It’s just about the flowers

I have been wanting to do a post about flowers for a while. When I shoot weddings the main focus is on the couple of course, but I always have one eye on the flowers, and just love the variety and seasonal arrangements that are even better than the next. If I use them as props for ring shots or just backgrounds for albums, it really doesn’t matter, they just look incredible and I just LOVE to photograph them. These are just a few of my favorites from recent weddings and I can’t wait to see what this next season brings!

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An Afternoon in Emily’s Kitchen

I recently had the chance to do a shoot with Emily Gold in her kitchen as she prepared the latest batch of goodies for the Walloomsac Farmers’ Market. We had been discussing a shoot for a while to help her promote her pastry business, Paper Cake Scissors, and last weekend the stars (and schedules) aligned and I was able to go to her house in Pownal, VT to shoot some in-process and finished goods.

What I love about Emily’s approach to cooking and preparation is how she combines her love of food and flavors, and thoughtfully blends ingredients in a way that richly layers complexity into the cookies, cakes, breads, pies and candies using infused ingredients. The result is truly unique baked goods. Some of the shots were of her homemade ingredients on the shelf, like rose sugar, and rosemary-infused salts. She combines and contrasts different flavors with poetic fervor.

Just to give you an idea of the variety from the shoot (not all shown here): Ginger Spice Cookies; Intense Chocolate Cookies (and intense doesn’t begin to describe, but the infused vanilla salt balanced the chocolate nicely); Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti; Almond Biscotti with rosemary and orange zest, dipped in Callebaut chocolate; Spiced Coconut Whoopie Pies with chocolate ganache; Meyer Lemon Pound Cake; Elephant Bars (layered peanut butter and chocolate), Whole Wheat Chocolate Chippers; Whiskey-infused Caramels made with buckwheat honey. In a word, yum.

But don’t take my word for it, visit her stand at the Walloomsac Farmers’ Market in Bennington, Vermont and try these incredible flavors for yourself!

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Almond biscotti with rosemary and orange zest, dipped in Callebaut chocolate.

Rose Petal Madeleines

Rosemary-infused Valencia peels.

Icing the Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

Spiced coconut whoopie pies with chocolate ganache.

Whiskey-infused caramels, made with buckwheat honey and vanilla infused salt

Elephant bars, layered chocolate and peanut butter.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with vanilla infused salt

The Ugly Leprechaun

The Ugly Leprechaun
1 1/2 oz Oval Vodka
1/2 oz Irish Whiskey
1/2 oz Midori  Melon liqueur
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
2 oz kiwi puree
lime wheel for garnish

Chill a large (7 oz)  martini glass; shake ingredients with ice in a shaker; strain into a martini glass; garnish with lime wheel.

Shenna’s Senior Portrait

When I was asked by my cousin Jayne if I would be willing to take her daughter’s senior portrait for her school’s album, I couldn’t say no. Jayne and her husband Dan are two of the sweetest and loving people I know, and my most vivid memory of Shenna was traveling to their home in Springfield, MA over ten years ago with my mom on a glorious spring day for Shenna’s first communion, and she was by far the cutest little girl in the class with her long curly hair and brilliant smile. Shenna has grown up to be an intelligent and beautiful young woman and if you know Jayne and Dan it’s no wonder why. We had many great shots from the shoot and her best friend Brianna came along, and was a ham on and off the camera!