its been 30 years.

Well, I'm 30 now.
I've talked to a few women that have recently turned 30 (my friend Jessica, as noted in my last post), who have been 30 for a few years, and who will soon be 30.  I'm not sure what the general consensus is, but one thing I gathered from our conversations is, women love to talk about turning 30 and that it is a bit empowering.

As far as the celebration goes, I decided that I wanted a very small, intimate dinner party with my dearest of friends and family.  The theme was Italian and everyone brought a dish to share with me.  I made my Uncle Charlie's sauce and homemade pasta, it was a 2 day process but so so worth it.  The last thing I wanted to do was take photos, so my friends Ellie and Kristen snagged my camera and these were the shots that came of it.

Thank you to those who made it so special.  Here's to a lovely year.

artists || the cake baker

  Have you ever baked a cake before?  I mean really baked a cake... no boxes, no tubes, no mixes.  Its a real feat.  When you're done, someone should hand you an award. (I guess the reward, is the cake, am I right?) This is where I confess to you that I am not a baker.  I like to cook.  I like to sprinkle here and there and substitute this for that.  I believe a wise Mother (my Mother, in fact) once said that baking is a science.  This couldn't be more true, and who am I to argue with my Mother?  Depending on the cake you decide to, shall I say, conquer...  one extra fold can ruin the whole batter and there you are, up shit creek with two sugary deflated layers.

So what does all of this have to do with photography?  Well, I wanted to eat cake and why not photograph the process.  My good friend Riley and I found this recipe, and started out on a half-day journey of picking up necessary ingredients (must haves, like a good bottle of Rosé) carefully reading the instructions, watching a horror movie while the cake layers cooled and of course, my constant staging of whipped cream and hazelnuts (and by staging, i mean eating).  But in all honesty, it came out beautifully and we had the forks waiting as soon as I shot the last photo.  

A big thanks to Riley for making this cake around my lens. You're a lovely soul, darling girl.