What's Wrong--1

A series in which I post horribly embarrassing pictures from my early days as a "fauxtographer" and you get to tell me what is wrong with them. Leave your critique in the comments sections. Check back tomorrow for my assessment.

And the Winner Is...

Becca Oliver! Thank you, everyone for becoming a follower and liking me on Facebook! I will be posting new content every day (except weekends) so be sure to check back often! Have a wonderful day!

Melissa

Andrea and Dallin Wedding Reception {Blackstone Country Club}

When she was a teenager, she used to drive by the large, beautiful building set atop a hill and dream of having her wedding reception there. On September 2nd, 2011, her dream came true. And it was a dream come true for her new husband, too. The Blackstone Country Club is on a golf course, and he is mad for golfing.

Of course, something always goes wrong at a wedding (or wedding reception). They had gotten married in Utah the day before, and on the plane to Colorado, Andrea's makeup exploded in her suitcase and got all over her clothes. This caused a slight delay to our photo session before the reception. And then during the shoot, it started to rain. However, there were no mosquitoes, so we can be thankful for that :) Despite all the setbacks, we were still able to get some GORGEOUS images to remember the day.

A big congratulations to Andrea and Dallin!

How to Choose a Great Photographer

(This is a repost from last year, but I feel it's full of great information that bears repeating).

Pick me! Pick me! That's all you need to know.

O.K., seriously folks, I ran across the website of another photographer tonight, and I started thinking about how people pick someone to photograph their children and families. I realized that it may be difficult to separate the good photographers from the bad, and to be able to tell what really "good" photography is. You may have had a friend come to you, giving you glowing reports about a photographer and showing you the cute pictures of their smiling children. Cute smiling kids must equal a great photographer, right? Not necessarily. Please consider the following:

Most new photographers suffer from a terrible syndrome. It is called "I am so awesome that I can hardly believe I'm real." I admit that I suffered from this syndrome at one point. Even though I had seen photography from really, really great and famous photographers, I somehow could not see that my photography was woefully lacking compared to theirs. All I knew is that my friends said I was awesome, and that was good enough for me. Of course, this syndrome was also tempered by the "I'm so terrible I can't believe people would actually pay me money" syndrome. This is a good syndrome to have! It pushed me to learn and grow and increase my skills. Unfortunately, some photographers only have the first syndrome, and never the second. Here are the telltale signs:

1. They post all 247 pictures from a session on their website with no editing whatsoever. There are loads of blurry pictures, images of babies crawling out of the scene, and even pictures that are corrupted where most of the frame is green.

2. They do "selective color," and do it badly. Everybody loves the black and white pictures of the little girl where only the pink rose is in color. But watch out for abnormally-colored eyes and other wonky colors that look fake. It means they probably are. Selective color should be used sparingly and add to the feel of the picture. It shouldn't be done just because Photoshop makes it possible.

3. They charge too little for their sessions and prints. I once read a book about photography that gave the advice to avoid any photographer who charged less than $100 for a session. At the time, I charged less than $100, so I thought this was bad advice. Looking back, I can tell you that it is, in fact, very good advice. Good photography is an investment. If you only want to pay for cheap photography, you'll get cheap photography. I understand that not everybody can afford hundred-dollar sessions. In my mind, it's something worth saving up for. You want beautiful portraits that will stand the test of time and not be thrown in a drawer.

4. Good photography is all about the light. A tell-tale sign of an amateur photographer is little round pinpoints of white in the eyes of his subjects. This means he has used on-camera flash, which is a total mood-killer and makes the pictures look anything but professional. Good light should most often come from the side, and you should be able to see a catchlight in the eyes. It can be any shape and come from any direction (especially in natural-light situations) but it should rarely be right in the middle of the pupil! Good professional photographers can use flash and make it not look like flash, and it is used most often to enhance the light, not be the main light source. Many wedding photographers have to use flash because of the lighting situations they encounter, but they will diffuse it or bounce it, or do most anything not to aim it directly at their subjects. If you see a stark, very definite shadow cast by the subject, the photographer has used on-camera flash.

Whew! I could go on and on. But the next time you are considering a photographer, really look at their pictures and evaluate them for more than just whether or not the subject is smiling. Choose wisely, my friends!

Restaurant-worthy Orange Chicken

I have been joking for years that if only I could figure out how to make perfect orange chicken, I could die in peace. No matter what I tried, though, it never worked. Either the breading would fall off, or it would never get crispy in the first place, or once the sauce was added, everything would get soggy. I was just about to accept the possibility that I might actually die without ever uncovering this mystery. But Eureka! One day I tried a new combination, and, again, Eureka! (I know I just said that. I may have said it prematurely the first time). Anyhoo, I don't want you to be tormented by orange chicken the way I was. So I am going to reveal the secret of how to make restaurant-worthy orange chicken in your own home. And, I am also going to give you three--yes, three sauce recipes so that you can also have sweet and sour chicken and sesame chicken. Oh, and if I have time, I'll add a lemon sauce as well.

There are two great secrets to making this perfect chicken. The first one is this:

This is called "Frying Mix" and can be found at your local Asian market. What? You don't have a local Asian market? Well, I guess you'll die crying bitter tears because you are unable to make perfect orange chicken. Or you might get over it. Or you might not care. ANYHOW, to continue, you really need this.

The second thing you absolutely must have is one of these:

This is an electric skillet. You must get one that goes up to 400 degrees. You must. It is essential. Anything lower will not work. We have a proper deep-fat fryer, but it only goes up to 375 degrees. I have searched and searched for one that goes up to 400, but they must be illegal in America. I was thinking I was going to have to go on the Chinese black market to get a fryer that goes up to 400. But I have no idea how to go on the Chinese black market, so I came up with the skillet idea instead.

Now, here's how you do it. For the chicken part, you only need three ingredients:
Chicken (1-2 breasts)
Frying Mix
Water

Just cut up your chicken into 1/2 inch squares. Put some Frying Mix into a plastic bag, then add your chicken and shake it all about. Then do the Hokey Pokey and stick your leg out and open the fridge with it. Wait. First take the chicken out of the bag and put it on a plate (or a couple plates depending on how much chicken you are using) and put it in the fridge while you complete the Hokey Pokey. Then wait at least 1/2 hour. That's what it's all about.

Get out your electric skillet, pour in 1-2 inches of oil (enough to cover the chicken pieces when they are dropped in). Heat oil to 350 degrees. When it's about ready, get some more Frying Mix and follow the directions on the package (on mine it said to just add water, but I added ice-water). Get out your chicken and drop a few pieces at a time into the wet frying mix, then take out and drop (carefully!) into the 350 degree oil. Fry until golden. It should look like this:

See how it's kind of light and not really as brown as you would expect? That's o.k. Don't fry it longer, because no matter how long you fry it in 350-degree oil, it will never get any browner. Trust me--I've tried.

Once you've done this first fry with all the chicken, turn the skillet temperature up to 400 degrees and wait for the oil to be ready. Then re-fry all your chicken for another minute or so, until it turns a nice golden brown. It should look like this:

See how much more golden and delicious that looks? This won't work at 375, folks. It MUST be 400 degrees! Now you can make one of the wonderful sauces listed below, or just buy some sweet and sour or orange sauce at the store to make it easy on yourself. Pour it over the chicken and enjoy! Enjoy it thoroughly, because now all your dreams have come true :)

Orange Sauce (taken from The Everything Chinese Cookbook)
1/4 cup water
5 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. chili paste
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. corn starch

Cook sauce in small pan on stove over medium heat until it boils and thickens.

Sesame Chicken Sauce (also taken from the same cookbook)
1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken stock or broth
2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp. chili sauce with garlic
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. corn starch

Cook on stove over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Pour over chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Lemon Sauce (from the same cookbook again)
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. corn starch mixed with 4 tsp. water
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar (or rice wine)
2 tsp. soy sauce

Mix together and cook over medium heat until it boils and thickens.

Sweet and Sour Sauce (from my awesome friend Annie Easterbrook)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
3/4 cup pineapple juice

Cook until clear and thickened.

Me and My Philosophy (Photographically Speaking)

I went to my daughter's favorite fast-food restaurant today. We ordered our food, and it came quickly and without fanfare. The fries were hot, but there was too much ice in the drink, and I noticed that the chicken breast on my sandwich was noticeably thinner than it had been in the past. We got our own napkins, straws and ketchup. Still, the food was tasty, and we quickly ate it and left. I compare this experience to several I had while living in Japan. I was teaching English there, and on Christmas, they had a party for all the teachers at a really nice restaurant. The food was GORGEOUS. It was almost too beautiful to eat. Everything was perfectly framed in a ceramic or laquer bowl or plate. The organization of the food and the colors were so pleasing to the eye. And in my bowl of soup were floating flakes of real gold. We were served expertly by lovely women wearing kimonos, and we never had to get up to get anything for ourselves. The whole experience was enchanting and unexpected.

Photography can be like the two meals I just described--or anywhere inbetween. It can be served up quickly without much thought or care, or it can be a wonderful feast where you feel like a special guest. My goal is to provide the latter experience. This starts with a pre-session consultation where we discuss all the aspects of your shoot so we can be as prepared as possible when the day of the shoot arrives. I show you all my products, and you get a feel for what you might like. For example, if you are interested in an album, I will ask you to bring more changes of clothing so we can get enough variety. We will also choose more backdrops for your shoot if it is in my studio. If you want a large portrait to hang over your fireplace or piano, we will discuss whether it needs to be horizontal or vertical, and plan accordingly.

After the shoot, I actually come to your home to show you your images. While there, I will walk around with you and find the perfect location for all your prints, so you don't have to worry about where to hang your artwork. We'll pick out frames together, and your completed artwork will be delivered right to your front door! No more taking prints to the framers and worring about transporting them there and back.

The bottom line is, I am like that kimono-clad server at a sumptuous dinner. You don't have to get up. You don't have to worry about a thing. I am here to serve you gorgeous artwork of your family. And who knows? There may just be a few surprise specks of gold, too :)

Relaunch Celebration!

I am so excited to announce the re-launch of my photography blog!
To celebrate, I am inviting YOU to become a follower! This is what
you’ll get in return!

1. Everyone who becomes a follower will automatically be entered
to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com!

2. When you become a follower, you will also receive a set of three
adorable baby ballerina cards that you can print yourself! These are
5x7 cards, and you can either print flat cards or folded cards using
your favorite photo lab (like Costco). Make sure to leave your e-mail
address in a comment on my blog so I know where to send them!
(Scroll down to see images of the cards).

3. My new blog is not just about photography! I’ll also post my
favorite recipes, have fun quizzes, and talk about interesting subjects
such as personality profiling and little-known movies I think you'll love.

4. Yes, it is still mostly about photography, and that means you can send me your photography questions, and I’ll answer them on the blog! I’ll also be posting really embarrassing, horrible pictures I took when I first started, and you get to tell me what’s wrong with them!

When you join the blog, you get one entry for the $50 gift card. When you go to Facebook and like Blue Prints Photography, you get another entry! (Link below, or you can just click on the "Like" button at the top of the sidebar on this blog).  When you post about this to your friends on your blog or Facebook, you get another entry! Just be sure to leave a separate comment on this post for every action you take. (So if you "Like" me on Facebook, leave a comment. If you post about this with a link back to my blog on Facebook, leave another comment. If you post about this on your own blog with a link back, leave another comment. I think you get the picture :) That will give you three entries in addition to the one you already got for joining this blog!)

Here is the link to the Blue Prints Photography Blog: http://blueprintsphotography.blogspot.com/
Here is the link to my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BluePrintsPhotography

Thanks so much for joining in my excitement! I look forward to sharing so much with you all! The drawing for the $50 gift card will be held on Monday, September 12th if I have reached my goal of 500 followers! (If I haven't reached my goal by then, the drawing will be delayed until I do, so tell all your friends to join the blog as soon as possible!)

Sincerely,
Melissa Blue Howell

Here are the three adorable cards you'll get when you become a follower!

In Their Own Words.... {Denver Family Photographer}

We recently had the opportunity to have Melissa take our family portraits!  For those of you who follow Melissa's blog and don't know us, we're the Johnsons. Logan (1 year old), Milli (3 years old), Kelli (Mom), and Chauncy (Dad).

Earlier this year, Kelli's sister Karyn introduced us to Melissa when she asked her to do some portraits of our kids.  We had seen her work before and were excited to get portraits of Milli and Logan.  Our family has had a rough year, to say the least.  On Christmas Eve, 2010, Kelli and our 5- year-old daughter Elise were involved in a tragic ski accident in Wyoming where we live.  Kelli survived, fighting through extensive injuries and was taken to a hospital in Denver for several months of rehabilitation. Unfortunately, our beautiful daughter Elise didn't survive the accident.  A snowboarder had come down the mountain at a very high rate of speed and collided with Kelli and Elise. Tragically, the snowboarder didn't survive either.  Milli and Logan are Elise's younger siblings and Logan hadn't gotten any baby pictures before the accident occured.  We were able to have pictures taken of Milli and Logan about three months after the accident, but Kelli still had a neck brace on from neck fractures that were healing. On a checkup visit this month to Denver, we set up an appointment with Melissa for family pictures. 

The latest photos are of our family 8 months after the accident in our first family pictures without Elise.  Kelli has made a miraculous recovery with lots of love and support from family, friends, and many blessings from Heaven. We plan to have a family portrait painted by a talented artist and great friend of ours with Elise added into the painting. Because of this, we did several different poses that we can choose from to make this work. There was a special feeling at the photo shoot as we took pictures with Elise in mind.  She is missed beyond explanation every day.  Kelli continues to improve; in fact, she's now able to drive after 8 months of healing!  We are excited to see the painting when it is finished and we'll see if we can post it on Melissa's blog when it is completed.  Thanks Melissa for helping us make this happen.

Mexican Choclate Ice Cream

I spent two days going to every grocery store from here to Kansas looking for it. My elusive prize? Mexican chocolate. I don't know when the idea first ocurred to me, but once I had it in my mind, I could not let go of it. So I searched and searched. At one store, I was told to look in the baking section, ask at the cheese counter, ask at the bakery (sometimes they have big blocks of chocolate). All this after I had already looked in the Mexican food section. Finally, a store worker visited the hot chocolate section, and returned with this:

It was the mother lode. I have had real Belgian chocolate, in Belgium. This is not Belgian chocolate. It is something entirely different, and entirely wonderful. It has a rich, complex flavor that I cannot describe, but that is absolutely mesmerizing. There is nothing unusual in the ingredient list, so I can only assume it's the "artificial flavoring" that makes the difference. Whatever it is, I love it. I love it to death.

So I went online to look for recipes for Mexican chocolate ice cream, and all of them involved like 6 eggs and lots of cooking. Well, that's just not how we do things around here, so I made up my own recipe, and I must say, it is divine! I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. It has a wonderful complement of cinnamon, and ends with a slight kick from the cayenne pepper. (Hey, this is Mexican chocolate ice cream. There has to be something hot in it). This is now my new favorite ice cream. I can't wait to make more! (Please see this post for a recommendation of a fantastic ice cream maker).

Mexican Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 disk of Mexican chocolate (I recommend Abuelita brand, found at most regular supermarkets and Walmart. Check the Mexican section and the hot chocolate section).

1/4 cup cocoa powder (regular baking chocolate)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon (you can add more if desired)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (add more if you can stand the heat!)

pinch of salt

Instructions:

Pour 4 cups of whole milk into a pan on the stove and add one Mexican chocolate disk. Heat on medium and stir with a wisk until all chocolate is melted and incorporated. Pour 1 1/2 cups into a mixing bowl and add the 1/2 cup of sugar. Wisk together until sugar is dissolved. (The warm milk will help the sugar dissolve faster. Save the rest of the chocolate milk and reheat if desired, or just drink it cold. It is fantastic!) Add the 1 1/2 cups of cream, the cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper. Wisk together until everything is well incorporated. Cover and put in the refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight to chill. After mixture is cold, pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions for your ice cream maker. For mine, I just let it run for about 1/2 hour, until the ice cream was of soft-serve consistency. Transfer to airtight container and put in freezer. Let freeze for a few hours or overnight to harden and to allow the flavors to meld. Enjoy immensely!



Giveaway!

Recently, I have discovered Dressing Your Truth, which has made a HUGE difference in how I dress and how I feel about myself. I will be talking more about this in the future, but right now, there is a giveaway going on at The Carol Blog! Go check it out!