Archive for Month: March, 2010
Twelve
You’re our firstborn.
The old soul.
Our deep thinker with a funny bone.
You’re our eldest son.
The history buff.
The guy who knows all about army guy, military stuff.
You’re twelve.
And for twelve years we’ve had the honor of looking into those eyes of yours.
We love you…
Lens Talk
If there’s one question that is consistently asked of me it’s, “Mishi, which lens should I buy?”
You see, I was a budding photographer once, too, asking my more equipped and experienced photographer friends that very same question. Each time I was told that I should—without a doubt—add the *50mm f/1.4 lens to my camera bag.
And, I listened.
Now when I am asked that question, my answer is unequivocally, “Get the 50mm f/1.4!”
Why?
Well, it’s relatively inexpensive, it’s sharp, it’s compact and lightweight, it’s fast, and it can help create some fantastic, creative photography. It’s pretty much the perfect lens, in my humble opinion.
Let’s take a closer look:
It’s all about the value.
If you wanted to buy this lens right now, it would set you back $350. For the quality of this lens and the images that it will produce, that’s an excellent price. The 50mm f/1.4 is great value lens.
It’s sharp as a tack.
The lens has major versatile focus in that you can auto-focus, and then fine tune with the focus ring without even flipping between manual and auto on the lens.
It’s small enough to fit in your pocket.
I mean, I don’t recommend that you carry your lens in your pocket, but this lens could literally fit in your pocket. It’s 10.2 oz and dimensionally 2.9″ x 2″.
It’s just totally useful and lends to creativity.
When you aren’t able to use a flash or don’t have a lot of light this lens is awesome for indoor photography. It just devours all the available light and uses it as necessary. The wide aperture (being wide open at f/1.4) can help you create those dreamy bokeh effect shots.
The possibilities are endless.
Do you have a 50mm f/1.4? If so, share your favorite capture from your “nifty fifty”; I’d love to see!
*There is also a 50mm f/1.8 lens that many will say is just as good at the f/1.4, at a fraction of the cost. The main difference is that the f/1.8 is a plastic body and is a smidgen smaller. So, if you can’t get the f/1.4 and can only afford the f/1.8, I say go for it!
First Impressions Matter and Your Business Card Can Make a Lasting One
Your business card will often be the first impression your client receives.
It conveys your professionalism, and when you hand it to a prospective client it speaks volumes for you. If you have a really poor quality business card, especially for a photography business, how can you convey that the images you deliver will not be the same?
A while back I needed some new business cards for Mishelle Lane Photography. We found a place and Michael designed the cards. The design was great. On the computer screen. But, when we got the cards we were very unimpressed. The print job was extremely cheap in appearance, the cut edges were ragged, and the writing was too light and small (lighter and smaller than what was shown when they were designed.) I just knew that I couldn’t let these cards represent me.
See? This is not the first impression I want to give people who will be inquiring about my photography services. No way, no how.
I want quality. I want precision. I want something I can be proud to hand someone.
I thought about the quality and precision of my last Christmas card. The card that to this day still gets compliments from friends and family. It was a card that I was absolutely proud to send out to convey our holiday message. The card was from Tiny Prints.
Then I remembered that Rick from Tiny Prints wanted me to do a review for them. I contacted him to see if I could review business cards and he loved the idea.
I got to creating. This is what I got:
I decided to go with two different designs because I just couldn’t decide on one. The one with the vintage frame was my favorite, but I also liked the one with the simple, classy, red lines separating my business information. To top it off I added my logo to the back of the card knowing that Tiny Prints wouldn’t print it upside down like the previous set I had ordered and subsequently returned from the company that shall remain nameless.
When I opened up my cards I was not disappointed, at all. And I felt pride.
The textured card stock that is used is top notch. They also have recycled paper as an option. I had my Christmas cards printed on the recycled paper; I know how awesome it is, too.
The printing is crisp
The edges are cut clean.
The cards are elegant and exactly what I want to represent Mishelle Lane Photography. They are stylish and full of professional flair.
In addition to the quality of the business cards themselves, you know you are going to get excellent customer service when you use Tiny Prints.
When I designed my Christmas cards there was a mistake in the written part. Tiny Prints pays attention to the details. I immediately got an email AND a phone call to verify the correction. I mean, maybe I really did want them to say, “May the spirit of the blessed holiday shine up you” instead of “upon you.” But, they wanted to make sure. I loved that and it spoke volumes for the company I was doing business with.
Invitations, announcements, stationary, holiday, business cards, photo books, wall calendars, and photo gifts… Tiny Prints does it all.
[The business cards were given to me to review. The opinions I have shared here, though, are fully my own.]
Weekly Winners {Project 365 Rewind}
{Now go see one of my BFF’s, Lotus, and wish her well on her move back to Austin, TX}
Mmmmmmuffuletta
The Muffuletta is a sandwich found in New Orleans, Louisiana, which is made with a Sicilian bread of the same name. The bread is round, large and has a sturdy texture, similar to focaccia. Then layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, and provolone are topped with generous layer of this fantastic, marinated olive salad. The sandwich is often heated through to melt the cheese, and (to me) it’s a damn near perfect food. I think any food found in New Orleans is perfect. But I digress.
I haven’t been able to find the bread in any of my local bakeries. Also, sometimes the meat can be rather expensive, so I have come up with some minor adjustments to make my very own version of the Muffuletta, the Mishiletta if you will.
Steps through pics…
*pickled vegetables consisting of cauliflower, carrots, pimento, celery, and peppercini
*sometimes, if I have them, I also add roasted red pepper (this day I didn’t have any)
*add as much or as little as you like (we like a lot and we also found that the only gum that takes the garlic stench away is Five gum)
*about 1-2 TBSP of each, but really I don’t know, I just eyeball it; the use of ramekin was just me being fancy for this post
*thanks for helping, Michael (it’s kind of hard to grind pepper and take a picture of yourself doing it)
*crushed red pepper = a symbol of my youth (oh it’s a long story, maybe next time?)
*the bowl I’m using was left at my house by a girl that used to be in our playgroup (is it bad that I never returned it?)
*I use both whole wheat AND white buns (God-forbid everyone want to eat whole wheat bread)
*do you remember how much I *love* my George Foreman grill? (Let me remind you.)
*The cheese I use is Provolone (really, there isn’t any substitute for provolone, in my culinary opinion)
*buy extra salami when making these because [kids and husband or even your dog] might hover around stealing slices
*mmmm how I love the feeling of salami in my hand (oh wait, wrong post)
*depending on how healthy I feel I serve it with vegetable soup (but sometimes with chips or Doritos)
*It’s so good, they always ask for more!
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