What's Your Jam? | Columbus Ohio Food and Product Photographer

Your “jam” is the thing you can’t wait to get up in the morning to do. It’s the reason you do all those other things, so you’ll get to do that one thing - the thing you really love.

Kyla and Mark are the makers behind Sweet Thing Gourmet jam. We bet you can guess what their jam is. Yep, it’s jam. Our jam is taking photos good enough to eat, like this photo of jam. You can almost taste it, right? Well, that’s what we do.

Let's take how you FEEL about food and turn it into a 2D photo. Doesn't sound hard. Point and click. When you sit down to devour your next meal, think of all the senses you're using BESIDES your eyes. You smell the food, touch it, even hear it. You turn the plate, lift the lid, stir the sauce, sprinkle on some more cheese, squeeze the bun so the barbecue juices run down your fingers, crack the hardened sugar on your creme brulee. It's easy to take for granted all the little things that collectively become a food experience. 

There's a bit of magic in creating photos to mimic real life. That's our jam. Tell us, what's yours? 

I eat Sweet Thing Gourmet jam by the spoonful, no accompaniment necessary. Need something to go with your jam? Try this simple biscuit recipe, topped with jam and homemade whipped cream. 

Classic Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2/3 cup cold milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift together dry ingredients. Work the cold butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal.

Form a well in the center. Pour in milk and stir gently to just incorporate. Knead gently 3-4 times to bring dough together in a ball. Be careful not to overwork (stern voice!)

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Using the palms of your hands, flatten into a disk roughly 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 inch cutter (or a drinking glass) to cut out biscuits. Gather up scraps and repeat process. Makes about 10 biscuits.

Place on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Bake until golden, about 13 minutes.

Serve with your favorite Sweet Thing Gourmet jam!
(Featured: Strawberry Champagne Jam)

Check out some Behind-the-Scenes from this photo shoot! 

*What's even cooler about this particular jam company is they'll print personalized labels for you. Jars of jam make great wedding favors, gifts for teachers, employees or your favorite clients.

Not Another Mirror Self Portrait: Online Dating Photo Advice

From one online dater to another, here are some tips for your online dating profile photos.

1. Don't cut someone out of the picture.
In fact, don't have them in the picture at all. Otherwise your admirer will start to wonder more about who that other person is and less about who you are.

2. No bathroom mirror self-portraits.
Same goes for webcam self-portraits. You'll inevitably end up with bad lighting, wide-angle lenses and stern faces. You're much more likely to flash a genuine smile when your friend is behind the camera. Bonus: When you try giving the "sexy stare", your friend will love you enough to tell you to knock it off and be yourself. 

3. No on-top-of-a-mountain photos.
Look at me on vacation. I'm on a mountain! Really, really far away! I am the size of an ant!

4. Don't use your professional headshot.
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, especially coming from a professional photographer. You're probably thinking, why shouldn't I use it, I paid for it didn't I? What sells you as a professional isn't the same as what sells you to a potential life partner. That said, professional photos can be great, especially if you go into the photo shoot with a dating portrait in mind.

5. Look at the camera and smile.
Simple, but true. Serious, sarcastic or even shy portraits are hard to connect with. Your admirers are "meeting you" for the first time online. Make eye contact and smile. They'll smile back.

6. Don't have kids in your photos unless they're your kids.
It might seem silly, but it can be confusing. Your admirers will always be subconsciously associating you with the children you are pictured with, so make sure that they matter.

7. Don't show yourself doing something goofy or ironic.
It's hard to translate irony out of context. My sister admitted recently that if she'd met her current guy online, she would have never agreed to a first date. His profile photo was outrageously out-of-character, which was endearing and entertaining for friends and family, but misleading for potential admirers.

Rules of Thumb

1. Your face is the first thing people want to see, so post it first.
2. Share photos of you doing things you love, but make sure that we can actually see you. (If there are multiple people in the photo, specify which one is you.)
3. Share at least one whole body photo and one closeup, both taken within the last three years or since your last major change, i.e. haircut, shave or weight loss.
4. Share photos your friends approve of. Chances are, if they think you look great, we will, too.
5. Choose photos taken outside. The lighting is almost always better.

Tips for a Professional Shoot

1. Try multitasking. If you're a single mom getting a family portrait done, ask for a few extra shots of just yourself. If you're a professional paying for a headshot, bring a change of clothes for a more casual look.
2. Bring a friend along! Your friends can get you to relax and laugh.
3. Get some advice from your photographer about what to wear. They'll probably suggest bringing multiple outfits and accessories to find the one that looks best on camera.
4. Be yourself. I know, you'll scoff at the obviousness of this, but sometimes you forget. Your future significant other is going to love you for you, so why pretend to be anyone else?
5. Last but not least, don't overdo it with props. Simple is memorable.

Two Booklovers in Love | A Librarian Wedding

What does a wedding for two librarian book lovers look like? Well, there are lots of paper hearts cut from old books, a good handful of owls, a beautiful barn, green apples, terrarium centerpieces, succulent bouquets, burlap chair sashes and old window panes, all put together by friends and family.

The best part? Children's book readings during the ceremony and an impromptu request by a little girl at the reception for storytime from the bride-who happily obliged.

Commercial Food Photographer | Columbus, Ohio

Bleu & Fig | Food and Flowers

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Bleu & Fig a few weeks back! They are a full service catering company here in Columbus, but before you jump to conclusions, they are not the stereotypical catering company! They DON'T have one menu you HAVE to order from, they DO care about how their food tastes, and they AREN'T above doing small soirees.


Mini Crab Cakes | Pear Tart | Butternut Squash Bisque

Candied Bacon | Shortbread Lemon Bar

Veggie Wrap Boxed Lunch | Rosemary Garlic Chicken Pot Pie

In fact, they love the small jobs. Oscar Night, Valentine's Day for two, St. Patrick's Day gathering; whatever kind of party you want to throw, Bleu & Fig would be more than happy to help you come up with a unique menu to fit. And to make party-planning even easier, they also have 20 years experience in florals, and provide those services, as well.

Take the time to meet Regina and Brooke of Bleu & Fig, these ladies are kind, professional, creative and talented!

A Cookie Kind of Holiday

The best thing about cookies is they come in so many shapes and sizes, colors and designs, flavors and textures. You can dress them up however you like, you can make them in a hurry or take all day. The variety is endless and the eating is divine!

Hallmark Halloween Contest

Here is my Hallmark entry for their Halloween-themed cards. We'll see if I win in May!