Tammy Mitchell Photography » photo shoot

orange county photographer: a piece of my hart

Tammy — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:33:21 +0000

i got the chance to spend a fun saturday evening with this darling family. these girls are seriously the cutest…big sister wasn’t too sure about me, but little sister was sure all giggles for the camera!! how can those big brown doll eyes not capture a piece of your heart??? i’m sure glad that i have gotten the chance to get to know this great little family more over the last few months. here’s a chance for you to get to know them a little better too. enjoy!

can i say photogenic??? i was having such a hard time choosng what to share…i’ll stop here and save some suprises for mom in her gallery.

have a great day!
-t

orange county children’s photographer: sneak for mom

Tammy — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:52:37 +0000

i know you’ve probably been checking several times a day since saturday mom… i would be too with cuties like this!!! waiting is always the worst part…so here’s a little something to help!

stay tuned for more!

have a great day!
-t

southern california children’s photographer: i {shoot} kids

Tammy — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:15:57 +0000

lol! I always have to laugh when I’m talking about shooting my kids, or other people’s. It just sounds so funny!! I have been agonizing over this decision for quite some time now and I have just decided that right now, this is the best decision for our family. As many of you know, I am tackling homeschooling my 3rd grader this coming year. I am VERY excited about it, but also very worried about the time committment required to do a knock-out job. Combine that with being a mom, CEO of the house, cleaning lady, taxi driver, personal chef, running a couple of growing businesses and a husband with a schedule that is completely wild and unpredictable and life is crazy!!

I started in this business shooting kids and it’s really what I love to do…where my heart is….so I am returning to my roots. I am excited about the possibilites of refocusing just on the little ones in our lives. I love to create a scene and let them play. My philosophy and style are very photojournalistic, provide a fun environment and let them be.

As a result of these changes I will be making a few changes to pricing and packages too, so if you are planning on scheduling a shoot, please make sure to check those out. Pricing and Session Info

Throughout the month of August I will be running a special for children’s shoots…$75 for the sitting fee. Sitting fee includes 1 8×10. Spots will go quickly, so email me at tammy@tammymitchellphotography.com if you are interested.

Along with regular shoots I will be offering a few “themed” mini shoots throughout the year where I will set up a great scene and the kids will be invited to come and play. I am SUPER excited about these!!! It will allow me to combine my love of design and party planning with my love of photography!! Stay tuned for details of the first theme shoot coming in Sept. It will be a back to school shoot…details and session information/sign-ups coming soon!!

Here’s a little taste of what’s to come. A “fake birthday” I had the pleasure of creating for a client last week…watch for these shots in your local craft store and even on HSN and QVC!!

have a great day!
-t

orange county children’s photographer: the lemonade stand

Tammy — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:23:57 +0000

A week or so ago I had the chance to meet up again with one of my favorite families for one of my favorite shoots. This momma is super creative and we love to bounce photo ideas off of each other. Last summer I had an idea to do a lemonade stand shoot, but I never followed through. Leave it up to this hard working, clever mom to not only make my vision a reality, but to take it one step further by adding the frog. LOVE it!! These three kiddos are probably the busiest group I ever shoot…it sure makes for fun photos!!

The blinged out pretty little girls stand…

We just let this little one play to her hearts content with the lemonade bowl. Needless to say she was covered in the pink sticky goodness by the end of the shoot, but she had SO much fun!!!

I absolutely loved the idea of the ghetto looking boy lemonade stand looking like he had just set up shop right next to his sisters. The spray paint, duct tape, the frog and the toys IN the lemonade pitcher were a crack up. See what I mean?? The details were PERFECT!

I wouldn’t call these the best pictures I’ve ever taken, but I do have to say they are my favorites. I talk all the time about shooting a ton so that you have a story to tell, and here is a perfect example. If I only had one of these shots it just wouldn’t be the same! It was the end of the shoot and we were trying to get these three little balls of spunk to cooperate for one last group picture. Well, they weren’t too interested to say the least! Mom had brother hold the frog and had the girls stand near him (they weren’t too fond of the frog when he was out of his cage) I just kept shooting rapid fire, simply because when you’re working with a squirmy group of kids, it’s the best way to guarantee a few great shots! Mom instructed the three to stand there and say cheese, but brother had other ideas. Now that I look back and these pictures it just makes me laugh. You can see him concocting the idea all along. Check out the devilish little smile in the first picture as he holds the frog. Well, on the count of three he flung that little frog directly at his sisters and then, as they screamed, he laughed, clapped and jumped up and down in total delight. It was absolutely hillarious!!!

thanks so much for another memorable shoot, pam!!

have a great day!
-t

orange county children’s photographer: frogs and snails and puppy dog tails

Tammy — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:41:38 +0000

It has been WAY too long. I have put shoots on the back burner over the last few months with a series of major events that have been affecting our family taking center stage. Now things have settled down and I am back in full swing…well, sort of. (Stay tuned for a bit of an announcement coming early next week)

I kicked off summer this week with one of my favorite families. You know it’s going to be a GREAT shoot when you bring along this little guy…

I can’t wait to share more of these cuties!!

Have a great day!
-t

everyday life: my little fish

Tammy — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:58:22 +0000

Our first summer activity this year is getting the kids in swim lessons to make sure they are good and ready to spend the summer in the pool! Big kids lessons don’t start for another week, but Ash got to start this week. Unlike Andy, Ashley is afraid of EVERYTHING…and I do mean everything! It’s been quite the challenge getting her to try new things and warm up to things like strange noises, dogs, rides at disneyland, water, just about everything. I thought for sure we were in trouble when we drove by the pool on Sunday night as kind of a test run to make sure she felt more comfortable on Monday and she started telling us she was scared of lessons. (nevermind the fact that she had been swimming just the week before and in the pool for nearly two hours swimming like a fish) When Monday morning rolled around she couldn’t stop taking about how much she didn’t want to go to lessons, how her tummy hurt, the teacher might not be nice…etc, etc. Amazingly enough, when we got there she hopped right in the pool and then begged to stay when lessons were over. Each morning since she gets out of bed, puts on her swimsuit and asks when we get to leave for lessons about every 2 minutes. That makes for a VERY long morning considering her lesson aren’t until 1pm!!! Hopefully all of these lessons will make her a great little swimmer this year! Even if she can’t swim she sure looks adorable in the gear!

a little after workout nourishment…

my little bathing beauty…

(on a side note, I bought her three swimsuits to get her through the summer because they are usually thrashed pretty quickly…(yay for $4.97 suits at the gap!) but each morning she comes down in the pink one assuring me that she will wear the other ones “tomorrow.” )

have a great day!
-t

orange county children’s photographer: it’s a…..

Tammy — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:39:10 +0000

GIRL!!!!!! NO, I’m not pregnant. But my cute sister-in-law is and I couldn’t be more excited!!! We’ve been anxiously awaiting the news and it came today. I will have a little model for all the Pink Peppermint Design headbands I can create here in just few more months. I am going to be an aunt and I CAN’T WAIT to spoil this little cutie!!!

To hold you over until then here’s a few of another new cutie that I got to spend a few minutes with last week.

have a great day!

-t

eat this: blueberry buckle recipe

Tammy — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:05:32 +0000

I made this yesterday for a class party at Andy’s school and it was a hit. SO yummy. I think it’s even better today than it was warm yesterday! It’s easy and tastes as good as it looks!

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease one 8×8 inch pan.
Cream together 3/4 cup sugar, butter, and egg.
In a separate bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture, alternating with milk and sour cream. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 8×8 inch pan.
To make topping: Combine white and brown sugars, 2/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Bake at 375 degree F (190 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes.

The batter is REALLY thick so don’t be surprised when you can’t pour it into the pan. You will have to scoop it in and spread it around.

Have a great day!

-t

Orange County Children’s Photographer: The Impromptu Shoot

Tammy — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:18:02 +0000

Yesterday I received a package I had been waiting for…some super cute new hats for Pink Peppermint. I ran Ash outside to snap a few pics for the store on the driveway. Within a few minutes I had a crowd all asking me to take their pictures too…it was too cute! Here are a few of these cuties…more to come.

this little one is such HAM! she was totally working it for the camera…LOVE her!

this little one has the most piercing eyes…i could shoot him all day.

I am LOVING these new newsboy caps with the cute little brim!

those freckles…those blue eyes…the teeth!! i am dying over here!!!

i love how kids are just so comfortable in front of the camera and actually ASK you to take their pictures. I wish we could get more comfortable as adults in front of the lens!!

more to come…

(oh, and there’s a mother’s day sale running now through Sunday…more details here: Mother’s Day Sale )

have a great day!
-t

{Picture Perfect} Online Digital Photography Classes and a family favorite recipe

Tammy — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:59:05 +0000

If you’ve been trying to decide whether or not to join us this session, you only have 3 days left to decide!!! You CAN learn how to use yor camera and take better pictures in this 6 week, low stress, flexible and fun class. Class starts Saturday. Only 2 spots left!! You can register and find more information here:

{Picture Perfect} Class Info and Registration

And, just because I have a hard time posting without a picture, I thought I’d share one of our favorite recipes. If you don’t have Tyler’s Ultimate Cookbook, I HIGHLY recommend it. I make more stuff out of that book than probably any other and my kids scarf it down!! Here’s one of our favorites that I made last night…bon apetite!

Tyler’s Ultimate Rustic Rigatoni, Sausage and Eggplant (we don’t like eggplant so I omit it!)

Ingredients

Kosher Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 links fennel pork sausage (about 3/4 pound)
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.

Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Yum!! Have a great day!
-t