Jewels

Sometimes on a shoot the preparation shots are the most interesting. This was from a recent travel story where the staff was setting up flowers on the bar. I shot the it later when it was cleaned up and pretty as it was I liked this better. This was in an Inn where everywhere you looked there were beautiful things to photograph inside and out.

Somehow you see things in a photo that you don’t with your eyes. My breezeway is looking very blue here, although the dogs like it in this heat. I went to the Ben Moore store looking for a tan/gray/weathered cedar color and was talked into this blue by the “decorator”, Mistake! I’ll repaint in the fall when it’s cooler.

One of the perks of shooting restaurants is tasting lots of different types of food and working with chefs who are as passionate about their food as I am about photographing it. Here is a spread I shot for the January 2010 issue of Connecticut Magazine featuring Ibiza Tapas beautiful Spanish food in Hamden and Ferme in Avon that has a seasonal Farm to Table menu…

I’m not a fan of ceiling lights as my 1950′s ranch house kitchen had… what came with the house was a monstrosity of wrought iron and orange glass shade hanging at forehead height in the middle of the room…I switched it out for a temporary light that I used for a couple of years but wanted to make my eat in kitchen cozier. I started my search for something clean and simple… I loved the look of this chandelier/shade from Restoration Hardware, but at $445 it was out of my “single Mom on a budget” range…here is my homemade version…

I made it from a shade on sale at Pottery Barn that I paid about $15 for, some fabric cord and a ceiling plate from a lighting store and some wiring help from a friend..

be sure and use a globe bulb that gives off a soft light

On a dimmer it makes my little dining corner much more elegant than before..