When I was younger I never understood the necessity of researching a product before I bought it. I was naive and brainwashed by society’s impatient need for something NOW. Thankfully, my dad is a research wizard and although it took me a while, I fully appreciate everything he has done to help me research and purchase anything “large.” My latest and greatest technological toy that was fully researched before purchase is a dSLR camera.
I knew what I wanted: a dSLR fit for a beginner, under $500, and with image stabilization. My main goal was to finally take photos without the blurry look I got with my iPhone. I Consumer Reported the hell out of each and every model within these three categories and finally narrowed the choice down to this one. Purchases are much easier this way.
When my new toy finally came in the mail, I took it out for a spin. The three photos taken above were before I realized there was an auto focus button, and I had to manually focus these. Hence a bit of blurriness still. I also re-sized them, which I think affected the noise.
That Frango canister was filled with chocolates from a customer given to my coworkers and I for Christmas. I saw the empty can in the corner the other day and promptly snagged it, what a perfect decorative jar! I adore the vintage look it has. I had more decorative ideas that I snapped photos of to try and get a feel for my new camera.
My loyal readers know I have an obsession with wood products. This three sectioned wood tray was originally filled with three different succulents. The succulents died, but I kept the jars and the tray knowing I would reuse it someday. I finally figured out what to reuse it for. The typical coffee bean and vanilla candle, it smells like cupcakes. LOVE.
I also filled a rose topped jar from with coffee beans, and discovered the camera flash.
I sometimes have a tendency to not read directions. I’ve always been one to figure something out simply by playing with it. I think this will be the first time I have to actually read the manual because there are so many options and settings. These photos were all taken at random on random settings and they aren’t as crisp as I would like. I did take a few of my cats on the portrait setting that turned out great.
Who says black pets aren’t photogenic!?!? LIES!
So there you have it, some of my very first amateur photos with my new dSLR. These were all taken inside, while normally I go outside for natural light. These were also taken with the hands of someone that had no idea what they were doing. I look forward to coming back to this post a year from now and seeing if/how my photos have improved! I also can’t wait to start photographing some legit food porn.

First attempt at adding text to the photo. Very amateur. This also looked better when enlarged. Click this photo for link to my recipe.
If you need to get a hold of me, I’ll be out with the trees and birds with this camera strapped to my face trying to get the perfect shot. New obsession commenced.
Q(s):
- Does re-sizing your photos change the quality?
- What do all you photogs do in order to make a photo decently sized for a blog post, while still maintaining the quality?
- Any helpful tips or tricks for a brand new wannabe?
- Have you tried the coffee bean and vanilla candle combo? AMAZING.