Sara and Chuck..A Sneak Peek!

Elizabeth and Paul

Congratulations to Paul and Elizabeth! These Rugby aficionados tied the knot on the beach in Mexico last month, but had a reception for all their family and friends back home in Cincinnati this past weekend. We met up at the beautiful Ault Park for some family photos, and just some fun pics of the two of them...

Here, Paul gets help with his boutonniere from Elizabeth. I love the grin...

And Elizabeth gets a hand with the flower in her hair from Mom..

Although the pavilion was otherwise occupied, we were still able to get it in a shot...

Elizabeth's eyes just sparkle here...

After the photos, we headed out to the party at the Redmoor, an awesome art deco theater that now hosts musical groups and spectacular wedding receptions...

First dance...

And then once the sun went down, we had to get a shot of the two of them underneath the Redmoor's marquis...


Congratulations again guys! Thanks so much for having me along for the day!

A Word About Album Design

Wedding Photos are meant to be enjoyed. And not just in a “posted-on-facebook” sort of way (although, that is fun). They are the graphic retelling of the story of how a family came to be, and with that in mind the wedding album is something that should be cherished for generations. When it’s cold outside, you should be able to pull your album down off a shelf, pour a glass of wine, build a fire and relive your story from cover to cover (maybe even with your children, or grandchildren). You should be able to curl up with it like you would a good book. Yes, many photographers offer CD only packages; myself included, but when was the last time you heard of anyone curling up with a CD?

After several years of designing albums for the couples I’m honored enough to work with (and I do get to work with the most awesome couples ever), I’ve noticed I hear the same kinds of questions when it comes to beginning to lay out an album. So, here’s a little list I’ve compiled of things to keep in mind when thinking about your album…Happy Designing!

Although albums can be designed in a “collage-style” (a.k.a pictures on top of pictures), keep in mind that simple layouts work best. Clean lines will keep the eye focused on the actual image, and overwhelm the viewer with special effects.

Reduced opacity (faded) backgrounds are fine, but usually best kept to one or two spreads at the most.

Black and white images usually look best along with other black and white images, be careful of grouping too many of them with color.

Don’t put too many photos on any one page. If you want to include more photos, consider adding another page. You don’t want an album to appear to be busting at the seams with photos.
Consider leaving some negative space. Not every photo needs to take up the entire page on its own, leave some space for the eye to be “led” to the image.

Click here to see Elizabeth and Andy's album!

A Birthday Shout Out!

You know that little brother I mentioned in yesterday's post? Well, he turns the big 3-2 today, so I just had to give him a little Birthday noogie. When you live1500 or so miles apart, the way you do that is with humiliating photos...so here you go, Heath.


You've come a long way, kid!


Happy Birthday!


I'm a little sad right now that the "Mulletts Galore" website is no more. :)

More Family Time!

Last week I met Chad, Lori, Chad and Brendan out at Slate Run park near Canal Winchester for some family fun! I had a great time getting to know this beautiful family and walking along the trails during what was supposed to be another rainy day here. in central Ohio. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the evening...

Brothers...

This may have been my favorite from the day...

Hmmm...maybe it was this one...

I think I'll title this one "Brothers, Part II". I have a little brother too, so it cracked me up when Brendan would just get his little self up to reach the water fountain and Chad woulds shut the water off...I'm pretty sure I used to do the same thing with my little brother...

A couple headshots of the boys...

...and a jump shot...

I LOVE this one. It was a perfect moment between the two of them, you can almost hear Brendan asking for Chad's advice on something...or maybe he was begging him not to tie his shoelaces together before the end of the shoot...like I said, I have a brother. :)

Thanks to Mom, Dad and the boys for a great (rain-free) evening!

Can you can??

I have the greatest in-laws in the world. Period. And for so many reasons...way too many to list here, but one of those reasons is that my mother-in-law has taken the time to show my husband and I (several times) how to can. In the fall, he gets a craving for homemade tomato soup. I love vegetable soup with the tomato-ey base (plus, I hear fresh tomato juice makes for a great Bloody Mary). So every August for the past three years running we get together, buy a few boxes of tomatoes from a local grower, and spend a day or two canning quart after quart of the juicy red stuff! This post serves two purposes, One: it was a fun event to photograph and Two: Maybe if I document the process, I'll remember how to do it next year!

First, start by selecting your tomatoes. In our case, it was 6 boxes...

Wash as many jars as humanly possible. You'll have to sterilize them and the lids...but that's later...

That's my M-I-L coring and cutting the tomatoes before we cook them down a bit...

That's my F-I-L...manning the blender to puree the juice before...

Putting it all through a food mill (here, Emma pretends to help).

Here's my dear husband pouring the juice into the sterilized jars (and adding a teaspoon of salt to each quart). He was also in charge of boiling the lids and rings. Remember, botulism toxin in the brow: good, botulism toxin in the stomach...not so much!

A large canner holds 7 quart jars. Place the jars in the basket and bring to 5 pounds for 5 minutes. For me, this has always been the scary part. I'm always halfway across the room for fear that the lid will blow off the top and splatter hot tomato juice all over me and my kitchen. However, my family assures me that this won't happen if all safety precautions are followed (Note: the wording on the pressure gauge)...

After the pressure has backed off remove the jars, tighten the lids and listen for the little "click" that means each seal has properly taken place! Such a satisfying sound!



Now, repeat the process until all the boxes are empty!

Six boxes took about six hours and made about 60 quarts of juice. Of course, if you just want diced tomatoes...you can save yourself a step or two! If this sounds like fun to you, please feel free to stop by any time next Saturday 'cause we're doing six more boxes!