A Seattle Photo Tour: The Pike Place Market

I have been trying to get better at photography lately.  I have a relatively nice DSLR camera that I got a couple of years ago (a Canon Rebel T3i, for anyone interested), and I have been completely wasting it's capabilities.  (Just take a look back at some of my original blog posts - those photo's are AWFUL...!)  So I've been doing some research, and am trying my hand at getting better at photography - which is no easy feat.  Taking good photo's takes TIME, TIME, TIME (framing, composition, post-editing... it's enough to make your head spin!)

The best photography tutorial I've found is from The Pioneer Woman's "What the Heck is an Aperture" Series, and I highly recommend it!  

Anyway, my lovely husband agreed to accompany me on a Photography Adventure at the Pike Place Market today.  He has a nice Nikon that he's had for awhile (and I'm still learning my way around my Canon), so it was a great opportunity to get out there and try our hand at taking some good photo's.  Why did I buy a Canon camera when my husband to be already had a Nikon camera, you ask?  That's a great question.  Obviously, I don't always think things through.  :(  For what it's worth, I am really liking my Canon Rebel!

These photo's are my attempt to get better at shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and the whole photography thing.  All of them were taken in Manual mode (a HUGE accomplishment for me!), and although I have plenty to work on, I'm at least seeing improvement!  Plus, the Pike Place Market has so many great photo opportunities - it was fun to see what I could capture!

We started our Photography Adventure with coffee and a baguette at local cafe Le Pichet near the market.  It was delicious.  

Next we ventured into the actual market for some close ups of the fruit and vegetable displays.  They always have the most BEAUTIFUL fruits and vegetables on display - you won't get better looking food anywhere else.  (Which comes in handy when you are eating with your eyes...!)

I had to get a close up of an artichoke... of course.  Look how fresh this one looks!  Yum.

They also have pretty fantastic seasonal flowers at the market - literally rows and rows of them for as little as $5.  I had to restrain myself today!

You'll notice that I still have some work to do when it comes to the correct exposure and/or white balance.  Geez, I wish this stuff came more naturally!  Still, I hope you're able to get a sense of how vibrant everything is at the market - it's always bustling with life - especially on a weekend!

As everyone probably knows, Pike Place Market is known for it's fish stands - so of course I got a picture of one of them...  (everyone there was wearing Seahawks gear - Go Hawks!)

We also made a stop at "The Original Starbucks", although like the good locals we are, we didn't go inside.  Pro tip - the coffee there is THE SAME as anywhere else.  Skip the line and go to one of the many other Starbucks, only a block away.  (Yes, there are probably at least 2 others that are only 1 block away from The Original Starbucks.  This is coffee town, after all!)

The market also has plenty of awesome merchandise that you really can't find anywhere else.  Locally made honeys, jewelry, your typical touristy finds... you name it.  It makes for a great afternoon stroll - we really enjoyed ourselves with our camera's today!

We also stopped to get some Beechers mac & cheese, which is AMAZING.  Guys, seriously.  It's known as "The World's Best", and they're not lying - just check out their website here.  I think they probably have Beechers elsewhere, but it's made here in Seattle!  (Apparently they also make it in New York, but I'm going to go ahead and say it's better here in Seattle.)  :)

Finally, it was a Game Day when we went to the market, and there was a 12th Man flag flying overhead.  We're all hoping they go back to the Superbowl again this year!  Woot!

So thanks for taking the time to look through my Pike Place Market photography tour!  I'm going to keep working on my photography skills, and will hopefully keep posting better photo's here.  Please let me know if anyone has some tips!

On Apologizing

Does anyone else find themselves apologizing ALL THE TIME?  I literally do it all the time.  At work, at home, at a restaurant, with my boss, with my husband, with a stranger - it doesn't matter.  Just this morning on the bus, someone sat down next to me and elbowed me in the shoulder.  What did I do?  I apologized "Oh I'm sorry", and promptly scooted even farther into the metal window so this stranger could have more room for his giant elbows.  Really, Allison?  Yes, I absolutely did that!

I wanted to bring it up here because I'm sure that I'm not alone - in fact, Pantene even made this the theme for one of their commercials awhile back (see video above!).  I'm sure it's true that women suffer from this habit more than men, but the theme of remembering to assert yourself is universal.

For all of us who suffer from constant over-apologizing, we need to make a point to stop doing it, once and for all.  To commemorate this occasion, I am posting a free, 8x10 downloadable printable that I created to remind myself NOT to apologize, and to help remind others to stop as well.  

Click here to download this free printable.

Remember to assert yourself - and don't apologize for it!  :)

Viva Mexico!

Can you spot the iguana??

We have just returned from our honeymoon in Mexico!  (...And I am officially a married woman!)  :)  Everything went by super fast - just like everyone says it does - but overall it was PERFECT, and I could't be happier.  

Our honeymoon was in Cancun, Mexico - which was my first time in Mexico.  It was awesome and there was tons to do (eating, snorkeling, ruins, centotes...oh my!) but it was SUPER hot.  Not only was it hot, but it was humid.  This was my first time in a climate like that, and I was not a fan.  (I really am a Seattleite... anything over 85 degrees and I start melting!)

While I am very glad to be back in good old 65 degree Seattle, Mexico was unforgettable.  I'm not sure what I am going to do with myself now that I no longer have a wedding to plan, but something tells me I'll figure it out.  (Enter random and wonderful craft projects...!)  ;)  Stay tuned!  

An Overdue Update...

Okay, so I know I haven't posted in awhile…  (As in not once in the month of April, awhile…!)  No excuses.  The first rule of blogging is to post regularly, and I blew it this month.  Still, sometimes life just gets in the way… and I must admit that I've had a couple of other priorities lately.  

Speaking of which, this happened while I was in San Francisco last month…!

Jon and I got engaged!  He surprised me with a beautiful proposal at the Palace of Fine Arts at sunset - it was perfect.  I hate to admit that I have become "that girl" who has been momentarily blinded by the prospect of marriage, a wedding, and and all that jazz… but it really is a ton to think about, and I've really been enjoying my first month of being engaged.  

The wedding won't be for awhile yet, but maybe you can look forward to a few wedding DIY tutorials at some point… who knows!  Otherwise, I've been doing a lot of jewelry making lately as well, and have been planning to expand my Etsy shop.  (Mostly bracelets and wire rings.)  Keep an eye out!

Otherwise, that's what has been happening with me lately!  I hope everyone else has been doing well, and you didn't have too many April Showers last month.  :)