Cooking with Lindsay

Every now and then my partner and I decide to celebrate a certain food for the month. We usually forget about it but when we remember, it's a lot of fun. In an effort to expand our palettes, we try to make different dishes with the food and experiment with different types. In the past we've had a months devoted to mangoes, hummus, grapefruit, sweet potatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, watermelon, and kiwi.

Here are some pictures from previous months.

This month is pear month. I purchased eight varieties of pears for us to sample and decide on our favorites. Who knew that there were even eight varieties of pears in the first place?


(For those who are curious, the pears from left to right are: seckel, bosc, red d'anjou, comice, forelle, concorde, bartlett, green d'anjou.)

For Valentine's Day, I attempted a pear pie. I visited the ever-trusty, AllRecipes.come and found a well ranked Pear Pie. It smelled great while it was cooking and certainly looked the part when it came out.

But then Rich and I had some. It tasted pretty bad. I got the sympathy eyes from him, the ones that said, "Sorry, Lindsay, another baking flop. Score one for the kitchen."

For some reason, I cannot bake for the life of me. I enjoy it and I get really excited to try out recipes, but the end result is just miserable, especially cookies. Cookies should be simple, right? Not for me. All cookies turn into hard, tasteless discs.

Oh well, I'll stick to what works for me: photography. Even if they taste terrible, no one can tell from the pictures!

"I don't like gourmet cooking or 'this' cooking or 'that' cooking. I like 'good cooking.'"
James Beard

Class of 2009! Senior Ambassadors Wanted

It's that time again... Thousands of high school juniors in the San Francisco Bay Area are beginning to dig into what's ahead in the next year. The most stressful of all of them, junior year deals with the PSAT, the SAT, the beginning of AP tests, scouting out colleges, thinking about college applications, junior proms, working on your "high school portfolio", researching scholarships and grants, driving, and that just scratches the surface. Fall semester started this whole mess and now there's the great spring semester push to keep grades especially high for the transcript.

Spring semester is also a busy time for me, too. Holiday portraits are over but senior portraits have just begun. That's right, this year's juniors are now dealing with another deadline: Senior Portraits!

Lindsay Docherty Photography is looking for this year's juniors to apply for the Class of 2009 Senior Ambassadors!

We want those of you who participate in school activities such as sports, cheerleading, drama, band, clubs, and student government - as these students tend to be the most outgoing, and therefore make excellent senior models. But, even if you're not involved in these activities, maybe there's something else that really inspires you. Go ahead and contact me at lmdocherty@gmail.com. It'll be lots of fun, and you will get some incredible portraits in the end.

What:
You get a free photography session for your senior portraits. And these won’t be the “sit there - turn your head - put your hand daintily under your chin - look off into the distance like a fool and smile” pictures. I don’t like a lot of posing; I don’t like big, bright flashing lights; I don’t like taking the same pictures of everyone. Bring props to your session. If it’s meaningful to you, it’s meant to be in your pictures. These can include your guitar, sports equipment, sunglasses, art supplies, car, etc. It is all about getting you and your friends the best possible professional photography for their senior portraits. The more people you refer to Lindsay Docherty Photography, the better your rewards will be. I love the energy and creativity that high school seniors uniquely bring to each session. Not a single one is similar to any other.

Who:
San Francisco Bay Area high school seniors graduating in 2009 are eligible for this fantastic offer. If you think you have what it takes, email Lindsay at lmdocherty@gmail.com and I will send you a short application. Sign up quickly as I’ll only be accepting at most two seniors from each school and these openings will go fast.

When:
Sessions will take place during the summer and fall of 2008.

Where:
I have some great go-to places but it’s all up to you. Where do you want to go? Anywhere down the peninsula is fair game.

Why:
• Senior Ambassadors receive a fun, free portrait session in the summer or fall of 2008. When you tell people about what a great time you had with Lindsay Docherty Photography, I want it to be the truth. (a $325 value)

• Free images to post on your myspace account (a $200 value)

• Free senior album with your best pics and room for notes from friends (only available to senior ambassadors)

• Free student business cards to help you earn credits (only available to senior ambassadors)

• 5% off of your portraits for each referral*, up to 60% off

• The top producing Ambassador will win an iPod Nano

Tips for the successful Ambassador
• Our most successful Ambassadors have made personal contact by mail or email to their classmates.

• Take your album with you anytime you are going to be with friends this summer, you will always find someone who is interested.

• Show your discount business cards every time you show your album.

• Hand out every business card to someone who you think will actually book a session.

• Look to your friends and family to help you earn a portraits of a lifetime!


*Referrals can be for Families, Children, Seniors, Maternity, Engagement, Weddings, Modeling or even Pet photography. Any one of your referrals that books a session counts!

** Ambassador Program rules and regulations are subject to change without notice.

Equipment & What's in my Bag

A few months ago, a good friend of mine was planning a trip to Peru and asked my opinion on cameras and what she should bring for this exciting trip. I figured this might be useful to those of you out there looking into digital photography, especially using a DSLR (aka the fancy looking ones with lenses).

Here were my recommendations to her…

I've looked up info on cameras and they're a lot cheaper than I originally thought. You can get them on ebay for around $300 if you play your cards right. Here's the lowdown...

• You want a Canon Digital Rebel, Canon Digital Rebel XT, or Canon Digital Rebel XTi. They are the same with the exception of megapixels. Each camera has a few more than the one before. And why would you want more megapixels? To take up more space on your hard drive. For the average person's use, you don't need a 100 megapixel camera but people have clung on to that idea since they don't know what other metrics to use to distinguish between DSLRs. So, any of those will be fine for you and will print a perfectly good 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, and larger depending on the picture quality. It's a great digital camera; it's light, it's hardy, and it's simply ideal for any hobbyist to semi-pro. It's the first rung on the "prosumer" DSLR cameras and gets great ratings anywhere you look. I have the XT and it has done me just fine.
• You want a zoom lens. You want one that covers about 20-100mm. For traveling purposes, you might want to sacrifice the higher end (75mm+) for the lower end (<50mm)>
• You want some CF memory cards. They've become really cheap lately. Get maybe one 512MG, three 1G, and maybe one 2G. I'm suggesting you get the smaller cards because, if you lose or ruin one, you won't want to have lost an entire week's worth of pictures. This is the same reason I mostly use small cards. Reliable brands are Sandisk, Lexar, and Kingston.
• You want a card reader so you can dump your pictures onto your computer without using your camera which zaps battery and takes for-ev-er.
• You want a small camera bag to hold said batteries and cards. It doesn't need to be a big one and can double as a purse the majority of the time.

This is the minimum I would get if I were you. Other things you could buy are:

• 1A filter (clear) for the front of your lens to give it some protection against scratching
• 70-200mm telephoto zoom lens for getting stuff that's far away
  
• data device to dump your cards into when you're away from your computer
  
• comfy strap for your camera for obvious reasons
  

Where to get these magical items:

• Ebay if you're not easily swindled. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
  
• Keep an eye open on Craigslist but don't spend any more than you would on ebay.
  
• If you want to browse around for what these items cost retail... B&H, Amazon, and KEH (used equip)
  

Those are the basics if you want to feel more like a photographer than a tourist on vacation. If you're simply curious, go get a Canon Rebel (any kind) and a cheap lens. A lot of them come with 17-55mm lenses and those are just fine for most situations. Don't go crazy unless you know this is for you. Get a CF memory card or two.

When I was starting out in digital, my father had given me a Canon Digital Rebel XT and a Quantaray 70-300mm f4 lens. I later bought a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 to get the wider angles. These lenses did me beautifully until I decided to go into photography full time.

What's in My Bag
Here is the gear that I currently own (I'll be specific for those of you taking notes):

The Essentials

• Canon 30D camera
• Canon Digital Rebel XT camera
• Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L series lens with 1A glass filter
• Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L series lens with 1A glass filter
• Canon 50mm f1.4 lens with 1A glass filter
• Canon 18-55mm f3.5 lens
• Canon 580EX Speedlite flash
• Two 2GB Sandisk Ultra II CF memory cards
• One 2GB Sandisk Extreme IV memory card
• Two 4GB 133x Kingston memory cards
• Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Photoshop CS3
• A very supportive boyfriend and dog

The Extras

• Wolverine MVP 9060 60GB portable media player
• Wacom Intuos3 6x8 Graphics Tablet
• Gary Fong Cloud Lightsphere II diffuser for flash
• Quantum Turbo battery pack
• Bogen/Manfrotto Tripod Legs with Grip Action Ballhead
• Lexar Professional Firewire CF Reader
• Kata R-103 Rucksack backpack
• Kata OC-84 GDC Photo Organizer Case
• Photoflex 32" Multidisc 5 in 1 Reflector System
• Tenba PW-7 Media Wallet
• Eneloop rechargeable AA batteries
• Energizer rechargeable AA batteries
• Maha MH-C801D battery charger
• Tamrac 5603 System 3 camera bag
• Wired and wireless remote trigger for both cameras
• Several batteries for both cameras and assorted battery chargers
• other assorted gadgets and doodads
  
• Sekonic Dualmaster L558R Light Meter (trying to sell this right now, contact me if interested)

Here's my bag tonight. It's usually a lot cozier in there but the Quantum battery is out at the shop and I used the Rebel XT and 18-55mm f3.5 for the pictures. My reflector is in another pocket. I absolutely love the yellow lining in Kata bags so that I don't lose any of those small black camera pieces that disappear in other bags. This is my second Kata bag, the first being a great backpack that I still use on occasion.

If you have any gear questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them asap.

Happy shooting!

Photography is not about cameras, gadgets and gismos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn't make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel. - Peter Adams - Sydney 1978

Silly Superstitions and Traditions

So I've spent hours this morning poking around on Flickr, particularly through the favorites stream of Lagomorph. I just couldn't help myself. It's really fun to come up with a picture of someone just through the images that they favorite and Lagomorph's was amazingly expressive. For instance, she obviously has a thing for small woodland creatures like birds and deer and especially rabbits. She is crazy about crafts and all of the drool-worthy craftrooms out there that are filled to the brim with baskets, drawers, mason jars, tubs, spools, etc. Likewise, she's totally into the shabby chic style with Victorian details like lace, cameos, and other dainty things. She likes clean, bright, classy decor along the lines of Pottery Barn and some Ikea. There's also a sprinkle of pin-up fun in there too.

So after looking through the majority of her favorites, many of which are now mine, I actually ventured to her profile to see what she had to say about herself. Turns out she's a pretty awesome blogger who is planning a wedding for her and her partner. If you're into wedding details like I am, you might want to check out her blog, TwoBrides. (It has some good resources for same-sex couples looking to get hitched.)

From her blog, I found this, a list of wedding traditions that are on their way out (originally posted on PlanningForever.com):

Number One: Bouquet/garter toss (no surprise). More couples are ditching this long time tradition for many reasons. For some they know their guest list and the fact that there are more married people attending the reception than singles. For others, they just know how lame this goes. Who catches the bouquet 9 times out of 10? A six year old girl. Whoopeeee! And the dudes? Well AFTER you take 10 minutes of embarrassing them to get them on the dance floor, they stand their like statues with their hands folded, refusing to even get near the tossed garter. After it lands on the floor, who gets it? The 3 year old boy that just rushed in from the side lines.
This tradition is OOUUT!

Number Two: Formal guests books. Yawn. Some of those guests books ask for everything but the guest’s social security number. It takes forever to fill out and backs up the guests out the front door when trying to enter the ceremony site. You’ll never look at this thing again. Instead, look for newer traditions such as; photo books, signed photo mats, small pieces of paper that guests can give advice and then make a scrap book.
This tradition is OOUUT!

Number Three: NOT seeing each other before the wedding. Most important day of your life for the both of you, and you spend HALF that day trying to not see each other. Huh? I love the weddings that my clients start the pictures before the wedding, the vibe is just so cool and much better (but that is for another post). See each other. Do yourself and your guests a favor.
This tradition is OOUUT!

Number Four (finally): Champagne Toasts. I’ve put beer, wine, 7-up, juice, diet coke, punch, and water in the champagne flutes for my clients. Not everyone likes champagne, so don’t waste the money. And certainly, if you are on a budget, cut this out for all the guests. During the toasts they will hold it up to their lips, barely touch it and then set it down. Let them toast with whatever is in front of them. Save your bucks.
This tradition is OOUUT!

I have to agree with this list. There are definite times when one of these items is done well or have good reason, but I see this less and less. I ask every bride I meet with if she plans on doing the bouquet/garter toss and it's about 90% no. Likewise, seeing each other before the ceremony is now a really popular choice and, as a photographer, I couldn't agree more! Here are some of the reasons why you should consider breaking this ancient superstition:

1) It is an ancient superstition. Here is the reasoning that I found:

Until relatively recently, brides were considered the property of their father. Their futures and husbands were arranged without their consent. The marriage of an unattractive woman was often arranged with a prospective groom from another town without either of them having ever seen their prospective spouse. In more than one instance, when the groom saw his future wife, usually dressed in white, for the first time on the day of the wedding, he changed his mind and left the bride at the altar. To prevent this from happening, it became "bad luck" for the groom to see the bride on the day of the wedding prior to the ceremony.

2) The first time you see each other on your wedding day should be romantic and special. You're going to want to speak to each other. He's going to want to tell her how stunning she looks in her dress. You're going to want to be close to one another because you won't have the opportunity for the rest of the day. The alternative is waiting until the bridewalks down the aisle - the couple has to be mute and hold their feelings in check because they're in front of an audience.

3) The photographs that come out of this meeting are so emotional. Or, you could choose for this to be just between the two of you - a few minutes of sanity and sweetness before the big events and guests.

4) Getting the formals finished before the ceremony has so many benefits:

• your hair and makeup will be fresh (if you think you might cry during your ceremony, you really might want to consider formals before the ceremony)
  
• your flowers will be fresh
  
• you can actually experience your own cocktail hour after the ceremony because you won't be spending that hour taking the formals
• you won't have to hear "the guests are waiting!"
• you can have the time to be more creative with your wedding party pictures
• you can have the time to be more creative with your couple pictures
  

5) This superstition is right up there with superstitions like

• it is bad luck to make your own wedding dress
• it is bad luck to wear your full wedding outfit before the wedding day
• it is bad luck to look at yourself in the mirror too many times on your wedding day
• it is bad luck to receive knives as wedding gifts (you can counteract this by giving the donor a coin to turn this into a transaction)
• it is bad luck to wear pearls
• it is bad luck to try on the wedding ring before the wedding
• it is bad luck to write your married name before the wedding day
• it is bad luck to marry in May
  

If you happen to be very superstitious or have family and friends that would disown you if you didn't follow these traditions, I can completely understand. After all, it is your wedding day. As a wedding photographer, I'll go along with whatever decisions you make and there will be beautiful pictures to show for it.

Monday for health,
Tuesday for wealth,
Wednesday best of all,
Thursday for losses,
Friday for crosses,
Saturday for no luck at all

Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind & true,
When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate.
If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know.
Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man.
Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day.
Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go.
Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bred.
Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see
Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine.
If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry.
If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember.
When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.

edit: Here's another blog post on this same topic from Sparkliatti.

Holiday 2007 Part II

Fast forward a few weeks to December 22nd when Rich, Emma, and I traveled to Berlin, Maryland (basically Ocean City, MD) to celebrate Christmas with my mom and uncle. A good time was had by all. There was the obligatory putting-the-santa-hat-on-the-dog and fire potatoes my uncle swore by (yeah, those black nuggets aren't coal).

We watched Scrooged, a family tradition, and opened all of the gifts Christmas Eve since we had to leave early on Christmas. My awesome gift of the year is my brand-spanking new photography case with wheels and everything.* I now have license to bring even more stuff. Yay!
*Cancun was the Xmas gift between Rich and me. That might have been a bit awesomer than the camera case…

We woke up bright and early Christmas morning, bundled up, and took the five hour trip down to Raleigh, North Carolina to spend Christmas afternoon with Rich's family. Emma slept in Rich's lap as he drove down there.

We arrived in Raleigh, NC Christmas afternoon. They had very patiently waited for our arrival to open up the gifts. Rich's sister was the "Santa" and handed out all the presents one by one. I really love Rich's family and they have always made me feel 100% like family.

There were some very cool gifts this year. Katherine, Rich's sister, got a shiny new red laptop. Brian, Rich's nephew got a North Carolina Hurricanes jersey (they are big hockey fans) and a remote controlled car. Darlene, Rich's mom got a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring that she had been eyeing for quite a while. The kids chipped in and got their parents a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast. As is customary, the kids played video games while the adults relaxed (or, in some cases, passed out!).

I've got to show the sweet pups, Emma and Raleigh…

We went down to Charleston, South Carolina for New Year's Eve with some of Rich's buddies. They try to find a new place in a new city every year. I brought our itty bitty digital camera which I haven't used in eons – seems like it has passed it's prime as the bright whites are now bright pinks. We got there the day before and had a nice dinner at a very charming house-turned-restaurant, Poogan's Porch and then checked out a neat daiquiri bar, Wet Willie's. We got dressed up and watched the ball drop from Mad River bar. Poor Rich didn't have a great trip back the next day, but that's New Year's for ya!

We had a great time on the East Coast and I can't wait to go back – especially now that my friends Vic and Kristen are expecting this summer!

Here are a few more pictures from our time in NC…

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
- Jane Howard

A Couple Session in Florida

I've got to mention a particular couple that I photographed while I was in Tampa for the Imaging USA photography convention. Fred put me up for a few days and we spent the time reminiscing.

Fred and I go waaay back. He's one of those friends that, despite the amount of time since you last saw each other, you can always just jump right back into a comfortable place. He's completely welcoming and one of the friendliest people I've ever known. I've known Fred since high school and we were pretty close til college rolled around and whisked me away to North Carolina and him to Hawaii (I guess we know who won that one!). Actually, I've known Fred for so long that I can't help but call him by his nickname, Derf (Fred backwards), that I don't think anyone else uses anymore.

Fred is on the far right. I'm the curly haired one who will never wear a linen dress again.

Anyway, enough with memory lane. Introducing Fred and Sam…

Fred was the one to come up with the idea of going to this spectacular park. We went to John Chesnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor and it was simply beautiful. Despite the great locations that the San Francisco Bay area has to offer, I was envious that we have nothing like this!

We took the bridge and a short path to a small forest of these huge trees all around. We went around golden hour and the light streaming through the trees and Spanish moss was stunning. It was the perfect place for s session. The scenery screamed color; the mood was totally black and white. See what I mean?

Fred is not a serious guy and he brings it out in Sam too. They were both full of giggles the entire time. I just had to set them up somewhere and let them go. They were both so fun and relaxed and real.

I know Fred to be totally playful and brought along some bubbles. Sam became preoccupied with the swingset for a little while. You might wonder if this is a children's shoot or a couples shoot. There was a healthy dose of both that day.

Fred and Sam sat together to watch the last minutes of the sunset at this spectacular location with a marsh and tall grasses. There were so totally at ease and totally in love. And the sunset was unbelievable.

Thank you guys so much for putting me up and putting up with my photographic whims. You two make a great couple. You'll always have a place to crash when you get out to the west coast!

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

(I love that quote. It's easily one of my favorites)

December Cancun vacation

Ack! It's about freaking time I posted something about my own holidays! Better late than never, right?

Holiday Season 2007 felt like constant travel. I can't complain because I saw some great things and reconnected with some great people, but it is sooo tiring to live out of a suitcase for weeks on end.

I never did get back to writing about our trip to Cancun in early December. Suffice it to say that it was excellent. I was originally a Spanish major back in college and I was really proud of myself for all of the Spanish I still remembered. Rich and I are total power vacationers – we had plans for every day that we were there so as not to miss the "essential" sights of the area.

We arrived on a Saturday evening and stayed at the very nice Clipper Club that was right in the middle of everything on the main strip. Kudos to Rich for picking the place.

The view from our windows…

We had a fabulous suite with a view and, though there were ants (and I absolutely hate ants!), it was an excellent place. It had hammocks by the pool and wireless internet. This was an area of concern before we arrived, and Rich and I came to the compromise of only being on the internet for 30 minutes/day. As it ended up, we were so tired by the end of most days, that the internet didn't even matter. Likewise, I didn't want to expose my camera to the sand and water so I left it home most days and brought a little waterproof disposable one instead.

Not surprisingly, almost every shop sold the same items. I got a kick out of all of the wonderful colors completely surrounding me.

Sunday we visited Xel-Ha (pronounced Shell Hah, I think), a very laid back "ecological water park" with tons of snorkeling, trails to wander through, rafts to float on, hammocks to lounge in, and just a generally great place. I am so accustomed to the amusement parks in the states that I was completely shocked by the way this was run. There weren't huge signs everywhere telling you 'don't do this' or 'don't do that'. It was extremely hands off. If you want to try out the rope swing and you slam into the wall, well… And it wasn't crowded either. No massive lines or water that has so many bodies that you can't swim a stroke.

Monday was a trip to go snorkeling around Cozumel island. We took the trip to Playa del Carmen and spent the day being carted around in a glass bottom boat and snorkeling in different locations. We stopped on Isla Cozumel for shopping and eating. The snorkeling was slightly disappointing, but it was still a wonderful day.

Tuesday we actually spent in Cancun on the beach and wandering around. That night we went to a really awesome club there, CocoBongo. It was the coolest club I've ever been to. They had several acts perform popular songs all throughout the night in elaborate costumes and fun dance moves. There were acrobatics from the ceiling over the bar and free drinks all night. Needless to say, I was not feeling my best on Wednesday when we went to Isla Mujeres.

The trip to Isla Mujeres was a good time. The rest of the small group were a lot of fun. Again with the free drinks, but there was lots of dancing and laughing on our catamaran. It also had a spinnaker that I would have loved to have gone on if I hadn't felt so icky. Unfortunately for one of our boatmates, there was a "wardrobe malfunction" while she was up in the air but she had a great sense of humor about it.

Thursday was one of the seven wonders of the world, Chichen Itza (not to be confused with chicken pizza). We had an incredibly knowledgeable Mayan archeologist/tour guide who really made the four hour trip worth it.

The great ball court…

We stayed late at night to watch the light show at the temple underneath a sky more starry than I had ever seen before. The little lights in the first picture are camera phones.

We stayed in Cancun on Friday and did some nice lounging, reading, and checking out the beach one last time.

We rounded out our trip Friday night with a fancy restaurant (Casa Rolandi) to give us reason to get dressed up. Wild mushrooms sautéed with polenta to start and I had a very tasty mushroom ravioli. I can't even remember what Rich had since I was so into my meal. The best part was the dessert. You can't go to an expensive restaurant and not order dessert. So we got fresh mango sherbet and the most amazing passion fruit mousse. This mousse was reason enough to return to Cancun. Eating it was straight out of a commercial: I took a bite, tasted the amazing flavors and looked up as Rich in amazement as he did the same. Our eyes met and we shared a common understanding without exchanging a single word: this mousse is magnificent! Truly heavenly. If you go to Cancun, you must try it.

Like I said, we are total power vacationers!

We returned on Saturday to a yucky San Francisco with much less money but a lot of memories to compensate. As for the pictures from the waterproof disposable camera – none of them turned out. Somehow the film got exposed and all of those images vanished. Very sad. : (

The next installment will be about our holidays on the east coast. Stay tuned!

Allí donde fueres haz como vieres.
- Spanish saying (literally "Where you may be, do as you see.")