spring is in the air

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. There's been a lot cooking here, but I can't say I have a ton to show for it. Last year, we promised the kids that we'd get their rooms organized, painted and freshened up....so I guess that's what I've been focusing on-and getting my photography business off the ground. I have the website up and running: www.shawnkahalphotography.com Stop by and take a look. I am booking already for spring and hope to be really busy snapping beautiful, smiling faces.

back up your data, BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!

The new year came and went, and I spent the majority of January organizing all my data. Feeling very smug with my new back up hard drive and portable drives-I thought I had it all figured out. Figured out that is, until the portable drive crashed. It was less than six months old!!!!! Fortunately, I was able to recover it because I had not deleted the files from my hard drive. Duplicity is also the key. Anyway, if you are at all like me, beginning the foray into digital photography around 2006, your computer might be getting a tad old. If you are also like me, you have tons of photos on the hard drive of that old computer........hard drives crash. And if yours does, you wanna have a back up. Now Costco carries a seagate back up drive that is 1.5TB (terabytes). MOZY is another online solution. Do not count your photos backed up at such sites as Kodak or Snapfish as they reduce your images in order to store them. In addition to backing up your hard drive, you should always keep a copy of your "digital negatives" in a separate file. This file is like your negatives from the old days. That way you always have a pristine copy of your images (and if you are backing up, two pristine copies).

cookies and snow

HOORAY!!!! We finally got our snow day today. So far about 8 inches of fluffy white stuff has fallen with more on the way. I love that feeling when you open your eyes in the morning knowing, that while it is Wednesday, for all purposes it is a Saturday! We started our day off with fresh roasted coffee-yum! Then moved on to cap'n crunch french toast. From there we played rounds of wii resort and then the kids went outside to play in the snow. While outside, I decided to mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They sounded soooo delicious. A little dough for me, a little cookies for the kiddos. Well, searching frantically in my pantry, I could not locate ANY brown sugar. After deciding not to make some OTHER cookie, I decided to google "substitutes for brown sugar". You gotta love google. Sure enough, the recipe to "make" brown sugar was revealed. It is approximately for dark brown sugar one cup of granulated white sugar mixed with just under a 1/4 cup molasses. It was delicious....and fresh....and made the most delicious choc chip cookies EVER!!!!!

fairfield county natural light photographer

I love the way the light brightens this sunny face. I had such a fun time photographing this family. The natural light at this "secret" spot in our town is spectacular! I hope I get more requests for this spot.

cucumber margaritas/tortilla press/photographer in Fairfield County CT

It all started with this tortilla press. Living in CT, it has been difficut to find good mexican food so when we received a Williams-Sonoma gift certificate, we decided to get a press. It arrived Friday so last night hubby and I decided to stay in and make a handcrafted mexican meal with fresh, white corn tortillas hand pressed, fresh salsas and guacomole, carne asada beef and cucumber margaritas. OMG-was this ever tasty!!!!! The carne asada recipe was perfect and the salsas were fantastic......some of the best mexican food we've had in a LOOOONG time. I will try to post the recipes, but meanwhile here is the important one:

Spicy Cucumber Margarita
serves 1

1/4 cucumber chopped coarsely
slice of jalapeno, seeds included
2 oz Don Julio reposado tequilla
1.5 oz Grand Mariner
juice of one lime +lime wedge for garnish
splash of simple syrup (recipe below)
cilantro sprig for garnish

In a shaker muddle the cuke and the jalapeno with splash of simple syrup using a muddler or the back of a spoon. Add tequilla, grand mariner, lime. Fill with ice and shake. Pour into a salted tumbler. Garnish with lime and cilantro. Enjoy!

Simple Syrup

1 Cup sugar
1 Cup water

In a sauce pan mix sugar and water together, heat until sugar disolves. Let cool before adding to beverage. Simple Syrup will keep in the fridge up to two weeks in an air tight container. Skinny Variation: Use splenda brand sweetner instead of sugar. Only the splenda with maltodextrin. NOT the splenda for baking. The blue and pink stuff does not taste nearly as good as the splenda brand sweetner.

fairfield county children's photographer/out in the snow

I'm back. I know it's been awhile. I've missed you too. And photography. While the business of the season is behind me.....I'm looking forward to having more time to be creative....and to just be. This was one of those rare times where I just took my camera and waited patiently for the image to come.






It looks cold, doesn't it? It was cold. And blustery. And I was so glad to have heated seats and a heated steering wheel. I wore gloves but my finger tips were numb as were my toes. All for my art. We haven't had as many snow days as I'd hoped. I think the superintendent is getting wise to the ways of winter. He has not been quick to make any snap decisions, only delaying once.......I don't know which I prefer, enjoying the snow days or the cold that usually accompanies it. Something to ponder I guess.

happy new year/fairfield county, CT photographer

Hello and happy new year! Where has the time gone? The holidays flew in and out and every person I spoke with felt it went all too quickly. I am happy with the slower pace that January always brings. This year I am committed to organzing my computer files, backing everything up (twice) and creating a photographic and design workflow that will make shawn's things work smoothly and easily. I am launching a new photography website linking my design studio (shawn's things) and am working on some designs created exclusively in house! This will give you the customer the ultimate control in what we design. Be sure to check back for the link to the new site!