Happy Turkey Day!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with lots of turkey and family time!

Cakes & Cut-Outs

So I have been really inspired by the latest Anthropologie catalog because their styling, photography, and overall mood is beautiful. I love their creative, nostalgic sets, and going through their catalog always makes me want to do a studio shoot. Although I’m not a supporter of copying a photographer’s style, I think that you can be inspired by their technique and occasionally incorporate certain elements into your own style. The below photos were inspired by a lot of different photographs and ideas. It was a mix between Anthropologie, favorite cookbooks, Sharon Core’s work, and ideas that have been hibernating in my mind. Initially, I wasn’t sure what the sets were going to look like, but I did know that I wanted something fresh, clean, and pretty. I wanted all of the elements in each picture to really showcase the cakes, not distract from them. So I started off by decorating the cakes and used them to kind of direct the set from there.

I think the photographs look better as a triptych because the images, compositions, and colors play off each other nicely.

And here are close-ups of the individual shots.

Jaws!

When I think of horror/scary movies, one person always comes to mind; our friend Bryan Wynia. He's obsessed with gore, guts, and overall disturbing special effects in movies, so it was natural when he announced his wedding date as Friday the 13th of November. It was also not surprising when he wanted me to make a Jaws-theme groom's cake for his wedding. Bryan is an extremely talented animator and sculptor, so I felt really intimidated by his request. So I took a day off work to devote to the monster and regularly asked Douglas for advice on the construction of the cake. After much deliberation, I decided that even though the cake was for a wedding, this was not a typical groom's cake and I should throw out any desire to make it look pretty or cute. I went all out and made the shark extra nasty with blood and a gross mouth. I think the cake was a hit and when the bride and groom cut into it, everyone was surprised by the shark meat (red velvet cake). Congratulations Bryan and Rachel and best wishes for a beautiful life together!

Bon Appetit!

I didn’t grow up watching her on TV, and frankly, her name was only vaguely familiar to me. It’s embarrassing, but before I saw the movie, I looked Julia Child up on Wikipedia. When I watched “Julie and Julia”, I kind of fell in love with Julia Child and it convinced me to watch some of her old shows. That woman just cracks me up! She is a far cry from the well-rehearsed, glossy chefs that are on TV today, but I think that’s what makes her so likable. From her clumsy cooking style, to her love for her husband, I think she is fantastic!

Anyway, I try to come up with ways incorporate whatever I’m passionate about into my photography. Usually, it consists of dogs, cakes, babies, and people in love…how can you really resist those things?! All of those things make me happy, so that’s what I typically shoot. But since Julia (yes, I call her Julia now) and cooking have been on my brain, I thought it would be neat to get creative and use her as inspiration for a studio shoot. This is how I would envision Julia’s desk while she was taking her culinary classes in France. Thanks to Abigail for lending me her pearls. Check out her blog, The Quinn Essentials, for lots of fun travel and food entries! I strongly recommend making her Orzo recipe. Delicious!

So here’s my tribute to Julia Child. Bon Appetit!

Liz & Chris: Maternity Session

I'm not sure exactly what it is about Liz. Maybe it's the calm way she speaks or her infectious up-beat attitude, but she has the most maternal and caring personality that's always made me think she'd be the best mother. While Liz is nurturing and friendly, Chris, her husband, is extremely extroverted and a kid at heart. Chris keeps Liz laughing and light-hearted, while Liz keeps his life organized and calm. They are the perfect match for each other!

So when Liz told me they were expecting their first baby, I thought, "Of course you are!". It was like everything came together in their lives; the little family that was waiting to form was now becoming a reality. I could just picture a little one pitter-pattering around their home!

I was able to see Liz throughout all the stages of her pregnancy, and the pregnancy glow really suites her. Just look at the pictures...she's beautiful! Shooting their maternity session was so much fun! Chris kept us laughing the entire time, while Liz looked fabulous in every picture!

I couldn't be happier for Liz and Chris, and I know for certain their little baby girl will have the BEST parents she could ask for. Congratulations you two on the new addition to your family!

"Mucho! Mucho!"

Just like every previous year, Douglas and I went to Target to get a bag of candy. Deep down I was hoping that we would get Trick-or-Treaters, but had the feeling that we wouldn't get any since that has been our track record for the past 4 years. With the rain and cold weather we have been getting, breaking the Trick-or-Treater drought didn't look likely.

Douglas and I were watching scary movies last night to celebrate Halloween. By 8:30pm we decided we should eat the Halloween candy ourselves since, again, no Trick-or-Treaters came to our house. Around 9pm, I was stuffing myself with grapes, when all of the sudden, the doorbell rang. Douglas and I looked at each other, jumped up, and ran to the door with the bowl of candy.

I almost screamed "Happy Halloween!" to the 4 little kids that were standing at the door holding their bags out anxiously. I handed out the candy to the Transformer, the Princess, the Power Ranger, and then lastly the Ninja. As I reached the little Ninja, who was in my guess about 4 years old, he screeched, "MUCHO! MUCHO!" as he hopped up and down. I about died laughing he was so cute. So I gave out mucho candy and although this was the only group of Trick-Or-Treaters we got this Halloween, it made my whole weekend.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of our Trick-or-Treaters, but here's a fun picture of the Ninja! Also, if you get a chance, check out this blog...if you scroll down on the Halloween page, they list one of my cakes! Woo-hoo! Thanks to Chris Schweizer for telling me about it!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween and got mucho candy!