Archive for September, 2009

Yesterday morning I took my new camera to the Farmer’s Market at Lake Eola (Orlando’s miniature version of Central Park). I took it on a whim, my main purpose for the trip was to scope out the local goods and possibly come home with a baggu bag full of produce. But, I must admit, the Winter Park Farmer’s Market on Saturdays is much better so I ended up with only a scant bag full of peppers (some of which you can see in yesterday’s poloroids) and a few cloves of garlic.

On the walk back to my car I thought I’d try to take some photos, to keep the trip from being a total waste. After snapping a few frames I remembered that I had been wanting to make a portrait in motion with my fancy new HD video capabilities. And so I did. And this is how it turned out. This is my first ever video and my first ever HD video and my first ever try at iMovie…

Lake Eola, A Portrait in Motion

You can watch the full HD version on Vimeo by clicking on the video. Office warning: Music is on

.

.

.

I just wanted to make a little announcement about a project I started doing the other day. (I know what you’re thinking “Becka and her various projects…”) And it’s true, I need a lot of outlets for creativity. If you follow me on twitter you may remember that I was asking people if they had tried a 365 project and how they liked it. I liked the idea of chronicling life each day. But still… something didn’t jive 100% with me. Until I saw a project my friend Ashley Forette was doing which was a beautiful spin on the 365 project. She was taking photos with her iphone constantly documenting various parts of her day creatively. Hello perfect match! Yesterday I got started and I’ve been absolutely loving it. The pressure is gone of having to carry my big girl gear around with me all the time, and also it’s on to be creative because my little iphone camera definitely does not give me the same control that my 5DII does.

Since it’s more of a personal project, I won’t really be talking about it too much here on the blog, but I will talk about it on twitter if you want to follow along. And if you’d just like to bookmark it or add it to your reader you are more than welcome. But keep in mind that it is a personal project so nothing is off limits. ;)

Giorno Bello A Photo Project by Becka Knight

.

.

.

Nate wanted to make chocolate chip cookies the other night. I told him I had the best recipe he’d ever tasted. And this is what happened…

Have you ever gotten one of those big, gourmet, chocolate chip cookies from a coffee shop (like Starbucks) and wondered to yourself, “How on earth do they get these things so big but still chewy and delicious?” Well, this is the recipe and technique for gourmet style chocolate chip cookies just like that. Be warned, they are the best chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever taste!

Ingredients
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 sticks butter (melted and cooled until warm)
1 C packed brown sugar (light or brown, your choice)
1 lg egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Method
1. Adjust oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat to 325 degrees
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray
3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set to the side
4. Beat the butter and sugars until blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until combine. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts to taste. (So load ‘em up!)
5. Roll scant 1/4 cup of dough into balls (yes, it is a lot of dough, that’s because these are big cookies). Hold the dough ball between your hands with your fingertips and pull apart gently into 2 separate halves. Rotate the halves up 90 degrees so the rough side is facing up and smoosh (technical term) the two halves together again gently at the base forming a single ball with a jagged top.
6. Be careful not to smooth the jagged top, that’s what makes these cookies pretty.
7. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and bake 15-18 minutes until puffy and light golden brown. Don’t overcook, these are supposed to be big and chewy.

.

.

.