11.22.12
happy thanksgiving everyone! i had an awesome day with family and am so beyond grateful!
the winner of the cowl is mary!
mary please email me your address so i can send our your cowl tomorrow! congratulations!
hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family/friends and good food…i know i did!
11.19.12
looking for a simple salad? this is it!
takes a matter of minutes to put together – plus its delicious + good for you!
what you need:
fresh spinach
fruit-blueberries, strawberries + raspberries
sliced almonds
crumbled feta cheese
raspberry vinaigrette
directions:
in a bowl or on a plate add the fresh spinach – top with fruit, sliced almonds, and feta cheese. drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
can’t get much easier!
11.16.12
happy friday – great day for a giveaway!
i received a couple inquiries about the cowl that my daughter ella was wearing this week, so i thought i would give one away! these are sooo awesome. light weight, not bulky under coats/jackets and super cute. (i even have one!)
KC Jones is the designer + sooo talented! her little shop can be found here – she makes awesome things and will make just about anything you request…so check her out!
here is what you need to do to win one:
1) ‘Like’ squirrels & squids on facebook
2) ‘Like’ jill marzion photography on facebook
3) Leave a comment below about why you want to win!
super easy to win!!! i will randomly pick a winner on Thanksgiving Day!
11.12.12
many of you may know this already, but i am soooo not a fan of winter, cold, snow, etc. it is just depressing to me. especially when it gets dark around 4pm now! ugh…ANYWAY – one positive is the food i can now make! soups are one of my favorites so i will be sharing some of my best recipes in the next couple months!
this is pretty simple to make and has tons of flavor. i served with pretzel bites to dunk in! enjoy.
what you need:
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups of beer (wheat beers work best)
1 cup half + half
4 oz sharp white cheddar, grated
4 oz extra sharp yellow cheddar, grated
4 oz colby jack, grated
fresh herbs (cilantro) for garnish
salt + pepper (if needed)
directions:
heat a large stock pot over medium heat and add chopped bacon. fry until crispy, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. reduce heat to low and add onions, peppers and garlic, stirring to coat. cook for about 10 minutes, until translucent, stirring occasionally. increase heat to medium-high and add in butter. once sizzling, add flour and cook for 3-4 minutes until flour is golden. add in beer and stir constantly, cook for 5 minutes so they alcohol cooks out and the mixture somewhat thickens.
add in half and half, then reduce heat to low and gradually add cheese while stirring. stir until smooth, then fold in bacon and serve immediately. garnish fresh chopped herbs over top if desired
makes 4-6 servings.
you could serve with bread too.
come back and comment below if you try this – you won’t be disappointed!
11.6.12
for some of us, this is easier said than done. ok, lets be real here….my camera just isn’t capable of the quality shots i want indoors – it’s a fact. i have to bump my ISO’s way up, and once i do that…well i get lots of noise. noise = an uncrisp image that looks grainy and is usually darker than desired.
with the weather getting colder + colder, i have 3 choices…
1) buy a new camera – saving for one!
2) limit myself to day + outdoors – not really what i want to do or ill miss a lot!
3) embrace the obstacles – YEP!
we are all drawn to different things – for me, i love the bright, super crisp + clean images! so when i study photography, that is what i see over and over, because that is what i like! with that said, my eye has been trained to aim for that look in my photography. and the best way to do that is with the natural light and i end up outdoors! bright light that is natural, minimal shadows on my subjects and a very clean look – like this….(ISO at 100 or 200)
but now i am have mother nature (cold temps + gets dark early) working against me…or do i?!?! so, i am challenging myself to shoot indoors. here are a few things i have learned so far. (i am no expert, just big into learning + sharing!)
1) don’t be afraid to crank up the ISO’s. it is ok! give yourself permission…you’re not breaking any laws – i promise!
2) if your images are coming out too orangey? play with the kelvins (here is a tutorial all about that!) + adjust in your editing software (there are so many fun ways to do this)
3) shadows actually add effect and ARE natural!
4) get creative! so what if the image is grainy…the people who look at your pictures probably won’t even see it. (we are our on worst critics!)
5) pull light from windows, over head light, hall light, etc.
5) experiment + practice. you will miss out on memories + potential clients if you limit yourself!
check out a few of my indoor images from a recent session – it took me a little time to come around to this, but i surprisingly really like the whole new look i can create with indoor photography! yay – for another way to photograph! (ISO at 800)
at first, i was gonna toss the above image since her left side has some shadows, but when my oldest saw it, she absolutely loved it! she told me i was crazy, so i kept it and now am in love with it! thanks for the encouragement taylor!
this was same session. again, wasn’t crazy about the right side of the frame being darker, but how could i toss this belly shot?!
then i opened this and was so happy with it. you can’t get this dramatic look outdoors! these images helped me realize it is okay to do things a little different than i had originally planned for!
last night my two guys set up a game to play together…holy cow, who are these two?!?! so i grab my camera and snap this! noise, dark, grain and i still love it! i even shared it on my personal page and got this comment, ‘That’s a great picture….looks like it could be straight from an advertisement encouraging family values and togetherness’ from someone who NEVER comments on my stuff! hmmmm….okay, i can handle this!
ISO 3200 f/4 1/60 sec
hopefully this helps you step out of your comfort zone too! and as always, don’t hesitate to ask me questions or even share your images where you have gone against your usual style!
and don’t forget to ‘like’ this post if you found it helpful!
10.30.12
i frequently try recipes off of pinterest that i pin to my boards – i can honestlly say that ive found some amazing new things there! this recipe looked good so i made my list and headed to the store. the instructions were not very detailed, but i winged it and it turned out!
cooking for 4 kids can be tricky, but when they end up eating the majority of it, i am happy with that – plus they got some veggies in too!
what you need:
1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells (Barilla has about 35 shells)
2 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces grated parmesan cheese, divided
3 chicken breasts, cooked, chopped up
16 oz cooked broccoli, chopped. (i cut it up, cooked it, and chopped it into small pieces)
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 (28 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
3 tbsp pesto sauce
1/4 cup milk
how to prepare: (you could prep this meal and keep in fridge till ready to cook)
preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
in a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. add chopped up chicken + broccoli and mix well. stuff cooked shells with mixture and place in a sprayed 9×13 inch baking dish.
in a bowl, stir together alfredo sauce, pesto, reserved mozzarella and parmesan. add milk to help thin out. pour over stuffed shells.
cover and bake in preheated oven 45 minutes. uncover and finish baking 10-15 minutes until edges are bubbly, shells are slightly set and cheese is golden.
add a salad + some bread and you’re set! enjoy!
10.26.12
first things first…i am an addict! if you’re up for viewing a billion pictures of my kids, follow me at: jillmarz
Instagram is a free photo sharing app. it originally was only available to iphone users, but in March ’12, droid users were added as well. since i have yet to make the switch to the iphone (being the nice mom i am, i gave my upgrade to my daughter so she could get it!) i was THRILLED! and little did i know how much i would love it! it was actually even named ‘app of the year’ last year and currently has over 30 million users…WOW!
it’s perfect! easy to use, fun to experiment with, readily available (who doesn’t have their phone close all the time) and i love looking back at all the little thing that go on in my families day-to-day life! i especially love to follow other instagram addicts to see how they view the world through their eyes!
a couple tips that work for me:
* try to get in the best lighting for you camera phone. if you are having trouble getting bright images, focus on the darkest spot in the finder and the white balance will adjust and most often get brighter
* don’t be afraid of the flash…if it is nighttime, turn it on, but adjust the filters to make the flash less harsh
* check out some of the free or very inexpensive apps to enhance your images! i really like magichour! for only $1.99 you can play around with so many different styles and make your own filters!
* also get the free app photogrid! you can put your images side by side or arrange 4 photos to appear as one image.
* take a step back…i once heard someone say ‘you will remember their faces, but not what they carried around’. to me, this means try to share a story, not just a face – try to capture the event, story and/or memory!
Lastly!
* print out your images! i know this is the hardest part, but try it! there are some REALLY cool places to print from – even instagram photo books, square images, sheets full of instagram photo stickers, etc. check out the following links – blurb, printstagram and stickygram! (watch for a future blogpost on these services)
here are just a couple of my images…each one takes me right back to that exact moment! mostly important – have fun with it and do what YOU want to do!
if you found this post helpful! ‘like’ it! and don’t forget to subscribe to future post! (near the top right)
have a great weekend + start taking those instagram images! you will be so happy you did when you look back at them!
10.21.12
super easy recipe for a party or get together and of course margaritas go with anything!
one. of. my. favorites. – hope you enjoy!
when you get to the store….just remember 12!
when i serve this for an event/party, i triple or quadruple the batch! ALWAYS a hit!
10.20.12
hi there, so excited you are here!
