We've already accomplished the hardest part of any challenge: we started. This week is mostly about setting the ground work for what we want to accomplish later. Each week I'll give a quick synopsis of what is covered in a section of both books and present an exercise based on each.
TEXT
The first part of Will Write for Food covers such things as why to choose writing about a single subject, different avenues to consider for learning about food or writing or both, and the backgrounds prominent food writers. Diane also asks several food writers to describe their writing style {or voice} in three word. Most of them wrote short paragraphs instead. Ruth Riechl's was my favorite:forthright.
Quick exercise: describe your (ideal) voice in 3 words!
- quirky
- knowledgable
- casual/friendly/approachable
Ok, so I cheated a little bit with that last one and I should probably add sarcastic. My voice isn't as strong as I'd like it to be, but I'm working on it. I'm going to tack a little sticky note on my bulletin board of these to remind me.
Long Exercise: Write about your favorite fruit using plain adjectives. Go back and replace ordinary adjectives with more descriptive terms. pay attention to sentence length include both long and short structures. And hey, maybe keep your voice terms from above in mind!
Avocado:
first draft
I heart an avocado. Recently I bought too many on impulse and was forced to eat one a day for 10 days to avoid waste. One was eaten from the shell salted, with a spoon on the way to work. The next sliced and covered with lime in a bean burrito. Several were cut and eaten on salads at work. One lost its life to a blender with yogurt and coconut milk. The last were mashed into a mess with garlic and lime and cumin for guacamole.
second draft
I adore an avocado. Last week, I bought a cart-full on impulse and was forced to eat everyday for over a week. The first was sprinkled with salt and eaten from the skin with a spoon on my commute. It was not the last to meet this fate. The second was sliced and served with a squeeze of lime in bean burritos. Several were chopped for topping boring salads at the office. The very last over-ripe specimens were smashed to smithereens with garlic, toasted cumin, and olive oil and served as guacamole at our family barbecue.
Lesson learned: See the difference a draft can make? Its not prefect but its improved.
Pixel
So the first section of Plate to Pixels also discusses why you might choose food as a singular focus and what sort of equipment you might need to get started. All of the photography lessons in Plate to Pixels deal specifically with DSLR cameras. Of course, specific notes will vary by brand. I shoot Canon, a t1i to be exact, I also have a standard 18/55 mm and 60 mm macro lenses, and a tripod. The camera you choose will be depend on a number of factors including your budget, brand preference and hand size. I suggest, and so does Helene, that no matter what you camera your considering go to a store and pick it up. Bodies vary by model and brand and you want yours to be comfortable in your hands. Try navigating the menu and make sure it makes sense to you. Nikon's menu has never worked for me.
Exercise: This week read your manual (!duh, it took me paying for a photography class to actually do this!)Try "program" mode and shoot a single subject in 3 or 4 different white balances.
Click here for a brief explanation of white balance
Lesson learned: I shoot on our screened in porch so the shade or cloudy white balances on my camera work best for my set up. Also flash is terrible for food!
Want to win a copy of Will Write for Food and play along? In the comments tell me your ideal voice in 3 words and/or link to a piece you've written for your own blog about your favorite fruit. I'll give away one copy next time we work on text/pixel project, on July 18th.
first draft
I heart an avocado. Recently I bought too many on impulse and was forced to eat one a day for 10 days to avoid waste. One was eaten from the shell salted, with a spoon on the way to work. The next sliced and covered with lime in a bean burrito. Several were cut and eaten on salads at work. One lost its life to a blender with yogurt and coconut milk. The last were mashed into a mess with garlic and lime and cumin for guacamole.
second draft
I adore an avocado. Last week, I bought a cart-full on impulse and was forced to eat everyday for over a week. The first was sprinkled with salt and eaten from the skin with a spoon on my commute. It was not the last to meet this fate. The second was sliced and served with a squeeze of lime in bean burritos. Several were chopped for topping boring salads at the office. The very last over-ripe specimens were smashed to smithereens with garlic, toasted cumin, and olive oil and served as guacamole at our family barbecue.
Lesson learned: See the difference a draft can make? Its not prefect but its improved.
Pixel
So the first section of Plate to Pixels also discusses why you might choose food as a singular focus and what sort of equipment you might need to get started. All of the photography lessons in Plate to Pixels deal specifically with DSLR cameras. Of course, specific notes will vary by brand. I shoot Canon, a t1i to be exact, I also have a standard 18/55 mm and 60 mm macro lenses, and a tripod. The camera you choose will be depend on a number of factors including your budget, brand preference and hand size. I suggest, and so does Helene, that no matter what you camera your considering go to a store and pick it up. Bodies vary by model and brand and you want yours to be comfortable in your hands. Try navigating the menu and make sure it makes sense to you. Nikon's menu has never worked for me.
Exercise: This week read your manual (!duh, it took me paying for a photography class to actually do this!)Try "program" mode and shoot a single subject in 3 or 4 different white balances.
Click here for a brief explanation of white balance
Lesson learned: I shoot on our screened in porch so the shade or cloudy white balances on my camera work best for my set up. Also flash is terrible for food!
Want to win a copy of Will Write for Food and play along? In the comments tell me your ideal voice in 3 words and/or link to a piece you've written for your own blog about your favorite fruit. I'll give away one copy next time we work on text/pixel project, on July 18th.
*{I don't want to giveaway a lot from the books - I want you to pick them up for yourself}
No comments:
Post a Comment
Every time you comment, a cupcake gets her sprinkles!