Hear Me Roar: Baby Ethan

From spending the afternoon with Nicole and Billy, and then hearing all about what life has been like so far with a new baby, you would never guess it all entails very small amounts of sleep. Perhaps there are secrets to be learned here about how to look refreshed and have a clean house less than two weeks after coming home from the hospital. Anyone want to divulge so Steve and I can seem as put together when we bring our own little one home early this November?

Ethan was absolutely adorable and posed like a champ for us. Little did I know, Billy is a pro at baby posing and propping. Until I get more practice of my own, I offered Billy a role as baby-poser for any future shoots.

It was so wonderful to be brought into the Terrell home to be a part of documenting this new life and the start of this new little family. I can tell by Ethan's intent gaze that he already knows what goes on in the world around him and I hope this fascination only grows as he does. Congratulations on your little boy, Nicole and Billy!

Featurette: Corey and Nicole

The wedding of Corey and Nicole. Such genuine people and such a pleasure to capture. We celebrated their marriage at Liberty Presbyterian Church and rejoiced with their closest family and friends at the Venue (now Dock580). It was a pleasure working alongside their photographer, Rick Buchanan, and a welcome treat to have Buckeye Entertainment keep the party going at Corey and Nicole's reception!

My hope, as always, is to have Corey and Nicole's Featurette speak for itself in telling you a little more about this great couple.

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes

Sometimes the only way to handle the crazy thoughts that race through your mind as a freelancer is to distract yourself. Like cupcakes! It must be a rough patch if I've made these almost every week for a while now. I can feel my thoughts returning to the "I can do" attitude each time I catch of whiff of these baking in the oven!

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil (canola)
1/3 cup soy yogurt (I use vanilla)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices - premixed in small bowl) and mix until smooth with a wooden spoon. I think part of the secret is to not over-mix the batter. Mix until just combined. Call it a feeling, but it seems to work. Fold in carrots.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean. Or do what I do, and when you smell that tasty aroma from the oven, they're most likely done. Frost when cooled.

(Modified from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World).

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
¼ cup nonhydrogenated margarine, softened (Earth Balance)
¼ cup vegan cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Use a handheld mixer to whip while adding the confectioners sugar in ½ cup batches. Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use. I scoop into a plastic baggie, seal, and cut the bottom corner of the bag to ice. Feel like a pro pastry-chef decorating!

Do I Need a 2nd Wedding Videographer?

I remember planning for our wedding for over a year. Some of you have been planning for your wedding day your whole life. And then there are my brides out there who are rapidly planning in a matter of months. We want to make sure all of the details are captured, that we remember who all was a part of our day. I wanted to remember the emotions while getting ready, what people were doing when I wasn't looking, and I wanted it all represented as an even more glorious day than it already was.

We had a single videographer capture our wedding and are so happy with our film (part of the reason why I create wedding films today). More and more, there is talk of bringing along additional videographers. Do you need that extra person to capture those extra memories to create your story? As a wedding videographer, let me help you out by asking you a few questions:

Having footage from both of you getting dressed is a big factor to consider. If you are putting on that dress or fixing that tie in different parts of town, and those moments are extremely important to you, then absolutely, let's bring in an additional videographer. I love talking wedding films over a good cup of coffee (or ice cream!), so we can walk through some of the other considerations for having a second videographer together.

You can also feel at ease with a single videographer. I have experience with the fast-pace moments that occur during weddings and can anticipate moments and reactions. Your story is just as effectively told whether it's me or me and a friend filming. The biggest difference between a wedding filmed with a second shooter and one filmed by a single shooter is your peace of mind.

I do work with a number of people who are not only excellent videographers themselves, but are also great second shooters. These people include Craig Caruso of Playback Performance, Andy Newman of Made by Andy, Zach Frankart of Built in Cbus, and Todd Seimer of Todd Seimer Photography. I resonate with their style, and they are true professionals and great people.

Get in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter if you have more thoughts, questions or are interested in brainstorming about ideas for your own wedding film!

The Family that Plays Together: Davis Family

Beware! Color overload is expected. How great is it to be able to bring out the vibrance of a family's personality in the color that surrounds them? I don't even count this as a photo shoot. It was more a chance for me to come along for playtime with Reagan and her parents, Kimberly and Kevin. Let's see. We ran across some fields, played in the water, threw some balls around, and most definitely blew bubbles (no, you don't get to see my sorry attempt to hold the camera and blow my own bubbles).

I think there must be something about kids born on Christmas that makes them a gift to everyone else year-round too. Reagan was born on Christmas Day in 2010 and the Davis's were past due for some family portraits to commemorate the start of their little family. I'm so glad we all had time to play - the pausing here and there to take some photos was a happy coincidence as well.

Reagan, keep those springs in your curls and that glimmer in your eyes. You have a lifetime of playing ahead of you.