Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Lifestyle

Truth Tuesday: Editing Photos, Messy kitchens, and "No one likes a blog with..."

August 28, 2012

My best friend, Meagan, started doing "Truth Tuesdays" awhile ago on her blog and recently, Dana, started doing "Honest Mondays" over on House Tweaking.  Although we always are honest with you here--when our DIYs don't work out, we let you know--I love the idea of exposing our home and a little bit of our lives in a truer light.  And why not dedicate Tuesdays to the task?!

The truth is, as of 3 minutes ago, our kitchen looks like this:
Well, actually, if I am being completely honest, the original picture--pre-editing--looks like this:
A little thing called white balance does wonders for this blog, and the way our house appears on these pages.  Of course, in real life, the kitchen doesn't feel dark or grim which is why I adjust the curves and levels on almost every photo I publish here.  Is that dishonest?
Truth. Last year, when we first started blogging about our home renovation adventure journey (Bachelor/ette fans raise your hands), I didn't have a DSLR camera or the software to edit photos, just a standard point and shoot camera. One reader mentioned that our pictures are all so dark and no one likes to read a blog with dark photos.  Maybe that's true, too.  Either way, we eventually upgraded. I don't want to say I was peer-pressured or bullied into it, because really--we wanted a decent camera, but the truth is, that comment definitely helped my decision. Do the way photos look on a blog influence you?
Back to the kitchen.  It is a mess this morning, shoot...it's afternoon, now.  Right after breakfast, which from the remnants on the counter you may conclude that we did, in fact, have smoothies (and eggs!), Greta and I drove Chris to work and then went to her doctor's appointment.  On the way home, I got her a hamburger from McDonalds (I spy the bag!) for being such a good girl while we were there. Now she is napping and I am blogging/procrastinating the inevitable--cleaning it all up.   The truth is, sometimes I wait until 30 minutes before Chris comes home to clean up, only to watch it get messy again as he makes dinner--which I cannot complain about. :)
Truth.  I can't wait until we get our new kitchen.  Things (kitchens especially included) that you love and are proud of are just more fun to clean and take care of, right?
filed under: 
— Hide Comments
+ ShowComments
What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Love this series! I don't think editing photos is dishonest! I edit every single photo I post on my blog even if it's something as simple as boosting the contrast a little bit :) Editing them helps your house/project looks it's best!

  2. Pictures are the main attraction. Something can look good in person but if the photo doesn't do it justice then it isn't "attracting." I think that "you got something I want" thing is what keeps readers coming!

  3. I love that you're real! I totally think all of you bloggers have it all together with all your beautiful home photos so I'm glad to see that sometimes life occurs. Thanks for being real!

  4. I'm the same way waiting about 30 minutes before the hubby gets home to hurry and clean. ha ha. It't not like I sit around all day doing nothing but I think if the house wasn't clean he might think thats what is going on...... I love your blog. You're amazing.

  5. hahaha the McDonalds bag is what I spotted first. I ate at McDonalds yesterday for the first time in 2012. It was...delicious. A skinny binny (to my surprise) quarter pounder and fries.

  6. When Ken was commuting to Salt Lake and I had the house to myself... I waited until 20 minutes before he came home on Friday. :)

  7. I avoid cleaning up at all costs. There is no point to do it during the day. So yes, I am with you sista. I always. Run around frantic cleaning up the kitchen and picking up the majority of toys. I mean, I don't want Ryan to think Brinley didn't play with ANYTHING. Gotta get him to clean up too :-)

    I do like a blog with nice pictures, but it doesn't totally turn me off. I mean, look at my blog!? Regular camera. Not so decent pics half the time. If we had the money for a dslr I would be all over a new camera right now. Espec with a new baby coming. I would love to capture those newborn features on camera! (yes, I abbreviated especially lol)

  8. thanks for making me feel that i am not the only one in blogland with a messy kitchen!! Dan and i were down at my parents house this past weekend who just finished renovating their kitchen with a deep sink, granite countertops, and all new appliances and it was sooo much more fun to clean their kitchen than mine ;).

  9. God Bless You for posting this! Sometimes I feel guilty about running out of the house with a messy kitchen (and unmade beds gasp), but I know it will get done eventually. Thanks for keepin' it real.

  10. Oh how I know the he's-almost-home cleaning whirlwind! There's no shame in editing photos. Personally I am not bothered by bloggers taking care to make their homes look gorgeous online. I know some ladies feel overwhelmed by seeing too many perfect home pictures filling their feed readers, but I always assume there is a pile of laundry or dishes or something that got shoved out of the frame. Real life happens in every home! I love the polished pics, but I do enjoy a real life peek, too. Thanks for sharing yours today :)

What We're

Loving

Right Now

What We're

Loving

Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop
Shop All

Love Stories

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.
Read All Posts
let's break this thing up

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

01

Portfolio

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
read more
02

Projects

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
read more
03

Design

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
hello world!

looking for inspiration?

Beautifully wrapped traditional presents stacked in a doorway
Gift Guides!

Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone in Your Life {2024}

Whether you're shopping for your main guy, your clutch coworker, your favorite homebody, or the little ones in your life, I've got you covered. This is your one-stop shop for holiday gifts, from affordable stocking stuffers to high-end luxury items. Our can't-miss gift guides help take the stress out of holiday shopping, so you can […]
Chris Cooks Candied Ham Skewers
Chris Cooks

Candied Ham Skewers - Your New Favorite Holiday Appetizer

As a home cook, this is my favorite time of year: the time leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this year, I want to focus on low-effort, high-impact dishes. Something that can serve a crowd but is not too hard to make. And these spicy candied ham bites are just the ticket. Shop The […]
Lifestyle

Your Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

This post is sponsored by Neighborly, Your Hub for Home Services The beginning of the year we're always thinking "spring cleaning." But in fall, I like to cover our bases on home maintenance before we have guests or face colder weather. I usually like to split the tasks between things we tackle ourselves and things we […]
The Marcum family dressed as characters from the classic edition of Clue: The Game.
Entertaining

Our Halloween Family Costumes 2024: I'll Give You One Clue

It was Professor Plum, with the knife, in the Conservatory. Happy Halloween from Clue characters: 1986 edition! Shop Costume Inspiration Over the years, we've dressed as everything from dolls and monsters to Peter Pan, E.T. characters, and The Wizard of Oz. But in the last several years, one of our kids has usually chosen our costumes. If you look back, you […]
Learn With Us
Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.
Learn More
Looking for Something?

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

hello world!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
© 2024 Chris Loves Julia, LLC
PRIVACY POLICYTERMS & CONDITIONSAFFILIATE DISCLAIMERSITE CREDITCOMMUNITY GUIDELINES