Today we welcome Katie Goodman of goodlifeeats.com. Katie’s blog is a feast for the eyes with easy to follow recipes and photography that makes us swoon. Welcome Katie!
GoodLife Eats is where I share what I finds good in the kitchen and in life. A mix of great recipes, helpful tips, family memories, and yummy photography is what I serve up each week.
I started in Fall 2008.
My lifelong interest in food has shown me that part of the goodness in life is enjoying delicious food with friends and family. I’m a bit of a recipe addict, but I’ve never been very good about having an organized system for keeping them.
Back in fall of 2008 I decided enough was enough and that I needed to get my recipes organized. Have a place to put them down and a simple way to type up and record the ones that I make off the top of my head. Even better if I could easily share them with my friends and family.
Everywhere: It’s hard to go through a day and not be inspired by something. There are so many amazing things and talented people in the world. My children are definitely at the top of that list.
Before blogs my go-to resources were MyRecipes.com and Cook’s Illustrated: The New Best Recipe, but now I really rely on food blogs. I love to search FoodGawker for inspiring recipes and I bookmark anything that comes up in my Google Reader that looks like something I’d like to try.
As far as books, right now my favorite book is The Flavor Bible. It’s a great way to explore flavor combination without relying on a true recipe format for cooking. It really inspires creativity.
Pinterest is another really fun place to find inspiration.
At first it was just for myself, to keep my recipes organized and recorded. But I love sharing what I’ve learned along the way with everyone else. I like having something that’s a part of my life that isn’t just about being “mom.” I was Katie long before I became “mom” and Katie has always loved to cook.
At first it was the photography. I did not always take photos that I was satisfied with. I feel like I’ve gotten a handle on that now though sometimes I find myself wanting to get a certain look and I end up with something different. At least it still looks appetizing though, unlike some of my earlier photos!
Now I would say that it is making the time for it. I started the blog when Madeline was a baby, now she doesn’t even take an afternoon nap so I have to be very organized to get work done on the two days she’s at preschool.
There are so many things, but I think most importantly blogging has given me a way to reconnect with a passion that I had long before the kids came along. I love being able to shape that talent and share recipes while remaining an at home mom.
Even though it can be a pain in the butt, I love the photography aspect. Blogging has given me the opportunity to pursue something completely new. I was not a photographer before blogging, and I love all that I’ve learned in regards to that.
I also think it’s pretty darn cool that I’ve had the opportunity to start a freelancing career through blogging. In addition to my blog, I write or have written food articles and recipes for several other sites: Craftzine, Paula Deen Online, Tablespoon, and Simple Bites.
Learn how to take great photos. People are so visual that a yummy looking picture goes a long way. The most common question I get about starting a blog is about photography, so I’ll share my advice for that.
Know how your camera works. Actually take the time to read the manual. For the first year and a few months I shot on a point and shoot and still got some pretty good shots.
A little bit of effort can really go a long way. Don’t just take 2 seconds to snap a pic without putting any thought into it and expect that you’ll be thrilled with the results.
If you have a DSLR, really wrap your head around the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I’ve honestly never used my DSLR on Auto. I learned all about the settings before I even got the camera (at BlogHer Food 2009), then I shopped around for the camera I felt most comfortable with and that seemed the most intuitive to use.
I love to shoot in natural light. I’m lucky that we have good light in our house so I don’t have to use light setups.
And of course, practice, practice, practice. There are still days where I’m frustrated with the styling and not getting the exact shot I want. It helps to take a break and come back to it later or even another day. Sometimes I’ll end up with a completely different approach, but I’m happy with it in the end.
For food photography props, I love Etsy, Target, and Cost Plus World Market.
It’s so hard to keep track of all of my favorites. I click over to anything I see on Twitter or Foodgawker that looks interesting. I have a very outdated food blog favorite list here: Favorite Places and my Google Reader is horribly neglected.
Chocolate Raspberry Vanilla Bean Marshmallows and Fontina, Spinach, and Bacon Shells and Cheese
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