Ever since I started YUM I have been on a quest to really get to know my dslr camera. I have high hopes that someday I am going to take breathtaking food photos like those so often found on FoodGawker or TasteSpotting. The real problem is the natural lighting. I have finally made my own distressed wood photography board and have plenty of foam board for bouncing the natural light. Then, there are the tutorials and workshop classes I have been taking on Udemy. The weather hasn’t been too kind in the area of natural bright light. It’s been a lot of rain and gloom.
Not helpful.
I have plans to purchase a white light that works well with food photography and it comes highly recommended. I’ve told myself that before I do this, I must write out a schedule for posting , editing and recipe creation. I must stick to it. If I can do this for a few weeks and really make it a habit, then I will allow myself to purchase the light. I know a lot of people love blogging and don’t get hung up on photos. For my other sites I am ok with that. But, I have big dreams for YUM and that requires me to have better photos.
I was very humbled last week when I posted the recipe for Pistachio Delight.
Not a good photo for magazine, FoodGawker or TasteSpotting standards, but it sure made a lot of people excite to share and comment. I wasn’t going to share this recipe. I also have a lot of photos on my external hard drive that I have taken over the last few months. I didn’t want to post them because I feel the photos are horrible and not quite where I want them to be. But, there is this part of me that would like to share them anyway and maybe in the future I can redo the recipe and the photos.
As much as I love cooking, as hard as it was to get an MBA, nothing could prepare me for how hard it is to really get a handle on a dslr camera along with Lightroom and Photoshop software. It has left me feeling a bit inadequate. I am my own worst enemy. But I truly feel like my photos are holding me back.
So, tell me, what is one thing you feel you could or should be doing that will better your blog?
Think about it for a while if you need to. While you’re thinking about that, lets get on with the party, shall we?
This week’s Features:
This week’s Most Clicked was:
Fried Salmon Patties with Onion Dijon Gravy from Intelligent Domestications
The MOST CLICKED is always my featured picture which runs on my home page!
YUMS PERSONAL PICK
This week my favorite award goes to Best of Long Island and Central Florida and their Caprese Stuffed Zucchini Boats.
I love zucchini but I am very limited in the way I prepare them. I love to slice and saute them with some olive oil, cracked pepper and sea salt. I have also sliced them thinly and made them into chips. Since my Trash to Treasure garden has given me quite a few zucchini, I decided to look for more ways to prepare these garden gems. The Caprese Stuffed Zucchini Boats combine one of my favorite salads with one of my favorite garden vegetables. Pretty excited to give this a try!
CONGRATULATIONS to you ALL!
If you were featured, grab an “I’ve Been Featured” button to show everyone how awesome you are! And remember, each co-host chooses her favorites, so click over to Chrystal at Yum Eating , Shirley at Intelligent Domestications and Nicole at I Heart Food to check out their favorites for this week!
EVERY post in the party gets pinned to The Yuck Stops Here Pinterest Board!
Follow Cheryl King’s board The Yuck STOPS Here! on Pinterest.
Swing by sometime to check it out! ALL Features get Shared, Stumbled, Tweeted & Otherwise LOVED by your hosts and posted to The Yuck Stops Here Featured Pinterest Board! Don’t forget to link back if you want to be featured! Follow Cheryl King’s board Features from The Yuck Stops Here on Pinterest. Feel free to share the party with your friends and followers on social media using #stoptheyuck. And VISIT, VISIT, VISIT! By linking up you are giving all hosts permission to use your pictures and link on social media, for roundups, as features, etc. Let’s get to the important stuff! 
(If you’d rather just post a link on your post here’s some info on how to do that)
This week we are saying a sad goodbye to our host Kim from Feed Me, Seymour. But we are welcoming a new host, a frequent and featured guest here at The Yuck Stops Here, Nicole from I Heart Food as a brand new host! Please be sure to welcome her by following her on at least one of her social media platforms! And please continue to support Shirley from Intelligent Domestications by following her on at least ONE of her social media platoforms if you have not yet done so!
Follow Cheryl from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos:
Follow Chrystal from Yum Eating:
Follow Shirley from Intelligent Domestications
Follow Nicole from I Heart Food
Now. . . on to the party!
Thanks for hosting, ladies!
Thank you Chrystal for the party 🙂
I could definitely stand to take some better photos on my blog, but I swear – no matter how hard I try, Food Gawker will never accept anything I send them. Sigh.
Im excited to be hosting this week. I can always use new ideas for dinner and everything in between
I need to work on my photography skills as well. I took a class two years ago, and I just haven’t applied everything I learned. I also don’t always pull out the dslr. I’m lazy, I guess.
I want that zucchini boat! it looks delicious! So does the salmon fry!
Finally have a recipe to share. Would love if you came and shared some recipes featuring bacon on the Merry Monday party. I’m planning on doing a bacon roundup on August 30th of bacon recipes from this month’s party.
I think one thing I could do better is to learn more about social media. I really like your goals. And I cant wait to see what you learn.
I bought a new camera a few months ago and still haven’t had time to master it. I still take pics for my blog with my iPad 🙁
I saw that Pistachio Delight floating around the web. Oh boy, I could sink my teeth into that dessert, lemme tell ya. 🙂
Those salmon patties look delicious! Anything southern fried is amazing.
I could post more to make my blog better. I’m trying and it’s gotten a lot better, but once the kids start back in school it will be where I need it to be I think!
I feel like pictures are my weakest area. For what it’s worth, I still think your dessert looks yummy!
I need to work on my blog’s photos. My husband is a professional photographer but we have different visions of the photos we like so I need to learn how to get my vision into a photo.
I definitely need to start shooting on manual. I’m always doing auto, but I need to play more!
My blog could definitely benefit from some better pictures. Also, a bit more marketing on my end may help it to grow as well.
I need to start shooting in manual too. Great tips!
I sometimes feel like you that I take pictures and get discourage because its not the quality you want them to be. Thanks for sharing anyways and its appreciated!
I love love cooking but I suck taking pictures, and I dot think I can afford one of those big cameras, so I’ll never be featured in foodgawker
These are great tips! I would do more food posts on my own blog but honestly it is the picture taking that hinders me!
Good food photography is way beyond the scope of my current abilities! I hope to be able to work on that in the future.
The Caprese Stuffed Zucchini Boats look delightfully delish. Your photo of the Pistachio Delight may not be food gawker worthy, but it made me want to make it!
Hi Chrystal,
Love your dessert and the pic is very inviting!
The most important thing I’ve learned about photography is that you’re always learning! That’s the great thing about it really but there is SO much to take in especially once you start using Manual. It’s true what they say about practising … it’s the only way to learn. I don’t know if any of us are ever happy with our pics – I fret over mine all the time and it’s rare that I’m truly satisfied with a final image. We’re probably way too hard on ourselves, lol.
Thanks for hosting, Ladies. Hope everyone is having a great week 🙂
I’m picky with my zuchinni too. These looked really good though
Better late to the party than never. Thanks for the invite. Great party! it will be a new regular weekly stop for me.
Blessings,
Shari
Although they have gotten a LOT better in the last year, I still need to work on my photos. I really need to study how to use manual mode better.
So many yummy looking things. I make my salmon patties like that too.
Those Souther Fried Salmon Patties sound amazing! I would definitely love to try making those sometime.
I just bough an SLR camera and am in the process of learning to use it too. I would definitely love to take better blog photos too!
Always a fun food party here! I love the stuffed zucchini!
Those Salmon patties look delicious! I always love when my husband makes them for dinner!
Thos salmon patties have peaked my interest. My dad always served the best salmon patties. I need to make some for my family.
I agree with the crowd, salmon patties for the win! Thanks for the link up!
Oh the fried salmon patties look awesome! We make them buy mine are fat and don’t look as good – I’ll need to try this recipe!
I want to try the Fried Salmon Patties with Onion Dijon Gravy. It looks fantastic. I have always wanted a fancy camera but i know i do not have the patience to learn how to use it .
I have a foodie site too and would love to link up. I will have to add this to my lost of great sites to connect with.
Please join us, we would love to have you!
I wish I had a better camera. I took pictures of the Peanut Butter Bars and I don’t think they looked as good as they are. But I think it makes it look more realistic that an actual person made it.
I like Pinterest because it is full of all sorts of photos. While I do like FoodGawker and TasteSpotting it also makes me feel completely inadequate with my photo skills.
The salmon patties took me back. My mom used to make them all the time!
I finally purchased some can salmon to see if I can whip some of these up!