their used inventory, they had two 20D's available. Now for those that know cameras, you'll know that the 20D came out in 2004 retailing at almost $1400.  It was then superceded by the 30D...then 40D...50D...and now the 60D.  The difference between all these are minimal.  I think the 20D is just as good as the 50D, and arguably the 60D if you know what you're doing and shooting with the right lenses.  And because this little baby's been "remade"  into many generations, she only cost me $279 today!  What a steal of a deal!

I tested out the camera when I got home and took the above three pictures.  Stay tuned for more photos.  This weekend, Chris and I plan on going onto our local university campus for a photo shoot.  I am SO excited.  Also, we were able to book some free shoots for our friends.  We'll do a baby shoot at the end of this month and an engagement shoot in the upcoming months.

Have a wonderful night!

15 comments:

  1. I definately need a camera upgrade. You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that I don't need the latest and greatest to get some good quality pictures. Your photos show what I'm looking for-clarity, sharpness, and depth! Yay! Thank you!! One request-when you post pics from your upcoming photoshoot, can you please indicate the camera type used and lens used for the pics? That would be awesome!

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  2. That is a bargain for an SLR camera! The pictures look so professional. We have an SLR but for some reason doesn't take pictures as nice. Maybe it's just me.. anyway I can't wait to see your photoshoot at your local uni!

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  3. That's great that you got such a steal on the camera!! Our weekend looks a lot like y'alls...we're going out to do a photoshoot, too! Just for fun and practice. I can't wait to hear how the shoots for your friends, the baby, and the engagement go!! I totally see that in my future as the hubby is very interested in starting that kind of thing as well. And I love it!

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  4. Mm, mm, Costco roast chicken is gooood. And every time I go, I HAVE to stop at the food court for some cheap eats: berry smoothie and a slice of supreme pizza, mm, mm!

    I also "had" (past tense) a friend that would not even anything remotely unhealthy. I remember a bunch of us stopped at a Wendy's to grab a real quick bite for lunch and she refused to order or eat anything. Ugh, come on, lady, have a fry, live a little.

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  5. Pamela - I will definitely put up more information on the photos that I take and put up from this weekend. We have one prime lense, the 50mm, which is my favorite so we'll need to get additional prime lenses to shoot with. I don't like to shoot with zooming lenses but seeing that we have two, I'll have to shoot with them eventually.

    Jenn - Haha...I know! When I first played around with a DSLR, my photos came out pretty dark and bad. The two key things to play with are shutter speed and aperture. Once you've grasped these two things, it'll change your life and you'll want to find out more.

    Erin - Oooh I hope you blog about your experience! I can definitely need a support system! I'd love to find out more about what everyone's experience is with first trying to develop their skill and what they try to do to get their word out there.

    Lisa - Oh man! I definitely can't be that healthy! I love me some fries and will always get them if i'm at a fast food joint. That friend...errrr used to be friend was weird!

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  6. oooh good to know. I've never tried Costco's housemade prepped foods (except their rotisserie chicken)!

    Congrats on the camera purchase at such a fab price. What store in Seattle do you go to?

    Lorispeak

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  7. That is a good hobby to have. Could you share your finding with us when you find certain setting combination that works really well for you? I'd be really interested in. Too busy and lazy to read manuals but tips and short cuts are always welcome!

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  8. Lori - The store I went to was Glazers in South Lake Union. I'm a huge fan of them because they're super nice, knowledgeable and don't upsell. I'll go back to them for more lenses I'm sure as their prices are pretty comeptitive.

    Inkmark - Aww...I'd love to share settings and lense information. I'm so delighted that people actually want to know! Hehehe...I can't wait to get started.

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  9. I love Costco's pre-prepared food. That meatloaf is one of our family favorites.

    I want a DSLR too. But I have too many other things that supercede it on my list of things I need to pay for, so maybe in a year. We shall see! Looking forward to seeing your pics!

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  10. haha my boyfriend wanted the 60D and changed his mind. Wants the 7D now. You paid a GREAT price for a DSLR though. My Canon G11 cost more than double yours, I think..

    xx The Little Dust Princess

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  11. Carol - This was my first time trying the meatloaf and I must say, it's one of favorites now!

    The Little Dust Princess - I know! I was blown away when they quoted me the price. The 7D is a great choice and I hope your bf doesn't mind the crop factor because that's the only thing we don't like about it. I have a G10 too that I paid twice as much for! Haha. But I think the G Series of Canons are really nice! Good pick!

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  12. woohoo! congrats on the 20D purchase, can't wait to see your shoot! i have the 40D. what lenses do you have at the moment?

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  13. Costco food never disappoints! I love their stuff! What a great deal on that camera. You'll have so much fun with it! I really need to invest in a nice camera one of thee days...the learning how to use it part is what worries me. Can't wait to see all your great photos!

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  14. Debbie - We have two kit lenses ranging from 18mm - 200mm and one 50mm prime lens...f/1.8. I've been using primarily the 50mm and actually prefer to use prime lenses. In the future, we really want to invest in a few more prime lenses...like maybe a 24mm, 35mm and even a 50mm at f/1.2. These are definitely investment items that we'll need to save up for tho...esp. the last lens.:)

    Jenni - Oh my how I totally relate to being scared of an SLR camera. It wasn't until very recently that I realized I just wanted to master shooting good pictures. There are only a few things to learn which will propel you into another category of photo taking. It's not that hard at all and I encourage you to do it! :)

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  15. Congrats Cindi on the new camera. I'm so glad that you posted about your success with the used camera. I'm in the middle of saving up some money for a new SLR, but this may the better way to go. I will have to do some more research now. I look forward to seeing your pictures and future posts.

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