Cloud Photography: VSCOcam Tips and Tricks

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This color inspiration collage got me thinking about all the cloud photos I've taken since moving to Germany. Like I said in a previous post, I feel like the clouds here are just nicer than at home: fluffier, bigger and just more interesting. 

I've also gotten really into editing my cloud photos with VSCOcam. Below are some of the tips and tricks I've learned in using the app. I'm no photography expert but I hope these are helpful!

I always take my cloud photos with VSCOcam on my iPhone. The app allows you to split focus and exposure, which makes for much more dynamic photos than with the regular iPhone camera. I absolutely love playing with moving the exposure around the frame to see how it changes the shot. Usually I find that lower exposure is best for cloud photos because it really makes the clouds pop.

 

I also use VSCOcam to edit my photos. I'm usually not a huge fan of filters, but I often feel like the camera just doesn't do amazing sunsets or stunning cloud formations justice.  That's where the VSCOcam filters and editing tools come in.

I don't have any formula for editing pictures of clouds, but I do have a series of tools that I usually play around with. The C1 filter looks really beautiful on cloud pictures, especially those with pink and purple in them. After deciding if I want to use a filter, I look at the exposure, contrast, saturation, temperature and tint. Use caution with the saturation, as the photo can quickly start to look like it came straight out of the 80's (unless that's what you're going for, then you do you!). For me, the tint feature is the one that gives it that dream-like quality. There are three tint features in VSCOcam--highlight tint, shadow tint, and regular tint. Sometimes I use the highlight and shadow tint, but the real magic is in the regular tint. To be honest, I'm not sure what the regular tint tool actually does, but on the cloud photos it makes the light purple and pink really pop.

Does anyone else love clouds as much as me?

A little bit preppy: classic J.Crew 3" chino shorts

I love summer and I love shorts. Shorts are so much less restricting than pants, and it's easier to find shorts that flatter my short legs than pants. These J.Crew 3" chino shorts are classics. I have them in navy (shown here), khaki, and a rust color, all in size zero. I could probably size down to double zero, but I also like the extra room around the leg (and I have a butt). I sometimes find that J.Crew clothes are cut for a tall woman with no curves--definitely not me. I'm glad these shorts are an exception to that experience because they are so versatile.

On top I'm wearing a light blue Madewell button down with small white polka dots. It fits my narrow shoulders better than some petite brands do! On my feet are some hand-me-down Sam Edelman loafers from my mom. They're practically falling apart but I like them too much to give them up yet.

Snaps from the week: August 16

This week was long and short all at once. I was busy at work getting ready for two of my colleagues to go on vacation, which helped. I love having a lot to do in the office- the more I have to do, the more productive I am. Something about having extra time on my hands makes me dawdle even more, so I always ask for the next project well before I see boredom in my future. To prepare me for my busy days I had plenty of iced coffee, my latest obsession. It takes me back to my Stanford days and spontaneous trips with my sister to Philz for mint-mojito iced coffee.

To stave off boredom at home, I also tackled some of the recipes I mentioned in my last post! On Sunday night I mixed up the marinade for these fajitas, and on Monday morning I chopped up the veggies and meat to marinade during the day. I will say, cooking meat is not my strong suit-- the beef turned out a little dry and tough. Whale and I agreed that the sauce was nice and we enjoyed the meal nonetheless.

A colleague of mine has a zucchini plant in her backyard, and she kindly gave me a beautiful zucchini this week. I went straight home that day and spiralized some zoodles. Mixed with Barilla gluten free spaghetti (the best gluten free pasta!) and topped with cheese-free pesto, this meal came together quite nicely.

 The best meal of the week was also the least photogenic (read: I'm not posting any pictures because it really wasn't cute): quinoa salad with wasabi-lime dressing and sweet-sour ground beef. I tweaked the recipe I posted last week, instead making the dressing with soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, lime juice and plenty of wasabi paste (proportions to taste). For the beef I mixed equal parts sweet-sour sauce and soy sauce, and drizzled that over 200 grams of ground beef. We will definitely have to add that one to the weekly rotation.

 Here's an awkward gym selfie for you to round out the post.

I hope you had a great week!

Top 5 After Work Meals

Confession: I have no hangry buffer. If I don't eat at regularly scheduled intervals, everyone around me is in for a delightful combination of hungry + angry (and sometimes just sad/emotional). Whale has a name for my famished alter ego: the crabby queen.

My lack of a hangry buffer can pose a problem in my new adult-with-a-job life. My gym is conveniently located across the parking lot from my work, so I usually hit the weights straight after work. This is when the hangry clock is ticking quickly...by the time I get home I need to cook a fast and easy meal before I have a meltdown.

Other important factors in my meal planning: gluten, lactose, soy and oat free with a high veggie content.

Here are the top meals in my current after work dinner rotation:

1. Taco Salad

Everything about taco salad reminds me of home-- the Mexican spices plus the fresh veggies evoke memories of summers when my mom used to make this for us in the evening. Mexican food has not taken hold in Germany the way it has in the US, so it can be a little harder to find the right ingredients. Larger grocery stores tend to have at least a small Mexican section with salsa and tortillas, and we've even discovered that a particularly large Edeka grocery store near us carried Old El Paso brand taco seasoning.

The beauty of taco salad is that it's so easy--chop up whatever vegetables you want, mix the taco seasoning with whatever meat or meat replacement you want, combine. We've used ground beef, shrimp and even quinoa in our salads.

2. Vegetable Omelette

When I was a kid and I started to get crabby, my parents would say "somebody needs an egg." Usually a quick protein infusion would turn my mood around. The same holds true today. When we need a protein fix after work, a veggie omelette does the trick. I take whatever vegetables we have in the fridge (usually tomato, bell pepper, mushroom and onion), sauté them, fry up the eggs, throw it all together, and eat!

3. Veggie Sandwich

Another meal I remember from growing up, veggie sandwiches are perfect for super hot summer nights when standing in front of the stove is the last thing I want to be doing. Honestly, as a kid I used to make my veggies sandwiches with avocado, cheese and mayonnaise. I guess I hadn't really gotten the veggie-memo. Now I make them with cucumber, tomato, lettuce, avocado, honey mustard and maybe a slice of cheese.

4. Zucchini Pasta

Zucchini pasta takes a little prep, so sometimes this turns into regular pasta if I can't be bothered (I highly recommend the new Barilla gluten free pastas!). However, the spiralizer was one of the best kitchen investments Whale and I made--as long as I know ahead of time that we're going to make zucchini noodles, I can whip it out pretty efficiently.


After spiralizing my zucchini (1.5-2 zucchini per person, depending on size), I like to wring out the excess water. Usually this means salting the noodles a little and letting them sit on paper towels for 30-40 minutes (or more). If I don't want to wait, I sometimes pop them in the oven to dry out a little. After sweating, I put them in a towel and squeeze out the extra moisture, then cook them on medium-high heat in a pan with a little oil until I like the texture. Top with a pasta sauce and you really feel like you're eating spaghetti!

5. Maultaschen

When I suggest we have Maultaschen for dinner, the look of joy on Whale's face is like a cartoon character. Maultaschen are like german potstickers--meat and spinach dumplings that can be cooked a variety of ways. Since they are a specialty of the Stuttgart region, you can buy Maultaschen in every grocery store, and the most popular brand has even started a gluten-free line!

Whale usually prepares this dish for us, since he's the Maultaschen king. He cuts the dumplings into strips and cooks them with egg in a pan.

While these options are all great, I'm always looking to expand my weekly lineup. Here's some other recipes I have my eye on:

1. Grilled flank steak fajitas--the beer marinade for the steak looks amazing!
2. Miso-curry roasted vegetable salad--an awesome way to use up extra veggies in the fridge.
3. Thai Beef with Coconut Rice--if you can speak German check this recipe out!
4. Quinoa Salad with Chili Lime Dressing-- yum! 

Happy cooking!

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Snaps from the week: August 2

Another week, another month! August is vacation time in southern Germany, and the Germans take vacation seriously. The traffic report on Friday evening must have been 10 minutes long as they listed the longest jams in southern Germany. Throughout Germany, the school holidays are staggered by state to ensure that the entire country isn't on holiday at the same time. I commented to Whale the other day that it seemed unfair to the other states that Bayer and Baden-Wurttemberg get the six weeks from the last week of July to the first week of August. No so, he said. The later vacation time means the days are already heading into fall. ugh.

We've enjoyed some really beautiful evenings in the last week, with pink, fluffy clouds. The clouds here are so different from what I am used to back home. They seem to hang so low, almost as if you could reach out and grab a handful. 

Whale has been sick with a fever and sore throat this week, so lots of tea has been in order. I'm obsessed with these Starbucks "You are here" collection mugs. I  got one from San Diego back in February, and coerced Whale into bringing back the San Francisco and California ones from his trip to Silicon Valley. One of our friends got wind of my obsession and also brought me back a Los Angeles one! The colorful designs make me happy when I see them, and I love the little reminders of home.

We rounded out our week with a birthday party for a friend of Whale's family. It was at a little house in the countryside with chickens, turkeys, llamas and even camels! I made Whale take some pictures of me...he thought it was pretty weird but he always thinks I'm weird. I'm working on posing without looking totally awkward...it's a work in progress.

I'm hoping for a warm, relaxing August with plenty of sunshine. Looks like my wish might come true...they're predicting 100 degrees on Friday!