suit / shorts / tank / cardigan / bag / scarf / dress

I’m seeing stripes everywhere… and it’s only adding to my affection for them. I spend a little bit of time (let’s be honest it usually turns into more time than I plan for) finding ideas for engagement sessions and outfit inspiration to pin to this board. If you read yesterday’s post you saw that style and the “look” of the session is one thing I suggest people consider when planning for their shoot. Even those with more fashion sense than myself sometimes find themselves stumped when it comes to deciding on what to wear. So, I’m happy to talk through it and give suggestions.

shirt / dress / scarf / tank / scoopneck / shorts / clutch

However, that extra time that keeps me pinning for longer than I anticipated has gotten me in trouble. I’m dying to get some of these striped pieces that I’ve come across recently and am considering different ways to justify it: “it’s for vacation” / “I’ll wear it to a wedding” / “I don’t have any green”…  but I promised myself I would first clean out my closet and do some spring cleaning to get rid of unworn clothes. So, instead of buying I’m sharing with all of you, so you can either indulge and tell me about what you decided to purchase, or restrain yourself until you’ve deemed your closet clean enough to add to it. (first on my list : the maxidress below… hello, summer!)

dress / maxidress /strapless / dress / wedge / blouse

Engagement sessions are a chance to have fun, get comfortable in front of the camera and take some amazing pictures. It should be like a date that you always wanted to go on: a chance to enjoy the things that you love, and get to know your photographer. They don’t take place within the structure and schedule of the wedding day, so there’s the chance to try something different and make them personal. I like to break the session down into three elements so it’s a little more simple to plan and prepare for, and they are:

You can personalized each area as much or little as you like, and answering these questions will help you determine what your shoot will be like. Where will you be? What will you wear? What will you be doing?

Location:  Choosing between a sunny day at the lake or an afternoon in the conservatory (a great place for winter sessions) will likely guide the rest of your decisions. I like to include at least one location that has open, natural space and often help people narrow down the location when planning. Light is also a big player in choosing a location, and it’s worth it to choose a location – or time of day – solely based on that.

Style: My advice is to wear something that makes you feel good. Never had a chance to rock the amazing dress you bought? Do you love bright colors, bold prints and interesting patterns? I don’t think you need to shy away but finding outfits that work together is something I generally talk through with people and decide on day of once they show me the options they brought. I love my pink tights, and I would probably be afraid to wear them to an engagement shoot, but then again they might just be amazing. Choosing to have one bold element can generally be balanced out by the rest of the clothes, and typically couples have 2 different looks they change in to.

Activity: This is a subtle element that can take center stage or sit quietly in the images. Whenever people have something to do, or a context of what they are doing where they are, they are more likely to loosen up and relax. I suggest adding in some kind of activity so that it can not only be photographed, but introduce people to the session and feel comfortable. For Carli and Dan (above) we started in the stacks of their alma mater’s library and not only did I love the light and color of the books, but we pulled a few out to look through and they had a sense of context with the photos and what they were doing. Who hasn’t wanted to sneak through the rows for kiss or two (obviously I have, my wedding was in a library).

Starting with one of these areas and making a decision will help guide the rest, and give your session some personality as well. I love to capture people being themselves, so plan something you’ll have fun with! I hope these tips helped and would love to hear if you have any feedback or suggestions. See my recent engagement sessions on the blog here or browse through images over here.

My mom’s New Mexico roots were woven throughout our lives. Among other things, our living room had a southwestern feel; chile was a type of vegetable that was roasted, peeled and cooked with; and my parents had turquoise wedding bands. They were married in the 70′s and as my mom described it, “didn’t want to do anything the traditional way.” After meeting in Hawaii and deciding to get married, the came to New Mexico for the wedding, and picked out inexpensive matching bands with inlaid triangles of turquoise.

Soon I had a few pieces of jewelry passed down to me, it on our trips to Albuquerque it became a regular tradition to stop in at the Palms. The Palms is a unique store that has a large selection of indian made silver and turquoise jewelry. Even better, everything is half off the marked prices.

My collection of turquoise jewelry has slowly grown over the years, and not only do I love it’s look I like that it feels so connected to my family history. Rings are the thing I have most and on our recent trip in April I picked up a new gorgeous ring. It’s my current favorite. The bright blue is the typical turquoise color most people think of when mentioning the word, but there is a lot of variation in the stone. The older looking pieces were passed down to me, others have been picked up throughout the years… and look forward to continuing the tradition of passing along some of these pieces of jewelry some day.

I work with a number of out of state couples planning their wedding back in New York or inviting me to join them for their day. It can be more challenging to plan out of state but Sara and John seem to have it down. I felt immediately like friends with them which I could attribute to many things; their southern hospitality being one of them. They were in town from Kentucky for a wedding planning weekend and we took some engagement pictures, and were naturals whether they anticipated it or not. We were just the right fit and I can’t wait for their wedding day.

To prepare for the session we sent emails back and forth, tossed around ideas over the phone, and took cues from the “session inspiration” pinboard I have on pinterest. Take a look and you’ll get a peek at their style for the shoot. I plan to add outfit ideas regularly to the board to help answer the question “what to wear?” See more from their session by following me here & happy monday!

The first time we made pasta – on a whim four years ago – we had nothing but a rolling pin to roll it out. That pasta was thick. Our arms were tired. Somehow, we were hooked.

I rave about homemade pasta everywhere I go. It’s amazing! It’s so easy! You have to try it! If you’re picturing me shouting that from the street corners I was picturing that too. People have been asking for the recipe and taking me up on my offer to teach them about homemade pasta so it was time to post a step by step guide. While it’s no family secret (we use giada’s recipe) – if you’re anything like me you need a lot of pictures to convince you that it looks like something you could do. So whether you are skeptical or interested, those are both good reasons to give it a try, and if you do so let me know how it goes. 

There are several ways to make pasta from scratch, the easiest being with a food processor and a pasta roller. If you have or can borrow either of those you can get to work with this recipe:

Ingredients:

3c flour (preferably high gluten / pasta flour) + extra for dusting

4 eggs

2-3T olive oil

1 large pinch sea salt

1. Put flour in to food processor. In a separate bowl, gently beat the eggs, olive oil and salt. With the food processor running, and the top on, pour egg mixture slowly and allow to combine, turn off food processor. Test dough by pinching to see that if it stays together. It should have a cornmeal-like appearance and stick together when pinched.

If too dry, 1-2 T ice water can be added with processor running. The dough should not be in a ball , but will come together during kneading.

2. Place dough on lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 min, or until texture is even and smooth and responds to touch. (Don’t add too much flour in here or pasta will dry out) Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge for at least 30 min or as long as overnight.

3. Take dough out, pull off a piece and being to flatten and feed through roller. The kitchen aid roller has several thicknesses and you keep feeding the dough through until desired thick/thinness is reached. After sheets are stretched, dust with flour and repeat with rest of dough. Cut pasta by hand, or switch to pasta cutter and feed sheets through. (Cut pasta can be sealed in a plastic bag and frozen for later use – hooray!)

4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (use more water than normal). Place cut pasta in water and cook in small batches until al dente. Cooking time is much less than hard pasta bought in the store, and depends on thickness of the noodles.

5. Enjoy! Eat with marinara, carbonara, homemade chicken noodle soup or a myriad of recipes… and share!

The hardest part of pasta making is getting the dough kneaded in a smooth consistency from it’s somewhat crumbly texture in the food processor. Practice will help you recognize when it needs water or doesn’t and some elbow grease – as they say – is needed when kneading.

I’m not sure she ever forgave us for kicking her out of the bed. Lexi, being our first dog, enjoyed a year of burrowing under the covers and keeping us warm. It all started one cold winter night when we decided to let her stay in bed and sleep as a little heater. We found out what most people know from the start : dachshunds love to burrow. Give them a pile of fresh laundry in a basket, a warm lap on a couch, and layers of blankets on a bed and they will snuggle right in.  I never wanted to be one of those people who let their dogs run the house, but I had a hard time resisting these sad little eyes. However, after we decided to add Jasper to the family it was too much for both of them to stay. So we kicked her out. Each night she looks up at us longingly as we put her and Jasper in the crate and reinforce the fact that her days in the bed are over.

This morning she didn’t seem like herself – and whether something was wrong or it was a trick – I decided to let her in the bed for an early morning nap. She loved it.

A few weeks ago I got an email from someone at the Knot. Wait, let me say that again. A few weeks ago I got an email from someone at the Knot. Yes, the wedding planning giant. Someone working on their fall/winter Florida magazine was looking for images of TPC Sawgrass and came across one I captured at Marc + Ginny’s wedding on Flickr. Now, if I wanted to pretend like I was a big deal I would say this happens all the time and so on and so forth… but it doesn’t (yet at least). Even though it was a simple building shot I was happy to send it their way.

I opened up the original file and realized what I captured wasn’t all that, and had a few flaws. So, before I sent it over I did a little editing and thought I’d share that process with you!

I just want to curl up with a good book.

I rarely say that. When I’m honest I can admit I’m not a great reader, when I’m lying I say I’m ok.  It’s odd, because as the daughter of a librarian and teacher you would have thought some of those traits would have been inherently passed down. It’s not second nature to sit along quietly and read, but I’m trying to improve and bulk up my reading list this year.

I’m currently working through these four books and have really been enjoying them. Yes, I have to stop myself and make time to read, but when I do I come away with a feeling of accomplishment. So here’s my current reading list:

The Luminous Portrait by Elizabeth Messina  |  Born to Run by Christopher McDougall  |  Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand  |  Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney

I may not be as consistent at reading books, but I do love to curl up with a good blog (That sounds weird, but you get the point). I subscribe to several blogs in my google reader and catch up on multiple posts a few times a week. My favorites rotate but lately include: Oh Joy!  |  Design for Mankind  |  Design Sponge  |  Designtripper

What have you guys been reading? Would you rather books or blogs – and leave some recommendations for me if you like!

I am usually one to multitask with things on all the proverbial burners, and having my own business has only added to those tendencies. I have to pry myself away from no only doing work but thinking about it. Slowly I’ve started to get better, but i still have to be intentional about taking time off and then staying productive when I am actually at work. This weekend I was successful at relaxing, and now it’s time to get things done.

Lindsay + Andy put a modern spin on the tradition schedule of their rustic wedding. One of the defining characteristics about this schedule were that the ceremony and reception were 30min apart from each other. The location was a private hunting club on beautiful ground so once guests arrived they enjoyed cocktail hour and walked the grounds as we took pictures. The reception started a bit later and dinner was served after 8, but with a full cocktail hour no one minded the wait.

Sophie and Peter made every part of their backyard wedding come to life with a lot of hard work and handcrafting. As a result there were many details from the day to enjoy and photograph, and most of them were captured before the ceremony and the arrival of guests. This happened after their first look, which took place in the tent for the reception since it was lightly raining. Bridal party pictures were taken before the ceremony as well, and they didn’t need a lot of down time before the ceremony which was just 5 minutes down the road. On the way back it wasn’t a problem to stop for a few more pictures in a neighbors barn as guests made their way over. A few family pictures were taken at the church and a few at the house, but there was not a long list to work off of. When the light was just right we took 15 more minutes to capture some of my favorite portraits of them from the day. Overall we split up the pictures into smaller segments so that they would not be away from the party and they could get the pictures they wanted.

Margaret and Luke’s DIY state park wedding was also full of details and creative touches, although they didn’t choose to do a first look. With everything in one location, no time was lost in travel and the details of the day were captured in between documenting the the process of getting ready. A few portraits of both Margaret and Luke were taken separately before the ceremony began. With just two people total in the bridal party all images with them as well as family were taken right after the ceremony. Afterwards as guests mingled, enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres we went and took portraits. After that the night unfolded naturally with dinner, dessert bar, and dancing all under the beautiful south carolina night sky.

Alison and Pat put a modern spin on their country club wedding. While everything took place at the club, Alison and the girls got ready at her parents house and then the boys came over for their first look (actually Pat liked to call it “first peep”). After a first look and a few photos in the backyard, we headed to the club and took bridal part pictures, family formals, and portraits. Everything was done before the ceremony and Alison and Pat moved with their guests to cocktail hour afterwards and greeted everyone while enjoying the delicious hors d’oeuvres they had planned. When the reception was opened up dancing started right away, with dinner and toasts taking place after the dance floor had been broken in. The rest of the night was danced away, with a break for guests to enjoy the myriad of desserts on the table.

Four very different weddings for four amazing couples… and hopefully a little insight for all of you out there planning. Feel free to leave questions if you have them and I hope you enjoyed!