Photo Display

I'm always thinking about new ways to display my photos.  I love a beautifully framed and matted print and a gallery wrap canvas is great too, but I like to change things up.  I have so many pictures of my son, our families and trips we have taken and I just don't have the wall or shelf space to accommodate them all.  Plus, that takes up quite a bit of time.  I have good intentions about switching them out of frames, but well.... good intentions.
I decided last year to make a bulletin board for my living room.  The original idea was to cover with really great upholstery fabric and just do a few larger, artsy prints and use my old brooches as pins.  I have quite a few of them and I don't ever wear them (again, good intentions:).  Some are passed down from family, some are junk store finds and some are newer, but they are beautiful and rarely see the light of day. 
We moved to a new house in February and I still had not made my board (again, good intentions:) because I hadn't found just the right fabric.  I had purchased the frame I wanted during the summer.  It was actually meant to be a frame liner, but I loved the linen covering and thought, why not?  It was large (40x50) and I had planned to hang it horizontally.  When we moved I had a very long, very blank wall in my kitchen.  I decided to go a little more casual with my project and purchased a second frame to match.  They are hanging side by side, vertically, in my kitchen.  I also ditched the brooch idea, but maybe I'll do that someday.
I purchased foam core and had it cut to fit.  I still couldn't find the right fabric though.  Then one day I was on the Anthropologie website and noticed these curtains that I loved on clearance.  They only came in 63" and weren't long enough for my windows and it hit me, they were perfect for my boards.
I starched and ironed the curtains, laid them on the floor and sprayed lightly with an adhesive, then placed the foam core on.  Then, the hard part, I took straight pins and starting from the middle on each side, put them in about every 1".  My fingers were killing me by the end.  You have to pin the middle on each side, pulling tight and work your way out.  Do a little on each side and then move to the next one, so you work evenly.  I did end up with a few small puckers, but the photos cover them.  Next I put in the covered boards in my frames and nailed them in.  (Or you could have a framer do all of this for you, much easier)
All of the photos that I print for the boards, I do with a white border.  I just think it makes them look more finished.  I like to do groupings of photos.  I have a Razorback group, my son in the cotton, ag photos, Toronto photos, Biltmore photos, etc.  Do a few large and then various sizes of small, including square for interest.  I also have some of my son's school papers displayed.  As they rotate out, any favorites will go into frames and with the white border they will look matted.
Hope this inspires you to make a photo display for your home!

Emerson Exploring

 I spent some time with Emerson this week.  She has just turned 4 years old and is growing up too fast.  She has the cutest little personality and I always know I'm in for a good shoot with her.  It doesn't hurt that the kid has a pretty rockin' wardrobe either. ;-)
We spent some time exploring the Craighead Forest Park, one of my favorite places in Jonesboro.  It is an amazing park and if you haven't spent any time there, you should.  When I have a shoot with a child, my goal is always to make them as happy as I can in the process.  No child will last long if you ask them to sit and be still constantly, or say cheese.  If I walk away with only a few keepers and the child has had a good time, then I consider the shoot a success.  In this case, we had way more than a few keepers... more like 80.  LOL!
Thanks again to Emerson and her mommy for a wonderful day!

My Recipes - Salsa Fresca

Besides photography, I have many interests.  One of those is cooking.  I love to cook and rarely use recipes (except for baking, of course).  I think not using recipes has forced me to become a better cook.  Figuring out what works together without someone else telling me so has made me truly think about combinations.  Spices and herbs are so important to a dish and once you learn the typical flavors of a particular cuisine, you can wing it.  
For example, I know when I make Latin food I will probably use cumin, cilantro, white onion, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce.  If I make cajun food, I will probably use thyme, bay, green onions, cayenne peppar and the "holy trinity" as my base (onion, celery and bell pepper).  Thai food, I will use some curry paste, limes, raw sugar, fish sauce, maybe coconut milk, maybe peanut butter, and etc.  You get the idea.
For a long time I watched cooking shows and learned techniques and ideas from them, but not necessarily recipes.  I hardly ever watch cooking shows now, but I learn from doing and when I want to know something new and specific, I look it up.
SO... I thought I might try something new on the blog.  I'm going to post a recipe from time to time.  My recipes probably won't be exact.  You will have to adjust according to taste, but all the ingredients will be there.  I'm trying to build a stock photo library and thought this would be a great way to motivate myself to take more food photos.
I lived in Central America, mostly Honduras, for a couple of years when I was in my early twenties.  I LOVE the food there and didn't just sit passively in the living room while the women cooked.  I got in the kitchen with them and made them teach me.  I have made my own adjustments on things but many of my "signature dishes" have a definite Latin flare.  And so, without further ado... Salsa Fresca, a crowd pleaser!

Tomatoes - 4-6, remove core and some of the juice and do a small chop, salsa will get more watery as it chills

White Onion - 1/2 or so, finely minced

Mild Green Pepper - 2 small, finely minced (not bell, see what is available at the grocery - if only hot peppers are available then remove seeds and ribs carefully, unless you want it spicy)

Cilantro - half a bunch, roll or squeeze together and finely chop

Lime - Juice of 1 to 2, to taste

Kosher Salt - 1 tablespoon, to taste

Cumin - 1 to 2 tablespoons, to taste (I like alot of cumin, but that's just me)

Combine all ingredients and chill for an hour or so.  If you get any ideas about using a food processor, I wouldn't.  My friend Courtney learned the hard way that you will end up with pink foam - unless you have an incredible processor.  Again all ingredients are to taste, so adjust as needed.  Enjoy!

Me & My Boy at the Beach

I love South Carolina and I'm fortunate to have not one, but two sisters who live there.  I posted some senior pictures of my niece Emily a few weeks ago.  They are further inland in beautiful, rolling country.  My son and I had a great time at their place.  They have horses, dog, cat, rabbit and pond - a three year old's paradise.  W decided the horses belonged to him and is still talking about them weeks later. 

My sister Annette has lived on the coast for many years and it is always a treat to go stay at the beach.  I knew W would love it, but I wasn't prepared for how much.  The pictures above were taken around sunset on our last day there.  Although they look so cute and spontaneous, the soundtrack playing was me screaming at him to "NOT RUN INTO THE OCEAN!!!!!"  I'm a little bit chicken when it comes to undertow and W was feeling very brave that day.

My niece Rachel, so sweet, is a budding photographer.  She took the one of us above.  I have so few shots of us together, I really wanted one of our mommy/son trip.  This was as still as I was able to get him.  Lesson - don't try to hold a kid back at the beach.  

Stop in the Name of Eden

I had the pleasure of working with Eden Spa & Boutique again a few weeks ago.  I love it!!  Look for this shot on Eden's current billboards in Jonesboro ...and remember to stop before you text!!

Belly Laughs

 

It's always so special when I get to do a session with friends or family.  I love that I got to see my friend Gina while she is pregnant. We met up in St. Louis a few weeks ago and had such a great time, catching up and rehashing old times.  
Gina is a bit of a silly girl sometimes, so it was a little difficult to keep a straight face for both of us.  It's hard enough to tell someone I barely know to "lie down in the grass, put your hands on your belly and look at the sky" without getting a little tickled.  However, the shots of her laughing are the best.  They really show her beautiful personality and how happy she is to be a first time mommy.
Congratulations!! 

Gaelan

Playing Around

This little girl was such a good sport for us at a St. Bernard shoot last week, that I decided to get a couple of silly shots.  I love it!  Great job Sheridan. :)

Emily-Preview

A quick preview of my lovely niece Emily's senior pics ;)

Meet Me in St. Looey

I had a fantastic time last weekend in St. Louis with my best girlfriends!  I had a photography workshop on Monday with Dave Hobby and Joe McNally, so I called up my girlfriends and it all worked out.  Life is so hectic and everyone has different schedules, it gets harder to get together with every passing year.  
My buddy Gina is expecting her first, so on Sunday, we headed down to City Park and did a little maternity session.  We sat outside on the patio of the restaurant there and had a beautiful brunch.  If you are ever in St. Louis on a Sunday, I highly recommend.  
The workshop on Monday was great.  Both Hobby and McNally are excellent speakers and I know I learned some very valuable things that day.  Great new lighting techniques, especially useful for my commercial clients.
More from Gina's session coming soon!!