Dreaming in Dubai

I'm a little embarrassed by how long it's taken me to get this blog post up. I'd actually had it written and queued up for weeks but between work, preparing for my trip to Pakistan(!!!), technical difficulties on my blog and attempting to take care of my home it's been a struggle to sit down and actually publish it. I finally had a few spared minutes today and managed to make that collage you see up there. Anyways, enough my rambling. Let's get back to the actual post. One of the questions I most frequently get asked most frequently is how do I take and edit my pictures. I find this question quite flattering because I'm far from an expert. To be honest my husband helps me out with photography a lot and by helping I mean he takes a large chunk of my pictures for me. I do like to take credit for the creative aspects though! I think we make quite a productive team with his technical skills and my creative compositions. It's all about the balance after all. There are a couple of things I've learned along the way that have helped me out tremendously when I do take my pictures. Most of our pictures are taken with our Canon 70D that my husband and I impulsively splurged on before our trip to Turkey. It's actually turned out to be our favorite purchase ever. Our camera has allowed us to really learn and experiment photography and take it one step above iPhone pictures. The tips I'll be sharing today apply to all cameras, both iPhones and DSLR's. (I'm working on a separate post just for DSLR's!) I hope these tips answer the questions that so many of you have. If not please leave me a comment below!

1. Use Natural Light

Unless you have extensive knowledge of your dslr and lenses it can be impossible to take good pictures under artificial light. Light bulbs tend to cast a harsh yellow or blue shadow on pictures resulting in a lack luster photograph. Natural light on the other hand provides a natural glow to pictures that make for a gorgeous photograph. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of natural light. Play with shadows, harsh light, dull light etc to see how they impact your pictures. The only way you will learn what light works best for your taste is to experiment. I prefer the bright light that shines through my apartment in the afternoon. This sometimes causes delays for me if I don't get home in time to shoot my pictures but I would rather wait until the next day to get a great photo than to take a photo in light I don't love.

2. Composition

When it comes to aesthetically pleasing photographs, composition is key. Whether you're taking a flat flay, food photo, or nature shot, if you don't compose your shot in a way that's pleasing to the eye it won't look good on camera. Play around with your props, objects, whatever it may be to find the shot that looks best. Explore different angles and settings to find what works best. I often take 20 different shots of the same thing before I find a composition that I love.

3. Don't Drastically Edit

Chances are if you've taken a great photograph you won't need to edit it drastically. When I first started taking pictures I would saturate them until they turned neon. For some reason strange reason I thought they looked best that way but I've slowly come to realize that when it comes to editing, less is actually more. Now, I like my pictures to have a natural look so I hardly ever use filters or editing tools on them. For me filters are a hit or miss, sometimes they can transport a photo into another realm but most of the time they make a picture look discolored (not in a good way), grainy, and distorted. My favorite tools to use for editing pictures are the tools available on Instagram itself which allow you adjust saturation, brightness, shadows etc. I find that these tools make the best impact on pictures. You'd be surprised at what a difference increasing saturation or brightness can make on an image!

4. Taking Straight Photos

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to pictures are when they are crooked. Crooked pictures throw off the entire balance of a picture. It's best to make sure that you're holding the camera straight when you're shooting. This is very easy to do if you have a phone camera but it can take a little time to master if you're using a dslr because they tend to be more bulky. Luckily there are a number of apps you can use to straighten a picture my favorite of which, surprise, surprise is the Instagram editing tools. The best part of the straitening tool is that not only can you use it to straighten a picture horizontally, you can also pull the photo in different directions (not sure if that makes sense!). But trust me, it makes a huge difference especially if you've tilted the camera up to take photos.

5. The Rule of Thirds

This rule goes along with composition but it's so important that it deserves its explanation. The rule of third is when the composition of your picture is divided into thirds, either horizontally or vertically. This means that the subject of your image falls along one of the thirds. This rule is hands down one of the easiest ways to create an interesting composition in your photo. Rather than having the subject in the middle, if the subject lies along one of the thirds it will create interest in your photo and draw the eye to the subject automatically. I use this rule in almost all of my pictures by having at least one of the subjects of my photo fall along the third lines. You can either imagine the lines in your head when taking the picture or you can use the grid function on your iPhone camera to see where the lines fall. 

I hope these tips are helpful! I will be doing another set of tips that are specifically for dslr's very soon!

One of the things that I knew I would miss the most after moving to Dubai was Fall back home. New England has one of the most beautiful Fall season's in the world. For 21 years I got to watch the leaves turn to all shades of crimson, yellow, and orange. They would line the streets as I walked and I was always on a hunt to scout out the most vibrant leaves. I would pick them up and bring them home with me, placing them on my desk to look at while I did my work. During Fall my dad would always take me on a long drive through the countryside so that we could take in the beauty together. I never realized how much I would miss this beautiful time of the year after I moved to Dubai. The months of September and October are hot here but they provide the perfect opportunity to visit the beach. Just recently I've noticed a slight breeze rippling through the trees here early in the morning when I first wake up. It's nothing close to the sweater weather we have back home though. Aside from being incredibly scenic, Fall in my opinion is one the season where you can be most stylish. If pairing cozy sweaters with jeans and boots before you have to top them off with layers of outwear isn't the best of both worlds, I don't know what is. I have a stack of sweaters here that I brought with me from America just in case it cooled down enough to wear them. I've been staring at them every time I open my closet imagining the accessories I'd pair them with if I could. For now I'll just have to hope that the winter here is cool enough for me to wear them at least once!

This plum, peach, and lime juice is possibly the best thing I've ever tasted.

I think my title for this blog post a little misleading. Tom and Serg, the ultra - hip, incredibly cool, local producing serving cafe that's opened up in Al Qouz of all places has introduced hipster to Dubai rather than bringing it back. I know hipster has garnered a bit of a negative connotation lately because it leads people to think of entitled millennials but in the context of Tom and Serg, hipster is a very good thing. Tom and Serg opened up their cafe in what had originally been a warehouse in one of the most industrial areas of Dubai. While this isn't unusual in places like Brooklyn and LA, it was revolutionary for Dubai where good food is related with opulence and luxury. Tom and Serg is changing the way that people think about food in Dubai. By opening up in an unusual area, creating a selective yet impressive menu and showing that good culinary experience don't have to be luxurious, Tom and Serg has made a mark in the Dubai food scene.

The seared tuna tacos are perfection.

 
A restaurant can't get by with a cool idea, it has to have good food to back it up and Tom and Serg doesn't fail to measure up. The menu  is kept limited but each item has been crafted carefully by Tom and Serg (the owners) themselves. My husband and I first discovered this place a few months ago after hearing raving reviews about it on Zomato and Instagram. We decided to try it and we were blown away. It's become our favorite spot for brunch, early morning breakfasts and everything in between. We've made it our goal to try every item on the menu. So far we've covered their seared tuna tacos, scrambled eggs (best we've had in Dubai!), salted caramel french toast, Moroccan chicken salad, and berry granola. It's kind of sad that I remember every dish that we've tried there but it goes to show how good the food actually is. Oh, and did I mention they serve Valrhona hot chocolate? Because they do. If that's not reason alone to try this place then I don't know what is! Next time you're looking for a place to brunch be sure to give Tom and Serg a try because you won't regret it.

*This post was not sponsored and all opinions expressed are mine, and mine only.

I don't know about you but for me getting a new pair of shoes is always a cause for celebration. I found the pair pictured below at a Dragon Mall last week and I absolutely fell in love with them. I was a bit hesitant about whether or not to buy them because they were so different but in the end I decided to go with them. When it comes to shoes I'm all about flats. I used to be able to walk around in heels all day but I just can't do it anymore (I think I'm getting old!). Since then I've been buying a ton of flats and my feet are thanking me for it. I'm excited to get some wear out these soon on my trip to America!
PS. I know my jeans are super wrinkled but I wasn't planning on taking these photos on this particular day! My husband and I were walking through Souk Al Bahar behind Dubai Mall and stumbled across this location. Since it was so beautiful we decided to snap these pics, thus the wrinkled jeans!