Photo Tip :: Shooting in Camera RAW versus JPEG

I was sitting around staring at a blank page, wondering, what haven't I written about? Then it hit me. Camera RAW. Why should you shoot in it? Better yet - WHEN should you shoot in it.

Camera RAW is an amazing thing, and I highly recommend you shoot in RAW format. The image sizes will be larger and less compressed because what camera RAW does is saves all the information the sensor (the thing that 'sees' your image) has, not just a fraction of the information which is what happens when you shoot in JPG. The best analogy I can give is let's say you are making a dress for your best friend. You can either get a pattern that allows you to use multiple sizes and adjust well, or you can guess a size and try to adjust later. The pattern is going to work much better, but take a little more time and care. This would be shooting in camera RAW. Buying a dress and hoping it fits or that you can make minor, tiny adjustments later is much easier, but can have bad results. This would be shooting in JPG. The other way to think of Camera RAW is like a digital negative. Back in the day, you would manually expose the negatives in machines. The negative captured all the information, and you could do a lot with that.

If you are starting out, try mastering some of the other techniques first. Editing your photos should come after you start understanding some basic terms and ideas. Once you have some things down, and you want to be able to have control over your images while sitting at home, switch over to RAW.

Snow Kitty

Even on the warmer days, which is anything above 32 right now, the snow is still prevailing.  I recently took a few of my dresses into the tailor for some fixing - and this being one of them, I was so excited to get it back! This is one of my favorite dresses, but after about 2 years of wear, the hem broke in our washer (which spins really, really, probably way too fast). Most cleaners have a tailor that can make these fixes for you for only about 8 dollars, which makes the life of clothing even longer!

coat :: modcloth

sweater :: nordstrom

dress :: leah reena goren for anthropologie

tights :: target

oxfords :: born

necklace :: c/o pretty pany

belt :: target

Spring Fling

I am ALWAYS anticipating warmth - since I don't own pants, cold weather really doesn't work for me. I've been loving Bettie Page dresses lately - especially a brand they carry called Beach Bums that has the cutest, vintage-y silhouettes. Who doesn't love a little floral dress?

ice cream necklaces // bettie page floratina dress // sole society flats 

 j crew factory sweater // kate spade clutch

Sponsor Spotlight

Gipsy Dharma is an amazing show of handcrafted beauty. As a soft goods designer, I have a lot of appreciation for anyone who handcrafts these goods (since personally, I've only ever designed for manufacturing). These boots are amazingly detailed and handmade. They are made to emulate barefoot walking - made with flexible soles, similar to moccasins (my favorite pair ever was made the same way). Be sure to check out their store and site - which has weekly giveaways!

Sparkover is the shop that gets the geek in me. While I love technology, I'm in the boat that I can't wire a circuit board, but I sure can appreciate their beauty. Designer Jaci, also of Crave Jewelry design, does the coolest designs with them!

Crave Jewelry Design is my long-time favorite jewelry shop by Jaci Riley. I've been coveting her jewelry since stumbling across it in a store in Louisville long before I started blogging. Her jewelry is adorable, simple, and incredibly well made. Want proof? None of the jewelry I own from her has even broken or tarnished. It's still beautiful as the day I got it.

Enjoy some of this month's sponsors - and if you are interested in something like this yourself, let me know.

Snows and Stripes

Will this snow EVER stop?! I hate snow - like seriously, absolutely cannot stand the stuff. I hate to be little miss negativity, but when it comes to snow, I seriously can't handle it. The snow has gone above my little boots (see here, ankle boots are not appropriate in a bad winter) but I'm still finding the ability to search out some shoveled out areas and get photos. I love this coat - it's so easy to wear and comfortable. Right now, since I am in my coat more often than not, this is incredibly important.

coat :: modcloth

sweater :: target

dress :: express

tights :: target

boots :: diba via dsw

scarf :: gift (similar here)

belt :: target

headband :: anthropologie

The Grit // Athens, Georgia

For the next few months, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite places we have traveled - specifically around food, but also any other experiences I've felt were big moments of our lives. I'm an avid Yelper and have always loved writing about the good places we go. I actually have a lot of guilt about my lower reviews to be honest! Anyhow, in trying to find my inspiration again for this blog, I thought writing about the places I find most inspiring (and often where my outfit photos are taking place) would be fun.

The first is The Grit, a vegetarian restaurant in the adorable Athens, Georgia, a small college town about an hour outside of Atlanta. I first visited in 2009 when my friend was staying there as a college lab assistant for the summer. The restaurant is a gem that is fairly well known amongs vegans and vegetarians, but really is just a delicious place for anyone.Their signature tofu is unlike any other - crusted with nutritional yeast, which is one of the best things on the planet. You can read my full Yelp review here.


I
've been a total of three times - once during that trip and twice during a trip with Jason in 2012 that was on the blog. It's definitely worth the trip - especially if you are in or around Atlanta for any given period of time, try and make the trek over to Athens and enjoy some delicious vegetarian fare here. There are some other cute places as well - and Terrapin Brewery is based here, so you can stop in and get yourself a beer as well!

Dreamweaver

One of our favorite places in Pennsylvania has got to be Troegs. It's been near impossible to get a decent photo outside these days as the snow piles are taller than I am, so we have been trying to get a bit more creative about shots. I love the interior of Troegs - it's in an warm, industrial (contradictory, but true) setting with some yummy food (the pretzel, the fondue, and the popcorn) plus has really good beer. It's worth the trip if you all are ever out this way - it's always packed though! This was towards the end of the night and on a snowy evening and it was still buzzing constantly!

coat :: dear creatures remixed

cardigan :: c/o joules remixed

dress :: modcloth remixed

belt :: target remixed

loafers :: gh bass remixed

bag :: kate spade remixed

necklace :: target remixed