Chocolate Cake: You're My Favorite Work of Art

So, all of this food photography occasionally prompts ME to actually cook something. On this occasion, I BAKED. Now, as I've mentioned before, I'm much more of a "let's throw everything in this one pan with some olive oil and call it dinner" kind of girl. My dinners are usually delicious, but they're not very intricate and nor are they very photogenic. This time around, I opted for something that was a little bit of both! I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, a wonderful food blog. Every time I end up on that site, I leave with a recipe I want to try out! This time around I made Everyday Chocolate Cake.









I took these photos a couple of weeks ago, so the Valentine's decor was a lot more appropriate. Overall, I'd say the cake came out pretty well! It was really dense, so you definitely want a glass of milk to go along with it. Or maybe a dollop of whipped cream (which I don't eat). I was just happy it looked pretty! I made Doug take most of it to work with him so we didn't sit at home and eat it all by ourselves and he told me it was a big hit (although I suppose he could have been lying - how would I know?). It definitely wasn't perfect (yet), but I'd say it was pretty good for someone in the habit of eyeballing food measurements!

Tiffany & Sean, CT Wedding: One Love! One Heart!

I met Tiffany when I was a freshman in college. All of the freshmen in our dorm were friendly and it just so happened that Tiffany and her roommate lived down the hall from me and my roommate. And thus began years of friendship. Like a lot of people these days, although we kept in touch sporadically, it was definitely Facebook that reconnected us. One of the perks of being a photographer is that it brings me back into people's lives, so I was thrilled when I spoke with Tiffany about photographing her wedding! She was a glowing bride - truly. She radiated joy from pretty much every fiber of her being. It made me so happy to see her and Sean celebrate their marriage with such an amazing wedding. Their wedding took place this past July at The Candlewood Inn in Brookfield, CT. The ceremony was outside, overlooking Candlewood Lake, on a gorgeous summer day!

Tiffany was so excited to get married, she was already in the process of getting dressed when I arrived!










Tiffany and Sean had an informal "First Look" right before they signed the Ketubah.
































Tiffany and Sean, thank you so much for inviting me to part of your wedding! It was such an honor to celebrate with you both!

Kim and Jeff, Engagement Session: I Thank My Lucky Stars

Kim and Jeff rock. There, I said it. They are hilarious. I knew photographing them would be easy because they are so much fun to be around. We just needed to find a way to conquer their nerves! We met up at Fenway Park and wandered around that area before making our way down to Fanueil Hall, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and Christopher Columbus Park. It was a chilly day, but not by "January in Boston" standards. When we originally scheduled the session, I think we were all envisioning some sort of romantic snowy city scene. Well, Mother Nature has had other ideas for us this winter.

Kim and Jeff were great sports! They let me experiment with light, shadows, my new lens, new filters, and everything else in my bag. There's lots of hugging, kissing, holding hands, laughing, and even some funny faces thrown in for good measure. It was easy for Kim and Jeff to loosen up and we had a wonderful time hanging out in the city! Even Doug loosened up - usually he tries to be all quiet and professional and just wants to stay out of everyone's way, but the fun was contagious. It got to the point where he even jumped into a few photos! WHAT?! I know, I know, totally unlike him. Also, I consider myself lucky that Kim and Jeff didn't seem to mind.

































This photo is certainly not a technically great photo, but it makes me laugh and it captures our entire day. I mean, you wouldn't be looking at the camera and smiling if you were in a lobster pot of boiling water, right?


Kim and Jeff, I am sooooo looking forward to your wedding this fall! We are going to have a blast!

Andy & Alli, Engagement Session: Light Up A Torch

You know how there always has to be the "cool kid" in every family? Well, as you can imagine, that wasn't me. It was my brother. And to this day, he's still one of the coolest people I know. My family is all very excited because he recently got engaged! We love his fiancee, of course. Really. I'm not just saying that because she might read this. They are awesome together. I definitely try to hang out with them whenever they let me. Some things never change.

On one of the only wintry days we've had so far, I took some engagement faux-tos for them (I just made that term up - this is why I'm not a cool kid). They will have their own amazing wedding photographer who will take amazing engagement photos for them at some point, but I was honored to snag a few early on!
















I took these photos way back in the spring of 2007! See? I told you nothing's changed! (Except my blog - my blog has definitely changed)

Boston Food Photography: Open Your Heart With the Key

Yay for food! The Mr. and I celebrated Valentine's Day together this past Saturday. We had dinner with three other couples. The men cooked and the women got to kick back, relax, and enjoy the meal! Knowing how decadent it was going to get, I brought my camera along so I could photograph our feast!

Fontina and pear and brie and green apple paninis with a tomato soup shooter.


Sun-dried tomato and avocado spring rolls.


Mixed greens salad with goat cheese, red onions, and craisins.


Rosemary chicken stuffed with an herb infused goat cheese paste (cooked under a brick) with a side of orzo and vegetables.




Homemade creme brulee with raspberries and blackberries!


We also got chocolate covered strawberries and vanilla milkshakes with kahlua. Talk about being pampered! Everything was so yummy! In our past lives in Los Angeles, the Mr. was a pretty darn good chef, so I knew what he was capable of! However, these days, after a long day at work, neither one us gets very creative with dinner (unless you count figuring out ways to only use one pan creative). It was the perfect Valentine's Day present! Thank you to the men for putting in a hard day's work and really getting creative! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

XOXOXOXOXO