Who is the Black-haired Genie?
Hi — I am Preethi. To read the story of my life, you will simply have to wait for the paperback. But until then, read this, if you must REALLY know.
If given a choice, I wouldn’t budge from a hammock in a grassy meadow, where I would lie dreaming. Having said that, I have never used a hammock. I believe that Life is Beautiful. And I try to look for surreal signs to prove that. I go to the church and come out admiring the beauty of the flowers arranged at the altar. I trace raindrops dripping down a windowpane and sigh happily. I lick on orange-flavored ice candies and wish they would never end. I buy roadside junk jewelry and allow them to gather dust in my cupboard. I cry when I hear some songs. I laugh when I watch people. I dig Malayalam movies for their sheer simplicity and directness (If you disagree on this point, we have a movie date to set up). I am selfish about my solitude on Saturday afternoons. Yet, I yearn for people to be around me, at all times. My music ranges from head-banging Metal to mushy ballads, ghazals to oldies—anything that sounds nice to my ears. I read. I try to write. I sing. I play. I travel. I wander. I meander. I succeed. I fail. I judge. I am judged. I hope. I pray. I exist. And above all, I Live.
The Kitchen and Food
Psst! I will be changing this picture soon. We are moving. Once again. But the good part is, the kitchen is TWICE the size of the one shown here!
I work out of my tiny, yet well-equipped apartment kitchen. I am always craving for a kitchen island and a whole lot more of counter-top space. But then, I remember the miniscule New York kitchen from the movie “Julie and Julia” and count my blessings! I mainly cook Indian food (such a misnomer that is!), and I do like to try out new recipes as and when I can — especially on bright and sunshiny days. The food photographs come out so much more better. Speaking of which…
The Photographs and Equipment
Food photography, I discovered, is not as simple as those pros make it look like! I do use a few basic items to make my photos come out nice and clean: a couple of decent cameras ( Sony H1 and Nikon D3100), borrowed lenses from the husband, IKEA white storage box as a tiny light box, lamps when the day is not sunshiny. I do not really edit my pictures (except for the 2 degree tilt that comes along with my crooked neck!)
Update: The husband got me Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.6! I still do not use presets and cover up the colors of my food pictures, but I love how I can make lovely collages (like the one shown above) and batch process copyright watermarks, with it!
