Ever wonder what an image looks like before I beautify it for a client or the website?  I’ve decided to start showing some of my behind the scenes work -  from raw camera format all the way through blog post.  You know, like, “Before They Were Stars” for images…Ok that was lame, but you get the idea.  To start it off here’s the behind the scenes of one of my favorite travel images.  I took this image last February at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.  So here we go:

Step One: This is how it looks straight out of the camera, shot in RAW format ISO640, f7.1 at 1/400 at 35mm.

Step Two: I used Lightroom to adjust the exposure, and up the contrast and black clipping a bit.

Step Three: In Photoshop, I applied the following Actions (I like Totally Rad Actions (TRA) and the Kevin Kubota Actions (KKA)) : TRA Prettyizer at 100% Opacity; KKA Edge Burner at 100% opacity, KKA 300esque 25% opacity

Step Four: To balance the top and bottom of the image I used KKA Digital Fill Flash on the bottom of the image – from the edge of the lake down – at 50% opacity.  On the top of the image – from the edge of the lake up – I applied KKA Smokeless burn at 75% opacity.

And that leads to the final image, ready to be printed and hung on my wall, which it is :)  Hope that was at least a little informative and/or interesting!

Sometimes I’m the crazy cat lady.  More often than I’d like to admit, really.  I talk to the cat as though he understands me.  I explain what’s going on with clients and complain about my computer frustrations.  I try to convince him that stepping on the keyboard is not, in fact, a good idea.

I can’t help it – working from home gets a little lonely.  I have few complaints about working in my house (the commute is stellar, as is the dress code), but some days I miss having office mates to chat with.  So instead, I talk to the kitty.  He’s like my little fuzzy coworker.  Well, I suppose it’s more like talk at the kitty.  He rarely responds.  And if he could, he’d probably agree that I’m totally nuts.

Fresh ginger smells awesome.  Grating the ginger for this soup had my whole kitchen smelling like it – so heavenly!  They should make more things that smell like fresh ginger.  You’ll know what I’m talking about when you make this soup.  And you should make this soup.  Very yummy.  It’s also pretty rich, so its best as a side dish with another item.  If you like a little more heat, add more red curry paste (I probably will next time.)

I can’t wait for the farmer’s markets to start so that I can begin making soup with fresh veggies again – I’m getting tired of root vegetables!  Eating seasonally is great, but it’s time for spring :)

Ginger Thai Sweet Potato Bisque

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 4 cups cooked sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger root
• 1 can (15 ounces) coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste
• 4 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 4 tablespoons shredded coconut

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan or stockpot on medium setting. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until tender.
2. Remove mixture to a food processor or blender. Add sweet potatoes and ginger, then puree until mixture is smooth.
3. Return mixture to saucepan. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, salt, soy sauce, lime juice and curry paste. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. Simmer for 2 minutes more.
5. Ladle soup into serving bowls, and garnish with shredded coconut and remaining cilantro.

The Boudoir Marathon is filling up!  If you want the last spot available, email me to claim it.  Details about the shoot are HERE.

Getting packages delivered to my house is usually a hassle.  I’ve been frustrated many, many times to leave my house late in the evening only to see a yellow UPS sticky note on the door saying I’ve missed another package.  When I was home all day.  Sigh.

This package was no exception.  I had a small fight with UPS over not shipping this book back while I was in Panama (they have a crazy policy about automatically returning items after the third delivery attempt now.)  But now I finally have my new sample book.  It’s a gorgeous coffee table album with thick pages, beautiful handmade marbled paper inside the front covers, and yummy linen colors.  Plus a great box for storage.  Love it!