You're Getting a List and Pictures

Today I bring you a list and pictures. That was redundant, I'm assuming you've already read the title of this post. Oh did you hear? Today I'm bringing you a list and some pictures! #DraggingItOut

1. I'm a blog at night kind of girl. I get stressed out when I get to work and no post auto scheduled to run. Last night I installed two new blog designs for Kenz and Amanda, and after two blog designs (and two glasses of wine) I was pooped and ready for bed. 

2. I just spilled coffee all over my desk and brand new planner and everyone in the office pointed and laughed rather than helping me clean it up. #rudeticket. 

Some days I feel like I'm a giant gorilla with massive hands swinging wildly to and fro, knocking down everything in my path. I was in Anthropologie on Saturday looking at planners and I swear I felt like I needed to force myself to walk around as if I was laced up in a straight jacket. Do not move hands, do not move arms, do not blink because eyelashes will knock all those precious salt and pepper shakers right off the shelf. I try and suck everything in, but how do I suck my donkey booty in? There goes another pepper shaker...

3. Erin once told us that posts didn't have to be brilliant to be good. Careful what you wish for because you get this post I'm currently compiling. 

4. I'm going to Tennessee on Friday and staying until late Monday night. I have three days of vacation coming to me, 5 total days off. Getting new jobs are amazing, but waiting a year for more than just one week of vacation is not amazing. I need to get out of this cubicle, if even for just three days. 

5. I haven't participated in Sami's weekend shenanigans in like three weeks, alas, no photo dumps recently. So today I'm linking up with Steph and bringing you things I'm grateful for. 

So I guess I'm grateful for baseball, football, pictures with a Cowboy super fans and dog butts in my face while I'm trying to sleep. All the normal things.

What I'm Trying to Do Vs. What is Happening

Why can't I figure out this mother lovin DSLR camera? I've got the camera in manual, I'm reading the light meter, I'm adjusting the ISO, I'm adjusting the F Stop correctly. My pictures are still looking just like the iPhone! Or in some cases, worse because I can't get enough light for the DSLR, yet in the same shooting scenario, I get plenty of light with the iPhone. 

Fun fact about me: I'm an obsessor. I wouldn't call it a perfectionist because I have zero attention to detail. I think people throw around the term OCD and/or perfectionist far too lightly. 

I obsess. I obsess over things until I figure the problem out. I once sat for four and a half hours fidgeting with broken cords and cables trying to connect a television to a computer. I couldn't move. I couldn't stop. I was obsessed with solving the riddle of why it wasn't working. 

My point here is that I don't half ass things. I'm really trying to figure out this camera. Why do I suck at this? Some people have said it is because of the "kit" lens. Why would I pay SO MUCH for a camera that gave me a crappy lens? Is this all the lens' fault and not my own?

I really hope I'm not offending any professional photographers. I realize I'll never be able to do what the pros do. I'm not trying to be a professional, and I certainly don't believe that simply buying a DSLR makes you a professional photographer. I just want to take my own pictures that are pretty, and feel proud to post them on my blog and design site. 

Here is a little more information on what I'm going for...

For my Social&Chic design site I want a really cool image for the front screen. Currently it is a crappy picture from my work trip back in July. Here are some simple photo concepts I found on Pinterest that I'd like to use on my website.

These are all simple items, I should be able to recreate this. Also, I have tons of light in my apartment, I wouldn't think they have more light coming in than I do. I even started taking pictures with the light meter way to the right just to get that brighter, whiter effect all those above pictures have. That seemed to help a little bit, but then everything went out of focus.

So here are my attempts...

What do I need to do differently.... and go!

Thank you in advance -- xo, management.

On another note, I figured out how to automatically decrease the space blogger adds between my images. Holler!