So simple, so easy, so tasty – hello goat-cheese stuffed dates!
Ingredients
Directions
Super mom tip: These can be prepared up to a day in advance, refrigerated, and popped in the oven when you are ready to bake.
I got this sweater a while ago. It’s so fun, and I love the metallic coating. Who says skulls are just for Halloween? Not me!
This was a “self timer” shoot. Maya kept saying “Again! Again!” She loves running back and forth from the camera to the “spot” haha
On me…
These are kind of amazing!
Ingredients
Directions
So, about 60% of the shots I take are with my tripod and a timer. 20% my husband takes, and the other 20% one of my parents take. (*edited to add* As I’ve gotten better with this process, I now take about 98% of the shots of me/me with Maya). When I take images with my tripod and timer this is how I do it.
1-Put my camera on a tripod.
2- Find something I can focus on. I’ve used a chair, Maya’s stroller, a long stick stuck in the grass, and then I figured out I could use a light stand. Most people won’t have a light stand, so just use anything that will stand on it’s own that’s at least 3 feet tall. (*edited to add. I now tie something onto the top of my stand, so that the camera really has something clear to focus on. I actually tied a little stuffed animal to it :})
3-Have your lens on auto focus. Focus on your fake subject, and while you still have the shutter pressed halfway down, move the focus to manual. This will keep the focus locked where you want it.
4-Mark where you had your fake subject. If you are shooting at a shallow depth of field, a few inches will matter. I usually use a leaf or a crack in the pavement.
5-Either use the self timer button or a shutter release. I’ve got both, but end up using the self timer, so that I don’t have to worry about having something in my hand. Plus, a lot of the times that’s how I get good laughing shots on my own. I might trip on my way back to my spot, have a neighbor drive by wondering what the heck I’m doing, or just laugh at the hilariousness of it all.
Ok, truth be told. It doesn’t ALWAYS work haha. I almost scrapped this post because I totally messed up on the focusing, but why just show my success stories? Maya now thinks it’s a fun game. Press the button, run to the spot…go back to the camera. Over and over :).
It also helps to have a handy assistant to lug all your gear around for you 😉 
Good Luck!!
On me…
What to wear to a video shoot? I’m still learning, but here are some tips I’ve gathered on the way.
Do
Don’t
Most importantly – wear something you FEEL good in! This will boost your confidence and if you are comfortable or uncomfortable – it will show up in your body language and face.
When in doubt, bring multiple outfits and have the camera operator do a quick on-camera check. Ahem.. there might be a reason my daughter has three outfit changes before leaving the house in the morning..! 😛
On me…
Sometimes when there’s a trend I want to try, but I’m not sure I can pull it off…I dip my toes into it (haha) That was so cheesy, I can’t believe I wrote that, but hey…so true! Especially in this case. 😉
I‘m wearing yet another pair of DL 1961 jeans. I cannot say enough how comfortable these jeans are! 
Maya’s take on color blocking…or, just stripes (whatever :)) 
On me…
I feel like stripes are always in style… I love black and white paired with a pop of color in the shoe.
I swear I wasn’t thinking “stripes all around”, but alas…it happened 🙂 This was at Maya’s birthday BBQ with her 4 legged brother Max. 
Can’t believe she’s TWO!! 
On me…
So, this is exactly what I would wear on a photo shoot (ie-when I’m photographing others :)). The only addition is that I normally wear boots in the fall because I’m traipsing through fields. These jeans are super comfortable, because they have a lot of stretch yet don’t stretch out. The dark comes in handy because it doesn’t show dirt. All of these advantages translate over to day to day motherhood haha. 🙂
This particular photo shoot was very special though. The nugget turns two today!
I cannot express how much love and happiness she has brought to me the last two years. She has more joy in her little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. She makes me a better person every single day…
On me…
Boots- Faded Glory (Thrifted, but similar here. Love these!)
Here’s Maya wearing a vintage dress (probably MORE than 20 years old…)
I used to wear a lot of black. A LOT!! Then I made a conscious effort to work color into my wardrobe, and I love color now. That said…it’s still my security blanket. When I’ve indulged a little too much over the weekend or am a little brain dead and don’t want to think about what to wear….black is the easy answer.
These Adriano Goldschmied jeans are amazing! I may have two pairs in the denim too (made one pair into capris for the summer :)). The elastic waist band is SO comfortable, and there’s no bulge when you wear long tunics. Yet the denim, really is denim-not a legging. I actually wore these when I was pregnant too. I wish they would have made them in even more washes! 
Poor nugget got into a tussle with the cabinet and lost… Oh, and btw, if you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know how much I spent on this ADORABLE faux leather jacket 🙂
On me…
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