FAQ
Where do you get the props you use in photos?
Some of my favorite stores are Target, Anthropologie, and Cost Plus World Market. I also love to browse Etsy. Some of my favorite Etsy finds are from:
- A Good Vintage
- Falcon and Finch
- TheOldRedHen
What camera and/or lenses do you use?
Until February 2nd, 2010 I used a point-and-shoot style camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S. On February 3rd, 2010 I finally upgraded to the Canon EOS 50D. I bought it body only and purchased the 50mm f1.4 lens. I LOVE my new camera. I use an older version of Adobe Photoshop to make adjustments on the photos.
Culinary Snapshot, a great blog dedicated to food photography tips and tutorials. You’ll see behind-the-scenes on how I get some of the shots I do, plus great tips for photo editing from myself and other food bloggers. If you’d like to learn more about food photography, or are just curious about the process, I highly recommend checking Culinary Snapshot out.
I also love this post on food photography by VeganYumYum and all of these photography tutorials from the wonderful White on Rice Couple.
Foodography: Digital Food Photography for Bloggers, Foodies, and Restauranteurs, by Helene Dujardin, scheduled for a Spring 2011 release will surely be a great food photography resource!
Do you use natural light in your photos or do you have a lighting set-up?
Update 1/1/2011: I now have a Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash that I use in lower light conditions to supplement natural light, such as on very overcast days.
So far I have only used natural light. Over time I’ve figured out what areas of my house work best at different times of the day. In the front room for most of the day (but especially in morning), dining room mid morning to early afternoon, and kitchen afternoon and later.
If it’s a dark and stormy day I usually opt for the front room because it has the most windows (9!) and it’s a double story ceiling. You don’t have to shoot in your kitchen just because that’s where you make the food.
I just bought a tripod (8/26/10) to help on the darker days and during the winter so I can go lower on the shutter speed without dealing with camera shake. I’ll update this after I’ve used it more to let you know how it’s working out. (3/19/11 – Love the tripod!)
Can I post your recipe on my website or blog?
Absolutely. I love when you share my recipes with your friends and family. I do have some rules though.
Give credit where credit is due. If you made the recipe exact from mine, then link to the original recipe as the source. If you make minor changes to the recipe, then credit as “adapted from” with a link to the original recipe.
I also ask that you reword the method or instruction section of the recipe so that it uses your own voice rather than copying and pasting my material.
In terms of recipe development, the industry standard, not just for blogging, but for cookbooks is that the ingredients aren’t copyrightable, but the method is.
More Author Copyright Information.
Reposting recipes for commercial use is not okay without permission.
Can I use your photo on my website or blog?
I prefer that you use your own. I work very hard to take these photos with the intended use being for my blog or the freelance articles I write. If you are going to use my image for your own personal blog, please give credit where credit is due and a link back to the original post.
Reposting images for commercial use is not okay without permission first. Please email me.
We have a special project that we’d like to collaborate with you on.
I truly enjoy working together with other bloggers and companies who are relevant to the subject of my blog. I take great pleasure in food photography, recipe development, freelance writing and eating. I dearly love my husband and two children. I value the friendships I have at home and those I have developed through blogging.
If you have something that would be mutually beneficial to your interests and mine, I welcome you to email me directly so we can talk about specifics.
Would you like to review a product or host a giveaway on your blog?
If you feel your product is relevant to the subject of my blog, I invite you to send me an email so we can discuss the possibility. I don’t, however, offer guaranteed endorsement in exchange for free products. I give me readers my honest opinion on products that I feel are beneficial to the food world and goodLife {eats} readers.
Do kindly take note that I’m not inclined to respond to “Dear Blog Author” inquiries. If you’d like me to get to know your product, please take a moment to get to know me.
Why did you start a blog?
Originally my only intention for starting this blog was to archive our family favorite recipes and new recipes we had tried – a fun hobby and creative outlet for me. goodLife {eats} first began as a place to archive some of my favorite recipes and to report back on new dishes and desserts I’d tried.
I thought the blog would help keep the recipes organized and easily accessible to our friends and family. Others took interest in goodLife {eats} as well, so here we are! I still write for the same reasons, but now I have the opportunity to share my passion for food with others outside my family.
Did you design your blog? Who designed your blog? Where is your template from?
For the new and improved WordPress blog: I created a mock design for the new layout, created a new logo header, etc. and the lovely Purr Design created a custom template based on my design and dealt with all the coding, widget, and plug-in stuff that was required.
For the old Blogger blog: I chose the colors and designed the header and several of the graphics myself. Ellie from Rainyday Templates tweaked my original blogger template, top widebar styling (including the networking icons and search bar), and Twit This bird that appeared below each post.
Why the name goodLife {eats}?
goodLife {eats} is a play on our last name – Goodman – and a description of us: Life is Good! Since I wholeheartedly believe that part of the goodness in life is enjoying good food with friends and family, it only seemed natural to name my blog goodLife {eats}.
How did you start writing for Craftzine/Paula Deen/Tablespoon?
As far as the opportunity to become a contributing writer for Paula Deen’s food section, a food writer for Craftzine and a featured writer on the Tablespoon blog, I just consider myself to be super lucky. For Paula Deen it wasn’t a job I applied for or even knew about. I was contacted by a representative of Paula Deen to see if I’d be interested in the opportunity.
I can say that I’m pretty sure that having some freelance writing with Craftzine in my resume in addition to my blog helped me greatly – in terms of credibility and exposure.
I first started out my freelance writing through craftzine.com. I had a few recipes featured and a hand scrub how-to article. After that I contacted the editor asking if they were looking for food how-to articles and if so, what topics.
She then emailed me topics for a few months and I was able to submit my pitches to her. I was regularly publishing with Craft and then was asked if I would have a standing agreement to write 2 articles per month.
Do you have any tips on how I can get involved in freelance writing?
Other tips I’ve learned a long the way: write your local magazines and newspapers and offer to write food columns for them. Also, many magazine sites have article guidelines on their sites for submissions and you can submit article abstracts to them for publishing. Don’t be afraid to pitch an idea!