As a child, I was an avid fiction reader. I loved anything from Chronicles of Narnia to The Babysitters Club to Anne of Green Gables to Amelia Bedelia. …and…wait for it…Choose your own adventure!!!
I think I actually believed they were non-fiction though!
Wrapped in a blanket hiding away in one of my homemade forts, I would read my favourite series over and over until the pages were falling out and the glossy coating wrinkled away from the fading cover. I loved nothing more than getting lost in a fantasy world.
Nowadays, my passion has evolved from reading story books to informational books. I still occasionally enjoy reading a good fiction book (mostly if I’m on vacation though), but I love to read non-fiction books to learn more about my passions. My love for non-fiction books started when I fell in love with health and nutrition. I bought books like Dr. Oz’s YOU series, Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Cancer, Howard’s The Owners Manual for the Brain, and later, Pollan’s In Defense of Food. When cooking and baking became a passion in my life, my cookbook collection grew, and grew, and grew and I found myself inspired to follow a similar path.
And then there’s the photography.
Growing up, my family would always teasingly call me, ‘the little tourist’ because I took pictures of everything…every moment…everyone…nothing could escape my wrath! Mom in her robe first thing in the morning? Photo worthy. My sister Kristi taking one of my beloved belongings? Also photo worthy.
My love for photography started with a Polaroid camera and progressed to using my dad’s film camera and eventually receiving my own point & shoot digital camera from Eric as a birthday gift. I think Eric’s words were, “I think you need to switch to digital so we can stop wasting so much money on film.” He did have a point, but little did he know that I would soon require more computer storage to fit all my digital raw photos and a new lens to go with it. ;)
There was just something about capturing the beauty of real life in a photo that excited me to no end.
Even though I always loved photography, I never expected that it would blossom into something that I do everyday as part of my career. Now, rarely a day goes by that I am not practicing.
When I started the blog in 2008, I used my old, beaten up Point & Shoot camera (we now call it the “point & shit” because it doesn’t always turn ON). Eric bought a Canon DSLR in 2007 and I was so intimidated by it, I didn’t start using it for my blog photos for over 1.5 years. Over time, he was able to show me the difference a professional camera (and the right knowledge) could make in a photo.
After several months of shooting in “auto” mode with the DSLR, I decided that it was time to shoot in RAW format to give myself the freedom to post-process photos without compromising the quality. When Ashley was visiting, she showed me how she uses Adobe Lightroom to edit photos (something I had been using blindly for a couple months prior) and with practice, I fell in love with it a bit more each day. Now, I couldn’t imagine shooting in auto mode because shooting in raw is just so much more fun. Post-processing is also super quick once you get the hang of it. It typically takes me less than 30 seconds per photo.
I typically have a few books on the go at the same time (including several cookbooks), because as always, I can’t just pick one thing to focus on! I like to spend about a half hour at night reading, so I don’t get through books very quickly. ;)
Right now, you can find me reading through a ton of vegan cookbooks as well as my recently purchased Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin, otherwise known as Tartelette!
I fell in love with Plate to Pixel from the moment I opened the book. Not only does Helene’s passion for food photography jump off the page, but it’s brimming with full colour, stunning photography throughout the book. I’m only a quarter of the way through and I’ve already learned so much and brushed up on some skills that were a bit foggy. I highly recommend it to those of you who are interested in pursuing food photography at a deeper level.
What are you reading right now? What were your favourite books to read as a kid?
I’m dying to get Plate to Pixle. I LOVE her blog and can only imagine how wonderful her book is!
I loved reading Choose Your own adventure as a child. And SweetI also loved reading anything by R.L Stine, Christopher Pike, Diane Hoh, Anne Rice . . . . which truly developed my love of reading and writing urban fantasy stories.
whoops, meant to say Sweet Valley High with the twins Jessica and Elizabeth and the Unicorn purple club. . . .
I have to stop reading people’s awesome blogs; I keep buying all the books the recommend! ;)
Improving my photography skills is something I definitely want to focus on! The beauty of a picture (like yours!!!) is seriously breathtaking! As soon as school is out and before I head off to college, its definitely something I want to improve! Such a great hobby!
Haha I loved the Babysitters Club and Anne of Green Gables too! Also I was obsessed with anything written by Kit Pearson! Right now I’m reading the Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises. It’s been really helpful for learning different exercises to target certain muscles.
I’m reading an information book too: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding”. That man is so incredibly knowledgeable!!
Right now I am reading one of Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks that I borrowed from the library. I am an avid reader too, always have been, and I even read the same books as you! I loved ‘choose your own adventure’, I would always try every possible scenario. I also like reading about your passion for photography – I wish I enjoyed it as much as you! Unfortunately the photography part of my work is the part I procrastinate about the most. I wait until I have a huge pile of things, then I do it all at once. Maybe that’s why I dislike it so much…I should do a bit each day like you do.
ahh awesome!! I really want to read that book now! :D I’ve been looking for something like that. I aspire to be a decent photographer in every area, just for fun! Teheee
I read a lot of fiction as a kid…RL Stein, Babysitters Club, Judy Blume etc. Still love to read and I am devouring the Red Queen by Philipa Gregory (same author as The Other Boleyn Girl). I am also slightly obsessed with cookbooks. Just ordered 3 new ones on amazon tonight, including Alicia Silverstone’s Kind Diet book.
I would read whatever I could get my hands on as a kid…C.S. Lewis, Madeline L’Engle, absolutely anything by L.M. Montgomery. I knew I had a reading “problem,” though, when I started reading cereal boxes. Time to hit the library! ;-)
You are such a talented photographer, Angela. Will I have the honor of seeing you at Foodbuzz this weekend?
You always have such beautiful pictures on here! I wish I had the patience to put more of an effort into the photos I take!
This is the most perfectly timed post ever! Why?
1) I just bought an interchangeable lens camera. I am still using auto mode. I don’t fully understand RAW image format – but now I know to stick with it.
2) My brother recommended Adobe Lightroom. I didn’t believe it would be *that* much use / worth the money. Now I know it is!
3) Those photography books look amazing.
4) I always love being reminded of how much I enjoyed reading as a child, and still do. The reference to Anne of Green Gables brought a smile to my face :)
Thank you!
Thank you for introducing this book to me it looks great!
My favorite books are non-fiction books about health! I just finished Skinny Bitch and am now looking for a new read-any suggestions?
Plate to Pixel looks like a great book. I need a lot of help with my photography, I’m asking to take a class for a Christmas present. As far as book readings right now, I don’t have any. I am so busy lately that I just don’t have the time! :(
I am reading Secret of the Shadow by Debbie Ford. I recently listened to a lecture by Debbie Ford as part of my homework through Institute of Integrative Nutrition…I loved the lecture which prompted me to read one of her books…
I just finished The Help which was an amazing read!
Happy Friday!
I loved your post yesterday and love your post today. Love love love you! :D
And I can totally relate to all of it. I devoured books as a kid, especially fantasy. But I loved all the ones you mentioned and read the Choose Your Own Adventure books over and over until I’d gone through all the possible outcomes. Ha ha.
I still love fantasy, but I love nonfiction as well, and must recommend to you everything by Thich Nhat Hahn. I just feel like I’m in such an ‘in touch’ state every time I read him. Amazing.
I just went to the public library yesterday for the first time in years, and got me a library card! I loved just browsing and people watching. I checked out: 5 Ingredient Fix by Claire Robinson (I love reading cookbooks as well), In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
I loved reading R.L. Stine’s “Fear Street” Series as a kid :)