Glinda & Her Boys

I had to post a preview for Glinda and her boys before the holiday weekend.  I had such a great time with them on our shoot, that I might even forgive them for being die hard Ole Miss fans.  Thanks for a great shoot!  More to come soon!

My Recipes - Ribs

Being the 4th of July and all, I thought I would share my recipe for ribs.  I don't make saucy ribs, but they aren't dry either.  My sweet daddy, whom I miss very much, was a grilling master.  I remember watching him every year on the 4th, grilling chicken, pork chops, and ribs for his enormous brood of daughters, sons-in-law and grandkids.  I would sit on the back porch watching him grill in his starched blue jeans (reserved for those occasions when he wanted to relax, starched khakis were for work).  My ribs are not exactly the same as his, but a similar variation.  They always seem to please a crowd, so I hope this 4th you will give it a try.
Start with baby back ribs that have been rinsed well and patted dry with paper towels.  I lay out a long piece of foil for each one, several inches longer on each end than the ribs.  Make sure they are very dry.  Sprinkle them generously with meat tenderizer, garlic powder, oregano and cumin.  Sprinkle them lightly with cayenne pepper and a little salt.  Be careful with the salt, tenderizer is salty.  Next I put a good dose of Wishbone Italian Dressing on them (my dad pronounced this I-talian) and wrap them up, making sure the foil is sealed.  I stack them up on a baking sheet and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours (so do this in the morning).  
I start grilling them a couple of hours before we want to eat.  I get my coals ready and let them settle a bit, then put the ribs right over the high heat for about 5 min per side to sear.  Then I move them over and lower my coals to the bottom of my grill, so they get indirect heat.  If your coals don't move down, put the ribs up higher on top rack.  Let ribs cook slowly for...um...well... this is the tricky part.  I'm not really sure how long I cook them.  I never seem to remember to time this part and just go on feeling.  I can tell by looking at them that they are ready to come off (you could use a thermometer too:).  If I had to guess I would say an 1 hour.  
When they are ready to come off of the grill, wrap them in foil and either put them in a cooler or put them in the oven.  If you do the oven, turn it on about 200 degrees and then turn it off when it gets to temperature.  Let them rest about an hour and you are ready to go!!
I won't have a photo of my ribs until after the 4th.  Instead I'll put this one for my dad, who loved hats.

That's Mr. Polka Dot to You

First let me say that I love these images!  Gatlin is such a sweet little boy... however, he does look a little bit gangster in the above image :)  It just makes me smile every time I see it.  "Hey, you talkin' to me?  That's Mr. Polka Dot to you buddy."
Anyway, I'm just being silly.  I thought Gatlin and I were only going to have one more guaranteed session together, but his mom won my contest last week!  Now the poor kid is stuck with me for another year.  I can't wait to see him cruising around for our one year session.  I want to get him in action.  Look for his one year session this fall!

Flowers a al Courtney

I have to take a moment to brag on my friend a little.  My friend Courtney is secretly a superhero.  Not only is she working full time in higher ed, raising a 3 year old, getting her master's... she also does amazing things with flowers.  She was doing a wedding in Jonesboro, for a friend, in her spare time.  I took the chance to stop by and snap a few pics of her beautiful flowers.  
Now she won't be able to hide her talent, or her superhero costume :)

Contest Time!!

Can you tell which 3 things are different?  Go to my Facebook page and be the first to post the correct answers and you will win a free session for your family!!

Tinley + Parker

Despite a dust storm and a downpour, Tinley & Parker tied the knot.  Besides...a wet knot always ties tighter.  Congratulations!

Gatlin - Preview

A quick one for Mom.

Eden's Dilemma

I love it when my clients come up with ideas that are a little out of the box, which is why I so enjoyed the shoot with Eden Spa & Boutique yesterday.  The results were wonderful!  So great, in fact, that they now cannot decide which shot will be on their next round of billboards in Jonesboro.
Go "like" Eden's facebook page and cast your vote today!  Choose your favorite image and favorite tagline ("I'm game for your acne", "I'll tackle your acne" or "I'll beat your acne").

My Recipes - Caprese

 I LOVE Caprese Salad.  It has such a fresh and unexpected taste.  My husband loves it so much that I now have 3 basil plants in my sunroom so we always have a fresh supply in the house.  My way is not exactly traditional though.  I think the real thing only adds olive oil and salt to the tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella.  I like to add a balsamic reduction to mine. 

This isn't probably the prettiest version of it.  I was making it for our dinner one night and decided at the last minute I would snap a few pictures on the patio.  If you want to do individual servings, do stacks.  It makes a great presentation.  At parties do pick ups on little skewers with cherry tomatoes.

 For the balsamic reduction, I used a cheap, supermarket brand of balsamic vinegar.  I put about half the bottle in a small saucepan and brought it to a simmering boil.  Don't let your heat get too high, though.  Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Take it off of the heat and let it cool.  If you have extra, just store it in the fridge.  It is great for lots of things.

I recently bought a bottle of Katz Zinfandel Vinegar at the Savory Pantry in Hot Springs (one of my favorite places to visit when I'm there).  If you can get your hands on that, it is a real treat.  Reduce it and use it as a finishing coating on baked chicken.  Delicious!

 Putting it together is easy.  I use more tomato than cheese, almost twice as much tomato.  Fresh mozzarella is a must!!  Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt, drizzle with olive oil and reduction.  Roll the basil leaves and slice thinly to julienne, then scatter across the top.  Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Custom Photography

Photographers often talk about custom photography and what that means, so here's my go at it.  When it comes to photography, custom means pretty much what it does in other areas.  Nothing is cookie cutter, each session is tailored to you.  If you want location, we do it.  Studio, we do it.  At your house?  Ok.  In a meadow 20 miles outside of town?  Ok.  On a rooftop in Paris?  Ok, but only if you're paying for the flight :)  That's just me wishful thinking.  If there is a product that I don't offer and I can figure out a way to provide that to you, I will. 

All that being said, custom does come with a price.  My session fees are $100 weekday and $150 weekend.  I have a 3 year old and my weekends are precious, hence the increase.  I have a minimum print order of $300.  The session fee pays for my time at the shoot, the print sales pay for my time behind the scenes, editing, communicating, uploading, ordering, etc.  I spend alot of time on my photos and on my education, plus I use top of the line equipment.  All this to give you the best experience I can.

Some people would say the price is too high.  How much do you pay the plumber just to show up?  Mine costs $125.  Electrician?  $90.  This is usually for 1 hour or less of work.  Now don't get me wrong... I appreciate those guys.  It's dirty work and sometimes involves crawling through spider infested attics and crawl spaces.  But how much is it worth to you for someone to show up and spend time with your loved ones, capturing your special moments together?  The images will last a lifetime... your sink will get clogged again in 6 months, but your photos will still be on the wall.

Snapshots are wonderful, spontaneous and capture all of life's big events.  They're the bones of your photographic memories, but custom photos are special.  Think of the snapshots as your playclothes,  your jeans and tee.  Custom photos are your party dress.  You don't have as many, but you really love them and you look and feel great in them.  They showcase you and your loved ones in the best way.

Many photographers discuss all of the new "moms with a camera" in the industry.  The digital revolution has changed the playing field.  I am not one to put down other photographers work.  I prefer to focus on my work and how to make it better.  Also, I happen to be one of those moms and I find it a little offensive.  I would like to know how they were born with an innate knowledge of photography.  It seems to me that we all had to learn at some point, some earlier than others, but some people can do something for years and they still don't quite get it.  Others can pick up a skill and run with it.  I think it comes down not only to ability and knowledge, but taste.  Some have it, some don't.

Now that most (not all!) lifestyle photographers shoot digital, I think the editing process can really make or break the work.  All good photography starts with a well taken image.  Rarely editing can save you, but it is not something you should fall back on.  I see some very poor editing out there on a daily basis and some that is great.  I have never done a "straight out of the camera" post (SOOC), so here it goes.  

I'm posting the same photo 3 ways. I chose a photo of my son, he won't mind.  This photo was taken spontaneously on our patio and is maybe not the best quality photo you will see, but I chose it because his face was particularly dirty.  Now me, I would print this dirt and all for my bulletin board (see previous post), but for the sake of this exercise I will remove all the food, dirt, grandma's lipstick print and scratches from his face. 

First: Straight from the camera

Second:  Edited

You can do one of those "what's different in these two pictures" games with this one.  Look closely, not only are the dirty marks gone, but his eyes are little brighter, skin tone is a little better, no red eyes, etc.

And now for the third one...  notice my watermark isn't on it.  I have no desire to claim it.  This is my version of what I consider poor editing.

Third:  Poor Edit

I see so much of this on the market.  Heavy, unrealistic vignetting around the edges, red cast around eyes, nose and chin, poor skin tone that is too red or too yellow, skin that looks like it has been smudged with an eraser, "evil eyes" that have been extremely lightened and the list goes on.

So my request to you as a client or potential client, is that you educate yourself when you shop for a photographer.  I may not be your choice, but make sure your choice is the quality you deserve.  There is a photographer with the right style and price for everyone.