I read recently that photography is the only form of visual art where you don’t consciously add elements (“shall I give David a fig leaf? Naaah, my wrist is sore – leave him naked!”) but rather consciously have to exclude them. You point your camera at a room full of people and it’s up to you whether to shoot the entire room or the detail on one woman’s hat.
Blogging is a little like that too. You, as the blogger, can choose what to share with your readers and what to leave out.
You might choose to tell them about the souffle before the one that appeared on your blog. The one that refused to rise and tended instead towards the consistency of a squash ball. Or the muffins where you confused the amounts of flour and oil which were more amoeboid than muffinoid.
Or you might exercise your artistic license and exclude that little detail from your post.
Or you might post lovely pink and turquoise pictures of heart shaped pasta to build up to your entry into this month’s edition of Click! (a new event hosted by the lovel Bee and Jai over at Jugalbandi), leading readers to picture you flitting around your perfect home in your pastel-coloured apron, thinking sweet thoughts, smiling benignly and humming the Sound of Music under your breath as you click away at your pretty pasta.
Or you can tell them the truth, which is that you were in head-to-toe black, clearing a 1 square foot square space in the chaos that is your living room to accommodate the shoot, and that you had My Chemical Romance blaring as loudly as decency would allow on the stereo.
Nothing like boys in eyeliner for my creative impulse.
Follow me every day in November as I complete National Blog Posting Month – a post a day, every day, for 30 days! Here are all my NaBloPoMo ’07 posts so far.
The final picture above is in fact my entry into Click! for this month. The theme is noodles and entries close tomorrow, so you’d better hurry if you still want to enter. Check out Jugalbandi for details of how to enter.
Francesco says
November 19, 2007 at 3:46 pmThis is a crazy funny colorful post!!!
First time I visit you (following the topless pastry link) … mind if I pass back sometimes?
And I already discovered something new: click! and that pasta can have really many shapes!
Julia says
November 19, 2007 at 4:28 pmAnother My Chemical Romance fan! I love them……well actually I love Gerard but don’t tell Rob 😉
Sarah Pipilini says
November 19, 2007 at 5:40 pmAh the malevolent march of time…
Then, boys in eyeliner;
Now, men in babyliners!
Kit says
November 19, 2007 at 6:48 pmPretty pasta even if you’re not skipping merrily around it dressed in pink with nuns carolling in the background!
Andrew says
November 19, 2007 at 9:25 pmGood choice of pic! Wont beat my Pot Noodle though 😉
Coffee & Vanilla says
November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pmBeautiful picture Jeanne!
I sent my entry as well, but mine is not sooo colourful 🙁
Margot
Coffee & Vanilla says
November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pmBeautiful picture Jeanne!
I sent my entry as well, but mine is not sooo colourful 🙁
Margot
Coffee & Vanilla says
November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pmBeautiful picture Jeanne!
I sent my entry as well, but mine is not sooo colourful 🙁
Margot
ejm says
November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pmI can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that you WEREN’T humming the Sound of Music. Not that there’s anything wro… (WHAT am a saying?! Why oh why did you even mention TSoM?! Thanks to you, I now have an audiovirus of “I am six-teen, going on…” aaauaghhhhhhhhhhhh!!)
What cool photos!
Where did you find those hearts?! Are there other shapes too?
-Elizabeth
Gill says
November 20, 2007 at 2:35 pmLike I need another reason to love pasta – those pasta hearts are too cute! Better not show my kids or my poor friend who is coming over from the UK in a week (yay!) will be bringing yet another parcel…
Freya says
November 20, 2007 at 4:21 pmWhat gorgeous pasta! And it solves the problem of what to cook on Valentines Day, albeit a few months too early!!
TBC says
November 20, 2007 at 4:30 pmHow pretty!
I too took numerous pics but the hardest part was picking just one.
Yours is so colorful!
bee says
November 20, 2007 at 10:47 pmlove the exuberance of colours and shapes. thanks for participating.
Annemarie says
November 20, 2007 at 10:49 pmI love your imagery in this post, both verbal and pictoral! I’m off to find my frilly apron, in which to flit around the house…
S says
November 21, 2007 at 9:54 amJ – my sister is OBSESSED with heart shapes.
Where can I buy these cuties?
Jeanne says
November 21, 2007 at 1:39 pmHi Francesco
Glad you have discovered Cooksister! Do pop back any time 🙂 Maybe you can join us for the topless tart event?
Hi Julia
Hurrah! Another MCR fan over the age of 18!! I am thinking of changing my blog name to “Cooking with Mrs Gerard Way” – subtle, n’est ce pas?! Saw them live at the O2 on Thursday and they blew me away.
Hi Sarah
Speak for yourself, love. For me it’s ALWAYS going to be boys in eyeliner!
Hi Kit
I guess my secret is out – no carolling nuns in my CD collection!! Glad you like the pastel pasta though 🙂
Hi Andrew
I can’t believe you have actually made a Pot Noodle look vaguely edible! Who woulda thought. Now if YOU had been listening to MCR during the shoot, nobody would have been surprised…!
Hi Margot
You are right – pasta tends to come in a range of neutral and not-very-exciting colours, doesn’t it! That’s why these caught my eye. I’ve just had a look at your shot – it’s beautiful 🙂
Hi Elizabeth
Glad to hear your faith in me is restored by my taste in music…!
I bought my pasta hearts at a funky kitchen store in Berlin, but I have seen similar ones on the web here: http://www.rosslyndeli.net/B13_special_occasions/B13C1_valentine.htm and here: http://www.pastashoppe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=149&c=47
Hi Gill
Aren’t they the cutest? The only problem is that they’re far too cute to eat! Although I have started thinking in the direction of a lovely pink salmon and vodka sauce with them…
Hi Freya
They are gorgeous (the dark ones are flavoured with beetroot!) but as I said above, you end up not eating them because it just seems that they are too pretty to eat.
Hi TBC
Yup, editing was the hardest. I have read that this is the mark of a good photographer: the ability to edit your portfolio ruthlessly and to select only one good photo from a series. I’m still working on that…
Hi Bee
Thanks for initiating the event! The colours are great, aren’t they? The pasta was from Germany and the napkins from South Africa, so it’s a pretty international photo too!
Hi Annemarie
LOL – seems like I’ve now got frilly aprons and Sound of Music on a few peole’s minds! Glad you liked the tone of the post as well as the pics – I had a ball taking them 🙂
Hi S
I got these in Berlin at a funky kitchenware store, but I have seen similar ones on the web here: http://www.rosslyndeli.net/B13_special_occasions/B13C1_valentine.htm and here: http://www.pastashoppe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=149&c=47
Maryann@FindingLaDolceVita says
November 21, 2007 at 6:36 pmI love your photos 🙂
african vanielje says
November 22, 2007 at 9:52 amHi Jeanne. I kinda like the picture of you in goth black humming the sound of music. Love the pics, and where dod you get the pasta. I’ve got to get my daughter some. SHe’ll love it.
ilingc says
November 22, 2007 at 11:30 pmI love these heart shaped pastas. They’re gorgeous. My favourite is the second one, where two hearts lie together. It’s very romantic 🙂
kadirecipes says
April 8, 2011 at 3:20 ami REALLY wonder how you take photos. These pics are very nice, you are AN ARTIST ANT YOUR TALENT IS UNIQUE.
http://www.kadirecipes.com