3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

Olympus

Day 163/365: Crabapple Tree in Bloom

by

More flowering trees, this time I know it’s a crabapple tree, unlike last time,  as I saw last years lingering crab apples. Still experimenting with an old Olympus E-10 I bought off eBay several years ago as I like the clarity it gives, only wish it gave more than four megapixel images. Maybe I’ll get lucky on Craigslist and find a great deal on a high end camera.

CrabApple Tree
Day 163: Crab Apple Tree (Olympus camera SOOC)

This photo above was straight out of camera on my old Olympus digital camera. The lens quality is really sharp, better than my Canon Rebel, but it’s only a 4.6 megapixel so I have to be happy with small images. Here at the lab we can print some nice 16×20’s but I can’t crop anything out, this size shrinks too low to make a sharp print.

Photoshop CS5 Filter/Render/Lighting Effects/Crossing Down/Spotlight

But I’m learning it’s not just the equipment that makes a photographer, it’s skill. I have now gotten better at aperture, shutter speed and exposure on my manual settings, some day when my camera hobby starts to pay for itself I’ll get a better camera.

Thanks to suggestions from my friends at Chick A Day Blog and Anglin Photography  I’ve experimented with this photo a little. Some like more contrast, others like a softer look, or maybe a more artistic flair. This photograph lends itself to all of them. Never think that you can’t learn from others. Straight out of camera images can be really really good, but they can be made “GREAT” by a little tweaking of Photoshop Magic.

Sepia Flowers
Photoshop CS5/Filter Sepia/ Select Color Layer
Cooling Photoshop Filter on Flowering Tree
Photoshop CS5/Cooling Filter & Pink Selection layer for Flowers on Top

I love my blogging friends, I learn so much from them, amazing photographs and Photoshop artists.

Photography Notes: After playing around in the Photoshop CS5 my son gave me when he came home from leave I like the post production images better than the straight out of camera.

More Information on Crabapple Trees

Day 162/365: Spring Returns With Lilacs

by

Day 162: Lilacs (SOOC)

Now back to our regularly scheduled program. Spring Flowers! Lilacs, one of my favorite flowers both to look at and smell.

Yes, graduation is over, although there may be a stray post along the way, especially as I put together a video from the senior song written by two choir seniors. But, right now, it’s back to flowers and I have been waiting to post this for a week. Ahh….a breathe of fresh air, can’t you just smell them.

I have told everyone I love sun and warm weather haven’t I, thought so.

Photography notes: Didn’t do anything to this photo except resize and border. Straight out of camera. Love it when this happens!

Day 155/365: Happy Mothers Day

by

A Mother’s Day gift from my kids meet me when I awoke Sunday morning. It put a smile on my face and gave me at least 30 minutes of photography experiments. However I only chose one for my 365 project. Today you get two photographs for my post-a-day project.

Happy Mothers Day

Hope all mothers had a wonderful and restful day. I did, even took a nap. What’s better than a Sunday afternoon nap, a Mother’s Day nap.

Mother’s Day Ideas – Gift

Tea Gifts for Mom

Create a Mothers Day gift basket by purchasing a mug and gourmet tea from Tea n’ More. If you’re wondering this is my tea business. I package loose-leaf tea into flavored tea bags, for the best of both worlds.

Happy Mother’s Day Mugs

Check out my entire collection of funny Mothers Day Gifts and mugs.

Create Your Personalized Funny Mothers Day Quotes

Create your own personalized Mothers Day quotes on a mug for Mom.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

by

It’s Easy to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Don’t these chocolate covered strawberries look delicious? I made them at home. Seriously.

Not even a word to describe how good they actually taste. Just like at Christmas, I dip everything in almond bark chocolate. I have used Ghirardelli’s melting chocolate when I’m doing a small personal batch for gourmet chocolate covered strawberries. But for large events, chocolate almond bark works just fine.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Day 153/365 Project: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

It’s easy to make chocolate covered strawberries from scratch. All you need is big delicious looking strawberries, chocolate, and a fork. Ok, a double boiler pot does come in handy.

I get the white almond bark drizzle on the strawberries by dipping a fork in the white chocolate and drizzling it over the strawberries.

It’s not hard to make chocolate strawberries, all you need is a double boiler and some dipping chocolate. But, some people think it’s a little intimidating. Around Valentines Day you will see and hear ads from various online stores where you can buy chocolate dipped strawberries and have them delivered.

Why Use a Double Boiler when Melting Chocolate?

Chocolate is a fickle ingredient. If you it too hot chocolate will burn or “seize up” and become clumpy. (Whatever you do, do NOT add water to chocolate.) With a double boiler pot, you add an inch or two of water to the bottom pot and set on medium heat.

You can turn the stovetop on a boil, to begin with, but then reduce the heat to low to gradually melt your chocolate. If you don’t have an “official double boiler pot you can use a metal bowl and sit in on a saucepan. Or a smaller pot inside a larger pot, as long as the bottom doesn’t touch the water.

ExcelSteel 579 3 Piece Boiler, 2.5 Quart, Stainless SteelStainless steel double boilers pots. Cookware for melting chocolate, fondue and low heat cooking.ExcelSteel 579 3 Piece Boiler, 2.5 Quart, Stainless SteelAxeSickle 18/8 Stainless Steel Universal Melting Pot,Universal Double Boiler Insert,Double Spouts, Heat-resistant Handle, Flat Bottom, Premium Baking Tools, Melting Pot for Chocolate Butter Carame.AxeSickle 18/8 Stainless Steel Universal Melting Pot, Universal Double Boiler Insert, Double Spouts, Heat-resistant Handle, Flat Bottom, Premium Baking Tools, AxeSickle 18/8 Stainless Steel Universal Melting Pot,Universal Double Boiler Insert,Double Spouts, Heat-resistant Handle, Flat Bottom, Premium Baking Tools, Melting Pot for Chocolate Butter Carame.

Melting Chocolate Without a Double Boiler

This can be done. But take caution and be careful. I normally melt two squares of white almond bark for 20 seconds at a time and check it until it’s soft. Don’t just look at to see if it’s melted. The blocks of almond bark retain their shape, even when melted.

Ghirardelli melting chocolate wafers are actually designed to be melted in the microwave. Instructions are on the package and it’s VERY wise to follow them.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Candy Malting Wafers, 30 OunceGhirardelli Chocolate Dark Candy Malting Wafers, 30 OunceGhirardelli Chocolate Dark Candy Malting Wafers, 30 OunceGhirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Dark Melting Wafers, 12 ozGhirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Dark Melting Wafers, 12 ozGhirardelli Candy Making & Dipping Dark Melting Wafers, 12 ozGhirardelli Melting Wafers Bundle, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Set of 3-10oz eachGhirardelli Melting Wafers Bundle, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Set of 3-10oz eachGhirardelli Melting Wafers Bundle, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Set of 3-10oz each

Strawberries are good any time of the year, but I make them on Valentine’s day and also for high school graduation parties. They are everyone’s favorite and I’ve created an expectation amongst my friends. My kids LOVE when I make chocolate covered strawberries.

Homemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 WaysHomemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 WaysHomemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 Ways

For my son’s graduation, I made about 60 chocolate covered strawberries and it wasn’t nearly enough. I could have made three times that many considering how popular they were. Maybe next time.

Buy Chocolate Covered Strawberries Online

If you don’t think you can handle dipping your own strawberries then you can always buy them online. Golden State Fruit sells them on Amazon and the reviews are fantastic.

I’ve read reviews for Sherri’s Berries and the Golden State Fruit Company Although they both pack and ship them approximately the same Golden State Fruit Company comes out ahead.

Very little is more romantic and makes an impression than tasty chocolate covered strawberries. What woman doesn’t like chocolate?

Golden State Fruit 6 Love Berries Chocolate Covered StrawberriesGolden State Fruit 6 Love Berries Chocolate Covered StrawberriesGolden State Fruit 6 Love Berries Chocolate Covered StrawberriesBelgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries - 12pc Classic - Milk, Dark & White Chocolate Gift BoxBelgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries – 12pc Classic – Milk, Dark & White Chocolate Gift BoxBelgian Chocolate Covered Strawberries - 12pc Classic - Milk, Dark & White Chocolate Gift BoxCaramel Sea Salt - 12pc Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered StrawberriesCaramel Sea Salt – 12pc Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered StrawberriesCaramel Sea Salt - 12pc Belgian Milk Chocolate Covered StrawberriesGolden State Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries, 6 Dark, Milk & White DelightGolden State Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries, 6 Dark, Milk & White DelightGolden State Fruit Chocolate Covered Strawberries, 6 Dark, Milk & White Delight