366 Project Day 8

If all else fails, take a picture of my husband’s food.  My husband (I call him “Yes! Chef”) is one of the best cooks I know.  He studied under a local chef (John Evans of Zack Jack’s) for a year or so working in his restaurant.  He also does some catering for some of the local wineries.  Cooking is his hobby and passion, not his vocation.  One of the reasons I took a couple of food photography courses over at ppsop.com is because I wanted to photograph my husband’s food.  So, as I go thru this daily challenge of taking a meaningful photo every day, more than a few of them will undoubtedly be of my husband’s food.  The above shot is of some Bangers and Mash that he made with some sausages he got from my brother as a Christmas present.

Yes! Chef's Chicken Noodle Soup

Oh!  What’s this?  Another shot of Yes! Chef’s food.  Anybody that knows our family, knows that if it’s Sunday, my husband makes Roast Chicken.  We call it Roast chicken Sunday and I look forward to it every week.  The day after Roast Chicken Sunday, we roast the leftover bones and make stock.  Then we frequently make Roast Chicken Sunday soup. It was most tasty!

She will float away if you don't hold on to her...

My daughter called me on Day10 and asked if I would do a quick photo shoot with her and her boyfriend because she was getting ready to leave for a Mission in Africa and they wanted some pictures of themselves while they were apart (5 months).  I’m always happy to take photos of my family and especially happy to take photos of people that are happy…especially with each other.  This is just one of the photos I captured that I especially liked.  If you would like to see a little slideshow I made of the event, go here:  The Adventures of Aly and Brian.

Day 11...editing

I wish I could show a more creative and exciting photo for Day 11, but I spent the whole day delightedly editing my daughter’s photo session.

Day 12

The point of this daily challenge is not to take snapshots (see Day 11), but to think about the photo that you will take each day.  In the end, my photography should improve.  Here is a set up I used earlier in the year and I wanted to try out my snoot on my flash. It didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted, but this is a learning experiment.

Day 13...what the heck?

After my celebration experiment on Day 12, I gathered up the confetti (really some of our shredded paperwork) and placed it on some black shiny plexiglass next to our window.  I liked the colorful reflection and I thought the confetti would add some interest.  Maybe not.  As I said, this is a photographic journey…so back off.

Day 14: Sunset in Old Town Sac Town

I had the opportunity to do a little photo shoot in Sacramento on day 14. Around sunset we headed down to the river and I caught this shot.  I love to use this building as a backdrop for some of my portraits.  It is a pretty building all by itself.

Well (dusts off her hands)…another week done.

Want a fun photo shoot for a Valentine’s Day present?  You and your honey can have a quick photoshoot like I did for my daughter and her boyfriend along with a quick slide show.  The photoshoot took less than an hour. Contact me at schmautzhaus@sbcglobal.net for the details.

The groom was equally fun and dashing.  (And so were his Groomsmen.)

The wedding and reception were held at a wonderful Placerville, CA restaurant, Sequoia Restaurant.  The restaurant was originally a beautiful old Victorian Home that was been wonderfully restored.  The light coming through those old windows was a photographer’s dream.

A wonderful time was had by all who attended, including me.  Thanks, Jesse and Jackie, for letting me be a part of your wedding.

I was fortunate to be able to participate in a photo shoot at the California Museum in Sacramento, CA. It was a fun place with colorful walls, great architectural details and wonderful exhibits. The models were gorgeous and fun to shoot.  The event was put on by Mark Behrens and, as usual, was run professionally and smoothly.

I love these events because I get to meet other photographers and learn from them.  I also get to work with up and coming models and I end up with great photos.  Here is but a small sampling of some of the shots I got from this event.

I love doing a “Trash the Dress” Photo shoot.  In this case we had several models dressed in wedding dresses and formal attire to shoot.

The water was fairly warm which was good for us and great for the models.

..even though sometimes they looked a little cold and uncomfortable.  It was a long day for them.  We had already done 4 hours or so at Empire Mine .  It did feel good to wade around in the water after carting around our equipment over at the mine.

But even after several hours at the mine and several more hours at the Yuba River, the models were gorgeous and fun.

Just before I got in the water with the rest of the photogs, I did thing about the thousands of dollars worth of equipment that hung around our necks.  But, then I shrugged, slapped on my most expensive lens and waded in for the fun.

So, as promised, here’s a couple shots of the models with the antique motorcycles and the hot car.  I love the bride shots on the motorcycles.  They were just so elegant and contrary.  It was a happy coincidence that we were at this park on the same day as a couple of antique motorcycle owners were there.  It was also most generous of the owners of these fabulous cycles,  to allow our models to use them as props.  (She shakes her head in amazement.)

I loved working with these models.  They were darling and wonderful and very professional.  Most of them worked on this photoshoot all day long and I did not hear any of them complain.  Troopers, all.

A local photographer (I’m sorry that I did not get his name) brought this wonderful Corvette out to the farm for us to use.  What could be better than good looking models and a hot car?  It was just such fun.