Thursday, October 26, 2017

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn @QualityMeatsNYC #Photography Gear and Pro Tips!

NOT a compensated post, however it does earn me an entry into a special competition!

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap

















This Butterfly about town is currently attending the Photo Plus Expo (which you can best believe I have already been tweeting about and will bring you highlights from the show as soon as possible) in New York City, so since this is going to keep me wrapped up for a few days I thought I would warm you all up on the idea of me talking some heavy tech and photography by sharing about a great "Lunch and Learn" event I attended recently hosted by Techlicious, The Consumer Technology Association, CES and Lifestyle Blogger Danielle Wilson

The Venue: Quality Meats in New York City

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap


@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: You know I am all in when it comes to a nicely set table that is welcoming, inviting and filled with ambience and warm glow!

The Menu:

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: Appetizers included: Green Goddess Chopped Salad, The QM Crabcake, Hamachi Sashimi; Entrees Included: Filet Mignon, Tuna Au Poivre and East Coast Halibut; Desserts Included: Chocolate Cream Pie, Passion Fruit Tart and Bellini Sorbet

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: They brought out all three apps to the table and we were able to try a bit of each one!

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: All about that Halibut!

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: YES to that Chocolate Cream Pie which I wish I had right now!

The Speakers:

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: Suzanne Kantra of Techlicious

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: Tyler Suiters, Consumer Technology Association

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Above: Alex Podstawski, Nikon USA

This was one of my favorite tips: VR is useful, but a tripod is better for very long exposures (I totally agree!). Use low ISOs for best quality and use high ISOs to stop movement at night. (Don't you love that effect?)


The Products Featured (and showcase sponsors):

Shutterfly Framed Shadow Box
Shutterfly Framed Shadow Box

Shutterfly Watercolor Patterned Frames Coaster
Above: Shutterfly Watercolor Patterned Frames Coaster

Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Silver

Nikon D3400
Above: Nikon D3400

Panasonic Lumix ZS70



Epson Expression ET-2750 EcoTank Printer


Tiffen Steadicam Volt
























Tips For Taking Better Photos:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Use Burst Mode to ensure you get the shot - In Burst Mode you are able to take multiple shots with one press of the shutter button.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Use Sports Mode To Stop Action - While this mode is not always as good at capturing true-to-life skin tones, it helps you capture a moving object with more vibrant color.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Use HDR Mode- In this mode your camera takes two or more shots at different exposures and then combines them so both the light and dark areas of your photos are shot properly yielding in a much better end result than if you didn't use High Dynamic Range Mode.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tripod - Holding a camera or phone still long enough to get a clear, crisp shot is difficult no matter how steady of hand you may think you are, start using a tripod and you will notice a difference in your images. I do have one, I need to find the right carrier, and I saw one at Photo Plus Expo that I really like!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - "Fast Lens"- A fast lens will let more light through, enabling you to take pictures faster, and reducing the potential for blur. How can you tell how 'fast' a lens is? Look at the maximum aperture (the shutter behind the lens) called the "f-stop". The lower the number, the wider the aperture and the more light the lens will let in. A good camera choice will come in at f/2.8 or lower.

@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn at QualityMeatsNYC New York City Event Recap
Cool Halloween Trick Shots:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Create Ghosts in your photos with multiple exposure mode- Take a shot of a scene, and then another shot with a person in it - the multiple exposure setting will combine the two shots, making the shot with the person somewhat transparent - Ghostly! The key here is to use a tripod so the background remains EXACTLY the same in each of the two shots.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Add Ghostly Writing to a Scene - You can add Ghost Writing by using a Long Exposure, ideally 30 seconds, again you want to use a tripod here to keep your camera steady, a light source (flashlight or glow stick) and black gloves to hold the light source. Once you've started the exposure, draw shapes or words with the light source. With your hands in the black gloves they won't be visible in the final shot. If you're writing words, they'll show up backwards in the image, but that's easy to fix by flipping the image afterwards!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Create Spooky Silhouettes - Find a spot with a clear line of sight to the western sky and have your subject stand in front of you with the bright sky behind them, turn off your camera's flash about 20 minutes before sunset for a perfect Halloween Backdrop.

 My Take:

I consider this more of a 'who I met' and 'what I got to see', these are NOT product reviews! You all know my motto on events is this: SEEING product is NOT the same as me putting it through its paces. And I have gone back and amended reviews if a product failed me while still in warranty. This butterfly is always going to be transparent, honest and just plain 100%.

I have followed up with everyone and offered them a shot at an actual product review and also the offer of doing something neat for my butterflies too!

We were provided with the Tiffen Steadicam Volt, which I have not yet had the opportunity to test as I tend to carry my DSLR to document most events. I will try to test it as soon as possible and come back to you guys with a full review.

Lunch at Quality Meats was fantastic, and I enjoyed getting the tips as well as I am constantly striving to improve my photography skills as a Lifestyle Blogger and Social Media Influencer it is a critical skill set. So while I am at the Photo Plus Tradeshow, I leave you with some homework of your own:

Visit the websites and read the product specs, then come back here and let me know which of the products featured above would you most want Santa to slip into YOUR stocking this year and why?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post, this was a press event one not open to the public, this is an event recap. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Check out Giant Pumpkin Weekend THIS WEEKEND at @NYBG #NYBG #NewYorkBotanicalGarden

Wishing all my butterflies the richness and comforts of Fall and a bountiful harvest at your table!

To all my New York City Butterflies and those of you who might be in town this weekend, I have a fun way to enjoy the colors of Fall and enjoy some awesome photo opps that are definitely Instagram worthy, it's Giant Pumpkin Weekend at NYC landmark New York Botanical Gardens THIS WEEKEND ONLY! It's also your last chance to catch the Dale Chihully Exhibit that I have been featuring on these pages all summer! (We gave away a pair of tickets to Chihully Nights at the Garden HERE - remember that giveaway is now CLOSED, and I featured the exhibit again when I realized after perusing my photo collection from the Media Day that my outfit actually matched one of the installations in the exhibit HERE) Here are some great shots from the last wine tasting I attended at NYBG, HERE.

I normally try to arrange a giveaway, but there was no time this time around so I will try to work on something for the Train Show.

What you will see:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Record-Breaking Pumpkins, Squashes and Gourds - arranged in collaboration with the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, the recognized standard of weights, measurement, and fairness of competitive growing. This year’s North American record breaker, weighing 2,363 pounds, was grown by Joel Holland from Washington state. Also on display will be the world’s largest squash at 2,118 pounds from Rhode Island; the largest European pumpkin, from England, at 2,269 pounds; and the longest gourd in the United States, from Wisconsin, at 143.75 inches.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Meet the Growers - You can ask questions and get tips directly from these talented growers!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Giant Pumpkin Seed Harvest - Members of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth will be opening these monstrous gourds and actually climbing inside to harvest their impressive seeds.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Whole Foods Market Trick-or-Treat Trail - Wear your favorite costume, decorate a bag to collect wholesome goodies while you enjoy this weekend of hands-on activities and special events.

Everett Children's Adventure Garden, New York Botanical Gardens
 Above: Everett Children's Adventure Garden, New York Botanical Gardens


Speckled Swan Bottle Gourd

The sign reads:

"Speckled Swan Bottle Gourd" (Lagenaria Siceria)

Look at the silhouette of this uniquely shaped gourd to see features reminiscent of a swan's neck
Ghost Bush
Above: Isn't this the CUTEST Ghost Bush Ever?
pineapple-o-lantern
Above: He's a unique sort of 'pineapple-o-lantern' isn't he?
LARGE pumpkin
Above: That is quite a LARGE pumpkin!

Above: I have no idea why my blog template makes this shot so small, please press on it to see it a big bigger and capture more detail on the rock.
Enjoy butterflies you all know just how camera shy I am!
Above: More jack-o-lantern spooky cuteness!


Pumpkin Patch
Above: I love how that ray of sunlight on the left just breaks through the greenery and looks like it's pointing at the pumpkin patch!
Not just one, but TWO shots of me in one post, SHOCKING!

WINNER ALERT: Our lucky winner for the 24 count of assorted truffles from Elements Truffles is Julie Waldron, entry #621! Congrats Julie! Don't forget to reply to your winner's email with your address for prize fulfillment! She won from an extra credit entry, I always encourage entrants to do more than just the main entry, see it really pays off! (Just a warning we validate entries, so if the randomizer picks someone for example for following on twitter or Instagram, we are going to make the sure the person actually did it before we validate them as a prize winner - you can't cheat the system). Enjoy your truffles Julie!

What are YOUR Halloween Plans? If you do visit New York Botanical Garden for Giant Pumpkin Weekend this Weekend, please tag us so we can see your photos! @Ascending1 for both twitter and Instagram!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

{#WordlessWednesday} #TrickorTreat #pumpkinspice #Polyvore #FashionablyNaughty #ContestEntry

#TrickorTreat #pumpkinspice #Polyvore #FashionablyNaughty


Featuring:


It's been a seriously long time since I have had a moment to get on Polyvore, get inspired, and make some boards, their recent #PumpkinSpice Challenge caught my eye and I thought I would give it my New York City Gal Leather Loving edge with a leather jacket, statement boots with orange patent leather accents and what is a butterfly post without a statement handbag right? Check out this hot number by Givenchy. (And yes butterflies, I know our Featured Handbag in the Spotlight Feature is MIA, I am working on returning that much beloved Feature as soon as possible).

Those all Vamp Halloween Nails are literally EVERYTHING!

This all treats no tricks butterfly style.

GIVEAWAY ALERT: To add to our 'treat' theme, don't forget that today is the LAST DAY to enter our hot flash giveaway for a 24 count box of Assorted Chocolate Truffles from Elements Truffles. These are Ayurveda inspired, junk free and even dairy free and I can assure you they are flavorful, delicious and do taste 'decadent'! If you haven't already entered, enter HERE! If you have already entered, don't forget to share via your social media channels for extra credit entries. (Our last contest winner, selected by randomizer won from her twitter entry! I keep telling you all it pays to tweet!)

I have an event packed day so our Women's Entrepreneur Series will return next Wednesday, and come back tomorrow for some #TechTalk you are not going to want to miss.

What are YOUR Halloween Plans?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post. Polyvore Boards let you link to the brands pictured, the links are NOT affiliate either. The giveaway we are currently hosting that is referenced in this article is sponsored by Elements Truffles, all opinions are 100% my own! Personally I think every brand mentioned should be paying me big bucks. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Our #WomenEntrepreneurWednesday #NYNow Spotlight is back with a Flash #Giveaway from @elementstruffle #Spon

 Giveaway Sponsored by Elements Truffles

This summer I met so many inspiring women at the NYNOW Tradeshow (The Market for Home, Lifestyle and Gifts), that instead of lumping my recap of the show into one big post where you might only get a one or two sentence recap, I wanted to give each woman entrepreneur and their amazing brands their own individual day in the sun.


While the first Woman Entrepreneur/Woman Crush Wednesday was not from NYNOW but from a different event entirely (if you missed it I featured Emaurade Toubia from the show Shadowhunters who moderated a great panel on Latina Beauty HERE), I wanted to devote some dedicated time to featuring women who are pursuing their passions and following their dreams.

One of the brands that stood out was Elements Truffles and it's Founder, Alak Vasa who I got a chance to meet in person during NYNOW.

About the Founder:

One of the things that stood out most about Alak Vasa, founder of Elements Truffles is that she was a Wall Street Trader. I worked in Finance for quite awhile during College and I remember working on the Trading Floor for quite a number of Financial Firms and remember first hand just how incredibly stressful the environment is.

Good chocolate is one of the things that kept Alak going and also planted a seed of inspiration. Combining her culinary experiments with her spirituality and the ancient life science of Ayurveda, Alak turned her passion for chocolate and how the five elements - earth, water, fire, air and ether - into an artisanal dessert.

Oddly enough when I worked in Finance we had a great truffle store located inside our building, except those truffles were popular for their 'spirits' not just their spirit! If you know what I mean! Wink! Wink!


About Elements Truffles They contain NO:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - GMO
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Soy or other Emulsifiers
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Preservatives
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Synthetic Flavors
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Gluten
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Cane Sugars
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Refined Sugars
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Dairy

You read it right, Dairy Free and Gluten Free Chocolate and trust me you wouldn't be able to tell by the flavor that these are Dairy Free!

Ingredient Sourcing:

Their ingredients including Cacao made from fine quality Criollo beans from Peru and honey extracted ethically from local honey bees in New Jersey are all from Fair Trade Manufacturers that align with Element Truffles philosophies (high quality with low environmental impact).

Social Stewardship:

Not only do 25% of the profits go towards supporting the education of under-privileged children in tribal areas of India, (their charity partner is www.careforchildren.org) each member of The Elements Truffles team invests at least five hours of their time each week giving back to the community.

I loved them all, but these were my top two flavors in no particular order:

Above: Peppermint infused with Lavender - Elements Truffles Ayurveda Inspired Artisanal Chocolate Bar


Above: Raspberry infused with beetroot - Elements Truffles Ayurveda Inspired Artisanal Chocolate Bar

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WIN IT + MY TAKE:
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24 Count Assorted Elements Truffles - Photo Used With Permission

What I can't stress highly enough is just how delicious Elements Truffles are! It's rare that people rave that something good for you, tastes good too. That's what amazes me most, they hide all this healthy stuff inside their chocolate, yet it tastes better than most I have tried to date. At this point in my blogging career the highest praise I can give something that helps you understand my sincerity is to tell you I plan to buy these on regular rotation so I can have them at hand, and that is saying A LOT!

Our friends at Elements Truffles want you to experience their artisanal chocolate first hand so we have teamed up to give away a 24 count box of their assorted truffles!

Can't wait to see if you've won, or have a chocolate craving and must get some NOW, now NOW!? I can't say I blame you, shop them here:  Shop Elements Truffles

Follow the instructions in the Gleam widget below so you can be in it to win it (we are switching from Rafflecopter to Gleam this time around, please let us know if you experience any glitches so we know going forward if we should stick with Gleam and consider going Pro or go back to rafflecopter - we are letting you decide!)

I have tried a larger number of 'healthy chocolate' brands than you know dear butterflies. The reason you don't know is because they don't all make these pages. The last time I was this jazzed about a chocolate that could honestly call itself "healthy" was unreal which I featured HERE if you missed it.

READERS SOUND OFF: Visit Elements Truffles and tell us which of their flavors you are most excited to try (by the way that is the mandatory entry for this contest, so don't forget to tell us in the Gleam Widget what name you commented under so you can get your entry!)

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post sponsored by Elements Truffles, all opinions are 100% my own! They are sponsoring the prize, however this post is NOT compensated! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.