I had a little fun this morning bribing my boys to take some Valentine’s Day photos.  I’m pretty happy with them.  I have to work with what I have or can get inexpensively.   This was the first time I set up my wall and floor.  Now I just need to rip the awning off the front of the house and drop the front window down 2 feet.   Or I could get some lighting equipment and some lessons.   Hoping one day my other half sees my photography dream!

Day 15 was spent mostly on the road going up to my brother’s house.   My boys had a wonderful visit with their cousins.   Together the 5 of them built a very nice snowman.  I left my camera at home so I was only armed with my cell phone camera.

Well I have made it through 2 weeks of the 365.    I haven’t taken the most artistic photos.  Many days I’m flying by the seat of my pants to take a picture.   But I’m doing it.  And I’m doing it on manual.  Bye bye aperture setting.   I am proud of that.

Today’s photos isn’t spectacular.   Just a couple ingredients on my counter.

But I use them to make one of my family’s favorite dishes – Dijon Chicken.   If your not a fan of mustard, don’t run away just yet.   I hate mustard but love this dish.

Ingredients:

• Chicken (Thin sliced or pound to 1/4″ thick)
• Mayonnaise
• Dijon Mustard
• Italian Bread Crumbs
• Olive Oil

Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a saute pan.  Heat over medium high.   If you have children running around I recommend that you cover the pan.

Mix equal parts Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard.   For 1lb of chicken I used about a 1/4 cup of each.

Lay chicken on a flat surface – a cutting board or plate will do.   Coat both sides of chicken with Dijon Mayo mix.

Next pour your bread crumbs in a shallow dish.   Coat chicken in bread crumbs.

Tip:  So you do not waste the Dijon Mayo mix, Coat one side of chicken.   Flip one piece of chicken on top of another piece and coat bottom side.   Then move it directly to the bread crumbs.  Repeat as needed.

Test the pan to make sure the oil is nice and hot.  Flick a few drops of water from your fingertips.  It should pop.

Place chicken in pan.

Cook until bottom is browned.   Flip and allow second side to cook until brown.

Remove from pan.   If you have a second batch to do, place cooked chicken on a covered dish to keep warm.   You may want to like the dish with a paper towel to absorb any excess olive oil.

Eat and enjoy.

Today’s 365 picture was a self portrait I did for a contest over at The Creative Mama.  The Creative Mama is a wonderful blog about photography and the beautiful things that inspire us.  They are celebrating their one year anniversary and offering wonderful prizes.   This photo entry was for a Marta Locklear workshop contest.  Requirements were a photo of me with the Creative Mama sign in the photo.

My idea for this photo was to show how The Creative Mama has inspired my creative side:

• Organization – the pretty white boxes neatly hold all my supplies.
• Fine Arts – A still life drawing by moi
• Homemade Crafts – Cross stitched The Creative Mama logo to show my crafty side
• Photography – Since I was using my camera, Understanding Exposure book with The Creative Mama logo
• Sewing – You can’t really see it but I’m sitting at my sewing table with a pattern laid out

Little boys and Thomas the Train are always good for a photo op.

As I child, I loved to play dress up.   All of my old dance costumes and my sisters prom dresses went into an old TV box in our basement.  My friends and I would play dress up for hours down there.   That is probably why I am a sucker for Halloween costumes and anything my boys can use for dress up.   We have a box of hats and one closet is getting pretty full of old costumes.   Its always great to break them out on a cold winter day.   It keeps my boys busy for a while.   I get a laugh watching my son spends 5 minutes trying to find his dragon tail…

Back to School.  Back to the Grind.  

I’m probably one of the few people who look forward to taking a math class.   It gets me out of having to take a science class with a lab.  So fine by me.

Cute footie pajamas at night…

Laundry in the morning…

Self portrait done with only a tripod, remote, and cheap Ikea light.

Here are my settings:

Here is my Q & A with myself:

Q:  Why did you do a self portrait today?

A:  It was late.  It was dark out.   The lighting in my house isn’t great.  I’ve done a self portrait for my drawing class with strong lighting on one side of the face.  I decided to try and do a photograph that way.

Q:  Did you enjoy doing a self portait?

A:  I actually did enjoy it.   I’ve been a little self concious of myself in photographs.   But I’ve been observing my features more and figuring out what angles look better.

Q:  Any challenges with your self portrait?

A: Focusing.  I still find it difficult to get the eyes sharp, even in non self portrait photos.  I think I need to do some reading and try this again.   My ISO was also at 1600 so I have a lot of grain.  I think I need to get Noiseware.

Q: What did you learn from your self portrait?

A:  Self portraits are not as bad as I thought.  I sparked and interest in lighting and flash photography.  I need to try this more often.   My children are not always cooperative subjects.  They also don’t sit still.   On the other hand, I’m always available when I want to take pictures and I can sit still.

Now that I’m done talking to myself.   I will open the comments section.  Please share your advice on self portraits and what I could do differently to improve.