This month the food styling and photography challenge from The Inspired Plate was pasta!

While I live a mostly gluten free life, my husband doesn’t as much so I decided to make pasta from scratch.

What I discovered is that it is incredibly easy and I can’t understand why I never did it before!

My mum graciously loaned me her grandmother’s pasta maker straight from Italy and it worked like a charm! Such a beautiful piece and it still looks brand new.

I’m off in St Louis for our awesome friends Erin and Jared this weekend so I only have a few photos to share. Keep an eye on the blog though; I will be sharing more photos along with the recipe for not only the pasta (which was AMAZING!) but the fantastic sauce as well!

The red sauces I’ve done in the past were complete flops so I was over the moon with delight when this one was gobble worthy. Seriously, I was eating the sauce alone with a spoon!!

Without further adieu, I give you a peek into my pasta making adventure. Oh-I did also make a batch of gluten free pasta but that’s a story for another day!

Enjoy the photos and then head over to Carey’s blog to see her awesomeness! (link below photos)

See the wonderful food stylings of the lovely Carey Pace | Kingsport TN Food Photographer

Austin is an awesome, all around great guy. I know because not only did I spend an entire afternoon getting to know him, I’ve also photographed his older brother, sister and cousins senior portraits! They all have the same thing to say about Austin: he’s awesome

He’s the kind of guy that is fun and hardworking.

Without further ado, meet Austin!

I asked Austin a few questions and here’s what he had to say:

JG: What’s your favorite movie?

A: I don’t know that I really have a single favorite movie but I never pass up a horror movie

JG: So what are you into these days?

A: Really, I’m just going to school and working. Looking forward to graduating.

JG: What can’t you live without?

A: My dog diesel-he’s just awesome even though he’s a ball of energy.

JG: He totally is a ball of energy! I thought all that walking would tucker him out but nope, he was rearing to go! He’s so adorable-I can totally see why you adore him!

JG: So, big question: what are your future plans?

A: Right now, graduate high school.  I’ll figure it out from there.

JG: It is still early-you haven’t even actually started  your senior year so I totally understand.

JG: Got any favorite games?

A: Pretty much anything Grand Theft auto but San Andreas and Vice City are pretty sweet.

JG: So I know guys aren’t as into shopping as girls but do you have a favorite place to pick up awesome new threads?

A: Hmm…Probably Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister.

JG: Good choices! You can’t go wrong there.

JG: So what are you most looking forward to during your senior year?

A: Senior breakfasts and skip days. And seeing what kind of pranks people pull.

JG: Oooh, good ones! Anything else you want to share?

A: Nah.

So there you have it! Austin-ready to take on the world

Today I am sharing about the most important part of the wedding day: the ceremony.  The ceremony is really why we all gather. We are there to witness the joining of two souls and then after, celebrate like crazy!  I love ceremonies like Eric and Kelly’s-outside, on a beautiful day, with lots of love all around (as evidenced by all the smiles!).  They could be getting married in a backyard, on the beach, or anywhere but they choose to exchange vows at Addison Oaks for a seamless guest experience. No driving from one place to another, just a short stroll to the celebration.

Kelly was escorted down the aisle by her wonderful brother because her father was ill out west and couldn’t travel to make it to the wedding.  I know the images I captured of her brother walking her down the aisle will always be treasured but I know that they were even more important since they were shared with her father.  I know the moments of her journey down the aisle were bittersweet-filled with happiness to be getting married but missing her father’s presence at the same time.

Here are a few of my favorites from their wedding ceremony which was held at the picturesque Addison Oaks, out in Romeo (which is actually very close to me-I live just 8 miles north of Romeo).

I love working at Addison Oaks. Not only is it a beautiful location but the food is always amazing and the entire experience a great one!

Outdoor ceremonies are my favorite by far. Perhaps it’s because I too got married outside but I love a late afternoon outdoor ceremony. The light is always beautiful and flattering, guests are more comfortable, and it’s just the perfect time to exchange your vows.

Enjoy this peek into Kelly + Eric’s day-I’ll be sharing more through the course of the week so check back soon!

Ready to book? Learn more about what’s included in my collections

Sometimes you just need a crispy, salty snack. Next time you’re craving crackers to go with your cheese, don’t run out and buy a box-make some!

I have to admit, I was shocked by just how easy it is to make homemade crackers. It really makes me wonder why we don’t do it more often-I know I will be making crackers much more frequently as my husband loved these!

First, the photographic proof that you can make beautiful crackers in just 15 minutes:

Making crackers is incredibly easy and you only need basic ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now!

I will say that the recipe I used, while it claims to be a ‘water cracker’ recipe, isn’t really.  It still makes pretty tasty crackers, I just wouldn’t call these water crackers

I know better than to just trust the internet when it comes to recipes. That’s why I regularly turn to epicurious.com or Martha Stewart for recipes-I know they’ll work.  This time, I was inspired by pinterest so set off looking around the web to find a water cracker recipe.  While this isn’t a true water cracker, I still rather liked the way they turned out. They’re perfect with cheddar’s or other mild cheeses.

Are you ready to make some yummy crackers? I hope so!

Here’s the recipe I used to make these exact ‘water’ crackers:

Ingredients

2 Cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 Cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Making crackers

Start by lightly greasing a cookie sheet. I prefer commercial aluminum pans because they don’t over brown things when you bake. Need a pan? This is the exact pan I use:  Nordic Ware Bakers Half Sheet, 13 by 18 by 1 Inch


Set your oven to 400°

1. Combine your dry ingredients, whisk to combine
2. Add in your wet ingredients, stir until you have a nicely combined dough.
3. If you’re using a 1/2 sheet, you’ll be able to fit all the dough on one pan. Otherwise, you’ll need two.
4. Place the dough on your lightly greased pan and begin flattening it out, just using your fingers. If you preferred, you could roll them out. I like the rustic texture that comes from doing this literally by hand.
5. By pressing your palm and fingers into the dough, you can gently squash it and fill the pan.
6. Once the dough is nice and flat, you can sprinkle some lovely sea salt (perhaps some pink Himalayan?) and pepper-if you’d like!
7. You’ll need to cut them before you bake them; to make it easy, simply use your pizza wheel.
8. Pop them in your heated oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Sometimes, that might be a minute or two longer or shorter depending on how accurate your oven is, how long you preheated your oven, and how warm the room is (and therefore your dough)

They will likely feel a bit soft when you pull them out of the oven-they will finish crisping as they cool.

That’s it! You’re done-wonderful home made crackers in 15 minutes (it really only takes 2-3 minutes to mix and spread them in the pan)

Go and enjoy your homemade snack that doesn’t have any crazy preservatives or anything you can’t pronounce.  If you’re a mom, you can be proud to make these-and keep an eye out-I’m planning to make some sort of goldfish like crackers soon!

*Please note: some links contained are affiliate links. If you buy this product after clicking one of my links, I’ll make a small amount of money. Like 40 cents. 

This month the food styling and photography challenge by the newly minted “Inspired Plate” group features us making a SPLASH!

Of course, while we work at making a splash in the blog-o-sphere, we made real splashes this month for our challenge.

While I made these photographs earlier in the month, I missed out on being a part of the great blog circle as I was down with a migraine the size of Alaska.

March was a crazy month so I only managed 15 minutes of splash play but I’m still pretty happy with the results!  Still, I know many of you want to see my splash attempts so here they are, in no particular order.
(Note: I actually still have plans of revisiting splash once the weather is warmer here-I want to try a more lifestyle oriented splash I think!)

Let’s just say that splash is not a solo activity-I had to recruit my sweet husband to drop the fruit and veg while I photographed it.  He’s such a good sport-I snagged him to play just 15 minutes before he normally heads off to bed!  So this challenge had a built in secondary challenge: get it set up and done in 15 minutes or less.

The blueberries, while tasty, didn’t splash nearly as much. We varied the height of the drop, amount of water, etc but this was really the best shot.

I switched up the background for something more dramatic. Which do you like better? The comments are open so feel free to weigh in or ask questions!

The day you’ve all been waiting for is finally here: you can now register for Photo 101!

There are only 7 seats available so if you’re interested, fill out the registration form below today!

Join me for Photo 101 on March 11th, 2012 from 2pm-4pm

It’s time to start building your photography foundation. I’ll be talking about all the camera jargon you hear tossed around (aperture? shutter speed? bokeh? Focal length? Exposure? Depth of Field?) and how you can use it to make your photos what you envision! I’ll also cover some compositional techniques so you can really rock your every day photos. I’ll show you typical beginner’s mistakes and how to overcome them so you look like a pro. In easy to understand terms, I’ll show you how to take your photos from average to amazing.

I will have various gear on hand as well so if you’re thinking of investing in additional lenses or gear, you’ll be able to get some hands on experience and advice!

To register, simply fill out the form below and submit your payment of $49

See you March 11th!

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Looking for something more in depth? Sign up to be notified when my advanced workshops open up and when mentoring/coaching spaces are available. I can’t wait to help you achieve your photo dreams!



A new month and a new challenge!

Last month was our inaugural post featuring fruit on a white background. Missed it? No worries-you can still check out my fruit and other food photography/styling posts here on the blog.

This month, we are tackling the challenge of veggies: before & after

I love this group of women-everyone brings so much to the table (quite literally too!) and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them over the past 6 weeks or so that we’ve been on this journey.  It is so much fun seeing everyone’s work evolve and grow! My favorite part has been sharing my experience and knowledge with the group-I absolutely adore teaching so it’s been a ton of fun helping the ladies reach to new heights as we all share from our vast knowledge bases.

As with last month, I had way too much fun selecting veggies, props, and putting it all together for a lovely editorial food style image.  I love when I find awesome props and they just work-I never know when I pick something up exactly what it will be used for but I know that I love each and every piece!  Like the plate I used for the finished potatoes-I absolutely adore the buttery yellow rim and love how it plays so well with the colors in the potatoes.

I actually worked with several veggies but fell in love with these fingerling potatoes so that’s what I’m sharing today-check back later this week to see more of my food adventures!

These weren’t my absolute favorite version of fingerlings but the colors are to die for.  Next time, I think I’ll try Alton Brown’s fingerling potato recipe, just to switch things up

Without further ado, I give you my gorgeous fingerling potatoes-they really are beautiful when you get them cut up! Fantastic plum, ruby, fuchsia, and gold make a wonderful color palette-and it’s all from the potatoes themselves!

The recipe for these is incredibly simple and I love that it really uses simple, honest ingredients that allow the flavors to come through.  This is a versatile recipe that works with a wide variety of veggies from brussels sprouts and kale to broccoli and regular potatoes! (Times & temperatures may need to be adjusted for other veg but it’s a great base to start from)

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Recipe

ingredients:

• 1-2 tbls olive oil (just enough to coat-simply toss the potato slices with the oil in a bowl)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 sprig thyme

Toss it all together (the thyme leaves should be removed from the stem and the stem discarded) and put on a nice aluminum baking sheet on 400 degrees for 25 minutes or so.  Then flip them and give them another 25 minutes or so.  If you want them less like fries, don’t flip them and don’t bake them as long. Just check for doneness and remove when you’re happy with them!

I was in too big a rush when I made mine and only put them in for 35 minutes. Flavor was good but the texture wasn’t where I wanted it. Plus, I love the caramelization that happens and find I enjoy the flavor so much more when it’s on both sides of the slices.

I know you’ll want to keep on moving through the blog circle so thanks for stopping by!

Check out the beautiful veggies that wonderful food photographer Amanda Eller is sharing today too!  Amanda Eller | Salisbury, NC Food and Portrait Photographer

P.S-If you’re on pinterest, feel free to check out the group’s awesome food photography board-don’t forget to “like” it or follow it to see what we’re all inspired by!

I’m addicted to photographing food.  Of all sorts.  Fruits, veggies, soups…I love photographing it all!

I love these blood orange photos and the way the colors are so beautiful with the green tea cup.  I’m working on a few recipes and awesome stuff to share soon too-so keep checking back for more yummy goodness

P.S-Get ready: Photo 101 seats are going on sale next week! Only 8 spots are available for the upcoming March 11th workshop so mark your calendars

Winter, though it may be pretending, really is here.  Or has been here at any rate. I have photographic proof-which I will share with you today  On that cold, snowy day we had just recently, I went out to explore with my sweetheart.  We walked three miles through all the beautiful snow-arriving home with frozen legs and permanent smiles!

Before we got too far, my husband entertained me by juggling a few snowballs….

Living in the country means that even though we live ‘in town’, we can walk to fields. Which we did. Such a pretty sunset-even if it wasn’t spectacular, it was still a lovely winter sunset.

When it snows, where do you like to wander and take photos? Or do you cozy up inside with a good book? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

P.S-Leave a comment with your favorite image and you can earn points towards a fine art print! (don’t forget to register using the rewards tab first!)

Surprise someone you love with a card JUST FOR THEM. Instead of an ‘off the shelf’ card, send one featuring your favorite photo. Great for long distance love and sharing the kids as they grow with grandparents too!

So you have some great photos from our last session together or hanging around in your own catalog that you’d love to use this Valentines Day-that’s great because TOMORROW (TUESDAY February 7th) you can get awesome cards from TinyPrints.com for just .99!

They have sweet designs like these:

Or these sweet classroom friendly cards for your kids:

VALENTINE’S DAY $9.95 SUPER RUSH SHIPPING – 2/7-2/9
For all those last minute shoppers like myself, Tiny Prints is offering super rush shipping, guaranteed in time for Valentine’s Day for only $9.95. Promo Code: SR995.

As always, if you’re looking for something custom, unique, and impeccible quality, I can certainly create something amazing for you.

If you’re just looking for something cute, sweet and fast, head over to Tiny Prints TOMORROW and get in on the .99 deal!

Even though every month I’m participating in a group challenge, I want to keep exploring food styling and photography.  There are quite a few reasons why, but most of all, I really, really enjoy it!

Not only do I LOVE cooking and baking, but taking the time to arrange things beautifully with artfully selected props, coordinated settings, and being able to capture it all? Well, that’s perfect for me

So here are a few shots that I recently took.  This time, no recipes since these are ready to eat

It’s that time of year already-time to invite those of you who are interested to apply for one of our competitive internship positions!

Many of you have been inquiring and I’m finally ready to start the interview process. In 2011, I had the privilege of three amazing interns which made for an uber fun and a little crazy year These ladies are all incredibly talented and I can’t wait to see where life takes them!

This season, I will be selecting 2 amazing aspiring creative people to work along side me, learn about the business and more!

Ideally, the internship will be spending 5-6 hours a week at my home studio in Almont, MI for a term of 6-12 months. I’m flexible so we can negotiate what days and hours will best suit your schedule. At the conclusion of the internship, we’ll evaluate if you’d like to continue with the internship or if there is an opportunity within the business to bring you on as a paid employee or contractor (second shooter, etc).

Who am I looking for?
I’m looking for amazing, creative people who have a passion for life and learning, who are willing to help out and who are interested in the business of photography. Much of what happens behind the scenes is business oriented; it’s not just all about taking great photos; and this position will offer you personal challenges as well as rounding out your knowledge based on your strengths. Because this position will be tailored to your unique strengths, I encourage anyone who is interested to apply!

Regardless of what you want to pursue at the studio whether it’s taking care of clients, creating breathtaking images or designing albums that will live on for generations, I want the best. Smart, creative, up for anything, ready for a challenge and filled with passion for what they do…does that sound like you? Awesome! I would love to hang out with you-you’re just the kind of person I want on my team.

You’ve got amazing talents. I’ve got some amazing projects for you to put them to use on

Get started with one of our competitive internships to begin the journey!

To learn more about the internship and to complete an application, click HERE

*While internship applications are accepted year round, the newest positions will be filled by March 1, 2012 so I encourage you to apply by February 20th if you’re interested*

Seriously-I made these on a Sunday night for family dinner and there were only a few left by the end!

I honestly think it’s kind of funny how EASY these biscuits are -and- I’m not using bisquick.  :) Sure, you could substitute some in but I promise, you won’t get the lovely texture and flavor that comes from making these from scratch.

Of course, when I made these, I had no idea how quickly they would be come a weekly staple to go with soups and dinners-I was just looking for something else to make as a side because we hadn’t been to the grocery store and 4 carrots wasn’t going to a side make.

I’m no magician-I started with a recipe and if you’re the kind of person that likes to see the original, you can see the cheddar cheese biscuit recipe I used at epicurious.

If you want the magical biscuits I made, well, I adjust the recipe so you’ll want to use the one below-not the one at epicurious

Magical Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted (for greasing the pan + brushing on top)
• 1 3/4 cups Brown Rice Flour (this is the key!)
• 2 cups All purpose white flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove, minced  (plus garlic powder to sprinkle on top!)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 x 1/8 pats for hand work, 1/2 cubes for food processor
• 2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk (no buttermilk on hand? NO PROBLEM! Solution at the bottom)

Get your oven ready at 425°F and grease your muffin tins with some of the melted butter.  Save the rest for on top after they come out of the oven. If you use mini tins, you’ll need about 4 pans; if you use full size around 2. (Depends on how evenly you divide the dough and how full you make your cups.)

Epicurious suggests a food processor but I’m a low tech kitchen girl so I don’t have one of those.  If you’re like me, you have two options: mixing by hand (I’ll explain) or using an old fashioned/vintage pastry dough cutter like this one on Etsy

I use a vintage pastry dough cutter myself.

So, with your food processor or vintage pastry dough cutter (or a whisk for this one step) mix the first five dry ingredients (Brown rice flour, All Purpose Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt). We just want to combine them.

Next, you want to cut your chilled butter into small pats.  I like to cut the entire stick (1/2 cup) into 4 quarters and then slice into small, 1/2 x 1/2 pats, roughly 1/8 inch thick.

If your butter seems melty, just pop the cut pats in the freezer for 5 minutes (but not more).  You want the butter to be nice and cold to get the flakiest biscuits.

Add your chilled butter.

If you’re using a food processor, pulse until it forms a coarse meal then transfer to a big bowl and fold in the cheese.

If you’re using your pastry dough cutter, you’re going to do the same thing-pressing and cutting with your tool to get the butter mixed nicely with the flour.  It will be dry and still very floury.  You don’t want to overwork the dough so it’s better to err on the side of too little instead of too much.  There will still be little pieces of butter, but they should all be pretty well broken up and coated in flour.

If you’re doing this by hand, you get to have fun! Clean, dry hands are a must and a good size bowl with plenty of extra room so you don’t end up with flour all over the kitchen is a good idea. Using your hands, make sure every piece of butter is coated in flour.  Next, start smushing/smearing the butter with flour in your hands.  You want to break up those pats and get it all incorporated with flour.  Just keep grabbing handfuls, smearing between your thumb and forefinger and making sure it’s getting mixed with the flour.  This should only take 4 minutes or so and if your butter is getting melty, you’re overworking it.  Again, we’re looking to create a coarse meal and avoid overworking the dough.

Excellent! That took a lot of words but it doesn’t take long to do It probably took you longer to read it than it will do actually do it!

Now that your dough is a nice, coarse meal it’s time to fold in the cheese.  You just want to make sure the cheese gets separated and lightly coated in flour.

Add your buttermilk and stir just to blend (oh, this batter will be STICKY!)

You don’t have any buttermilk? NO PROBLEM.  I promise!  We can make a buttermilk substitute in 5 minutes. I never have buttermilk-I use this trick to make a substitute every time. Simply take 1 3/4 tablespoon white vinegar (white wine vinegar will work too) and put it in a 2 cup measuring cup.  Then, fill the measuring cup with milk up to the 1 3/4 cup mark.  Let sit at least 5 minutes (but don’t go crazy, I usually just make it just after I preheat the oven).  Then use in the recipe as called for

Now divide your dough between all your muffin cups.  I like to use a mellon baller/ice cream scoop with the cleaner lever so that it’s super easy to scoop and divide.  If you want muffins like in my photos, you’re going to fill the cups about 1/2 way.  I’ve since decided I prefer to fill them nearly to the top (but not packed) because I like the bigger crowns.

The original recipe calls for 25-30 minutes but my oven might be running hot (I need a thermometer for it) since I usually put these in for 15-17 minutes.  So, I suggest setting the timer for 15 minutes and if they’re golden (and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean) they’re done.  If not, put them in for an additional 3 minutes or so at a time. (I’ve never had to do that with this recipe but that should be safe if you need to).

Brush the remaining butter on the tops, let cool for a few minutes and ENJOY!

I can’t believe what a snowless winter this has been! I had plans to announce a series of winter light sessions (which, I suppose, I still could but I wanted snow!!!) but now we’ll have to play that by ear.  I want beautiful snow and the magical light that only happens in the winter on clear days.  I am SO tired of cloudy, gray days.

Gray day’s might be great for getting work done (no temptation to go outside) but they are so dreary…and make it hard to shoot natural light indoors for any project.

I know I am so looking forward to some sunny days!

I love shooting outside in the winter.  Most people shy away from it but the light you get on a wintery day is unlike any other time of the year-and so very worth the cold

Of course, planning a snowy session isn’t easy-we have to contend with mother nature and as you’ve seen this season, she’s not playing nice.

If you want to make the most of your winter light session, here are my tips:

1. Be ready to go at the spur of the moment-we’re going to have to act quickly when we finally get snow! (As in likely 8-24 hours)
2. If you’re not a big fan of winter or the cold, this might not be the time for a session for you-you’ll totally see it in the photos how uncomfortable you are.
3. Plan a favorite winter activity to do as part of the session like ice skating, building a snowman, or going sledding

Sound fun? Awesome!

What to wear
For this wintery session, I highly recommend bundling up!

Think a colorful, tailored jacket, tall boots, leather gloves, and plenty of accessories-hat, scarf and jewelry  I know you want to look good while you play!
If you’re going for a really active family session, snow suits and snow boots are fine too.

No matter what you do, cute hats and scarves are a must-not only will they keep you warm but they’ll also show some personality and with a little planning, pull the group together.

Some winter light images to get you inspired:

Ready to book your winter light session? Say Hello to book now!

Those of you who have been keeping up know that we moved just before Christmas and I’m happy to say that my office is nearly completed

I still have to make a trip to Ikea for a new shelving unit (the one I have is PACKED to the gills now that everything is condensed!) but overall, I’m really loving my new digs. Even though I wouldn’t have chosen pink for my walls, it actually looks really nice!

Take a look for yourself:

Just a few details to hold you over until I take some full room views

What’s your workspace look like? Leave me a note in the comments!