Buddies,  Paris,  the laundry

Lens Envy

January 4, 2009 /

croque monsieur

We cruised down to Bethany’s for the day and two things happened. She made croque monsieurs for dinner which always take me all the way back to Paris AND she let me play with her new 50mm lens! Normally I say Lens schmens, it’s what you do with the camera that counts, but this lens?!! It makes everything look like smitten kitchen. I’m so in love with it. I’m trying really hard not to be jealous but it is difficult!

Nigella-close-up

Does that look like it was taken in fluorescent light? Where’s the green cast? You’d think I did some fancy photoshop work to warm up the shot. But I didn’t. I did absolutely nothing. Doesn’t Bethany look like Nigella? It’s good to have friends who can cook.

saj plate

It’s good to have friends who let you use their fancy camera…

freshly laundered

…and let you do your laundry in their garage.

p.s. By the way, the cookies on my saj plate are smitten kitchen’s pecan sandies. This is a very smitten-esque post. (Hi Deb!)

p.p.s. The plate is for sale. I have a lens to save up for.

18 Comments

  • Camels & Chocolate

    January 4, 2009 at 12:32 pm

    I have a very similar lens that I bought for myself as an early Christmas present. I love it! It immediately makes your pics look way more professional without so much as adjusting the aperture!

  • deb

    January 4, 2009 at 2:01 pm

    You’re giving away my secret — it’s not the photographer, it’s just that she has great lenses! :) P.S. Are you saving for the full-throttle 50mm or the budget one? I’m all about the budget one, but of course, I have not yet taken a picture with the better one. At which point it would be all over. P.P.S. Just realized I assumed you were using a Canon. If not, ignore the above.

  • MOMSY

    January 4, 2009 at 2:41 pm

    **sob** The plate has been snapped up. It would have been perfect for this dreaming of Paris girl. Will you be painting more??

  • mike

    January 4, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    Glad you like the 50mm lens (the nifty-fifty!) — how did you enjoy manual focus? :-D It’s a small compromise, no? And as for the budget lens (f/1.8) vs the full throttle (f/1.4), it’s my understanding that they both perform equally well at 1.8 and that the 1.4 isn’t actually all that hot at f/1.4 — but maybe that’s just what the reviewers who own the 1.8 are saying! Shooting with available light is its own reward.

    Sorry about the camera talk… I take it where I can get it. Great pictures, as always.

  • Rhi

    January 4, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    Mmmm! Croque Monsieurs! We have an awesome, awesome restaurant downtown where you can get one for three or so dollars on happy hour. Must make plans to go there soon!

  • karen

    January 4, 2009 at 5:04 pm

    Ok, so I want all of your pants. Is that weird? I would NEVER buy pink corduroys… but yours look exactly like something I’d wear. Maybe it’s the fancy-schmancy lens?

  • bethany actually

    January 4, 2009 at 5:47 pm

    karen, I think those pants are actually a beige color. At least, I don’t remember SAJ ever wearing pink cords!

    And oh yes, we offer full-service laundry to ALL our guests. We’ve gotta bribe people to come visit us somehow. ;-)

  • Jennifer

    January 5, 2009 at 12:59 am

    Heh, lens envy. I feel bad that I’ve flaunted my 50mm in front of you without ever asking if you’d like to take a picture with it. I still have no idea how to use my camera properly but the 50mm is like magic.

  • lynne

    January 5, 2009 at 4:04 am

    Lucky person who bought the plate. I hope you will making more too. I really don’t know anything about lenses but a friend who makes you yummy looking croque monsieurs while you do your laundry is a friend indeed :)

  • Glenda

    January 5, 2009 at 5:06 am

    Ok… I have the 1.2 and love it except… I am still having trouble with the focus and using it for portraits. It’s tricky and I’ve been told once you get the hang of it you will love it! Still playing Ü

  • BeachMama

    January 5, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    I got the exact same lens for Christmas from Hubby. I have been snap happy for a few weeks now. I say SAJ, isn’t Toby a photographer? Don’t you get to play with funky lenses at home?

    As always, love reading of your tales and it is so much fun to hear of your trips to the Actually’s.