Halloween cupcakes!

While the weather is getting significantly colder, my home is getting warmer. From my oven that is. I have completely embraced fall, and have started turning my condo into a autumn haunted spooktacular home. I am an autumn baby, so I naturally go all out for Halloween and Thanksgiving. My birthday is at the end of the month, and it ALWAYS has a Halloween twist to it. Recently it was a close friend of mines birthday so I took it upon myself to bake up some cupcakes. Ironcially enough, I didn't mess these up, considering I don't bake. It is a running joke amongst my friends that I can cook you a 7 course gourmet meal, but if you hand me a box of cake mix I screw up. With that being said, history has been made, and my red velvet spider web cupcakes came out of the oven unharmed. Not only were they baked properly, they were the main attraction to the birthday. I only say that because I made them, and they were the only cupcakes at the bar. But all is fair. The birthday was enjoyed, and I feel properly prepared to bake dozens more cupcakes for my birthday. Halloween here I come. Happy Bday Danny...a ripe young age of 35!!

Food is Art is Life

Football Food

Well it is official....Football season is here. Sundays have turned into beer, football and men. A girls dream...right? I personally, know hardly anything about football. It is actually a rather significant joke amongst my friends, because it seems I am incapable of caring about it. I always have people over to watch football, yet I still can't figure out the sport. The fact of the matter is, I just like entertaining and cooking. So I cook, they watch football, and all parties involved are happy. So yesterday I was craving wings. The Bears, Browns, and Cowboys were all playing, and I was happy as a cheerleader in my kitchen cooking up every different kind of wing I could think of. I made a buffalo, Asian, and Bbq style wings, which I believe were all a success. There is something about making a complete mess of the kitchen, and your fingers and face while consuming these amazing messy bite size snacks. There also seems to come out a competitive side of people when wings are involved. I have sat at many tables where the number of wings consumed in that sitting became a badge of honor. Men and women all over saying things...."I ate 36 wings...how many did you eat?" It is incredibly entertaining in my eyes. I am just happy to have the football season here. When the temperature starts to drop the Chili is next! I believe it may be time to retire the grill and wake up the Crock Pot. Fall here we come!

Food is Art is Life

YOGA in the Mountains

After a very long labor intensive day of editing, correcting, and resizing, I think I have my Colorado images done. The images from the Yoga session in the mountains are absolutely stunning, and I am just going to let them speak for them self.

Nederland, Colorado

I don't know if I am too excited about all the images that I need to edit from my Colorado trip, or if my body is still adjusting being back down from 10,000- 14,000ft above sea level. I think it is a combination of both. I just recently spent the long labor day weekend in Nederland, Colorado, and beyond. I have a friend that lives in this tiny mountain town, and I needed to get away and clear my head, so up to the mountain I went, and thank goodness I did! I had the most incredible time! To start, there is NO cell phones in Nederland, which helped me to get away. The town of Nederland is about 30 miles north of Boulder up in the mountains, with a population of a mere 2,000. There is a "round-about" in the middle of the town, and that is the only mode of traffic control. No stop light or even stop sign. A girl like myself coming from Chicago was absolutely intrigued by the entire town upon arrival. I couldn't get over the fact there wasn't a stop light, and half of the roads were not even paved. I was completely out of my element to say the least. My friend Amanda, is a Yoga instructor in Denver, and retreats to the mountains in the evening. A very cool lifestyle she has created for herself. We spent the weekend exploring the mountains, hiking, eating, drinking, and taking photos. Amanda is in the process of forming her own private Yoga world, so she asked me to take some promotional photos for her website. I could barely contain myself when she described the area we would be taking the photos. How can you resist, a photo shoot of Yoga in the mountains? Many people never get an opportunity like this, so clearly I jumped on the occasion. We spent an entire afternoon hiking, doing Yoga, and taking breath taking images! I needed a little break, and I got it. I have not felt so relaxed in years, it almost makes me want to run away with a mountain man and live in seclusion forever. Or...maybe not, I would miss my city, but a vacation here and there helps. So I am going to dedicate the next few posts to Colorado, and Yoga with Amanda. Images coming soon!!!!! Stay posted!

Food is Art is Life

Holiday Grill and Bar

I was recently asked by a local bar to take some images of their food. I was incredibly excited about this project because this is exactly what I love to do. If I could work everyday with local chefs and restaurants taking images of their food, I would be in heaven. Holiday Grill and Bar is a family run bar that has been in the West Loop of Chicago for 30 years. The food is homemade, and the bar is filled with patrons that know everybody by their first name. It is a very "Cheers" like type of bar. I took a few pictures of their mini cheese burgers, because we all know how awesome everything is when it is "mini". The nice and unique aspect of these mini cheese burgers are the patties are hand made. I have become quite the critic when it comes to mini cheese burgers in Chicago recently. I typically get a flat oversized patty, on an itty bitty bun. But not here! Along with the burger being home made, the buns are from the local bakery around the corner from the bar. I was really happy to hear all of this. The photo shoot went well, we took more pictures of other things and food from the bar, but I wanted to share the mini cheese burgers with you, because I enjoyed them the most. I am in the process of getting folders and postcards and flyers together for the upcoming fall season. I am planning on hitting the streets with my "press kits" and giving the restaurants of Chicago a face behind the promo. I figure if I am ever going to get my studio, I have to hit the streets! Only time will tell...

Food is Art is Life

New Website!

I just finished designing my new website. It is officially live! I am really excited about this, because I have not been too happy with the looks of my website for quite some time. I was going to spend oodles and oodles of money hiring an outside company to design it for me, until my frugal friend put me in my place. Thanks Linz. It wasn't very hard, in fact, I used a program that I had on my computer and I am very pleased with the end result. This is just one step in the direction of more work. I have been planning, plotting, and preparing a new self promotion. It is time to move forward, and get some new fresh gigs. I have a vision of where my photography career is headed, and no one can stop me! Next is the mailer. I was told "mail cards like it is Christmas!". And that is exactly what I will do. Once again the new website it up and running!!! Check it out! www.tiffanyoneillphotography.com

Let them eat cake!...or pie.

Recently, I have had some very eye opening experiences happen to me. Some of them being personal, well who am I kidding they were all personal. I have been feeling as if the process of becoming a professional photographer or a successful photographer at that, is an incredible roller coaster. I know that any industry has its ups and downs, but I feel as if my ups and downs are so frequent and vicious. I have been getting different offers in, bidding on jobs, working pro bono, designing promotional material for fundraisers and everything seems to be coming and going. It seems everyday I want to dive head first into marketing myself aggressively, blogging aggressively, and going full speed ahead but something seems to stop me, or someone doesn't want to pay me, or something seems to happen. I am feeling a bit frustrated today, and I figure that things are not all beautiful all the time. I am just at a loss on where to go. I took this image of a piece of pie at a very well known restaurant the other day, and it seemed to go very well. The image was used for what it was, but it ended up being the end of a relationship with a client of mine. I was upset the way the relationship ended, but it was clear to me that it was not a healthy work relationship. That was just the beginning of things starting to go sour in my photography for the week. I think maybe we can toss this week out, and start to continue forward. I emailed a new design firm today to invest in redesigning my professional website. We will see! You have to spend money, to make money...RIGHT!? I also bought a plane ticket to Denver to see one of my best friends to make me feel better. That should help :p

Food is Art is Life

Prosecco vs. Champagne

It has come to my attention that a very enjoyable bubbly drink has slowly become a dominant thought in my mind. It all started when I was in Cleveland wedding dress shopping with my best friend, and it seemed every time I turned around I was being offered a glass of Champagne. I absolutely was in heaven, in my mind there is nothing better that shopping for beautiful dresses and drinking a beautiful bubbly tickle your nose flute of Champagne. When I returned to the city, I went on a photo shoot and the topic of Champagne vs. Prosecco came up, and I thought that it was a very interesting and informative conversation. Keep in mind I was surrounded by chefs, food stylists, and a group of PR executives, who all seem to be well versed in the finer food and drinks of life.

It all started when the pastry chef poured Prosecco over the sorbet for the dessert, and someone called it Champagne. Well, immediately they were corrected, it is Prosecco, NOT Champagne. Big difference. The difference is where and how essentially. Prosecco is an Italian Sparkling wine. It is made from a white grape that is produced in the village of Prosecco Italy, and is believe to be one of the most important varieties of grapes in Italy.

It was fully noted that there are many similarities between Prosecco and Champagne, but a main difference is that Prosecco's second fermentation occurs in metal tanks which makes it a little more friendly on the pocket.

Champagne is the more well known form of a sparkling wine, but it is not the same. Champagne is strictly made in the Champagne region of France, and it's second fermentation is done "in bottle". Which seems to be a much more complicated process. But in my mind the most interesting fact about Champagne is that the phrase or title of "Champagne" is protected under the PDO, or the Protected Designation of Origin in the European Union. Which basically means no one is allowed to call their sparkling wine "Champagne" unless it is created in the Champagne region of France. Apparently the French are very protective of their bubbly delight.

I was incredibly entertained by learning all of this information, and I wanted to share it. All of this in a photo shoot for a dessert. I heart my job.

Food is Art is Life

Francesca's Restaurant

I finally just recently finished editing my images from my spit fire photo shoot last week at Francesca's restaurant in Forest Park. I was asked by their PR firm to take some quick head shots of the executives, and a few images of their salad and pasta dishes that are going to be a special. This is a new adventure working with this PR firm, and it seems like it may be a good mix. Very "fly by the seat of your pants" atmosphere, but that is what I enjoy, and work the best at. It is really nice to walk into a restaurant and have things be ready, and quick. The chef made these dishes in 5 minutes, and the executives were ready to get their pictures taken. Granted, it was so fast because they all had many other things to do in their day. I was just one appointment on their busy list of demands. Although, it was quick, and I didn't even have my lights or typical set up with me, I think I got some decent shots. I completely forget what they called the pasta dish, to tell the truth, it was an Italian word that I couldn't spell let alone pronounce, but the salad was the signature "Francesca Salad" I believe. It was delicious, because naturally we all had a bite after the shoot, because we were starving. I said it then, and I will say it now..when Italian food is done right, it is SO good. Amazing! This was my first experience with Francesca's restaurant, although there are many in Chicago, and I was very impressed. The atmosphere was decorated and designed very well, the lighting was moody, but not too dark, there was a patio to dine outside, and the food was fantastic. I am definitely going to explore more Francesca restaurants. But in order to do that, I have to finish my job and deliver the images!

Food is Art is Life

Market Days

Since we are deep into summer, I have found myself constantly surrounded by street markets and festivals. That is one of the best atributes of Chicago summers. Every neighborhood here has a street festival at one point, and a fresh fruit market. I recently went on an interview with a PR firm to help them with their photography, and after the interview I felt I deserved a slow meander through a local market. I noticed that the items have changed since the last time I was at the market. I suppose that is only natural, while the summer is progressing. There were many other new vendors as well. The newest, and most interesting product was the Gooseberry. They were everywhere, and I was excited to see them, because I barely know anything about them. I talked to one of the local farmers about them, and she let me taste it, and it was a very nice eye opening experience. The farmer explained to me that it is a sweet and tart kind of berry, that takes little to prepare. She said that most people make jams, and tarts out of them. She said that really in most recipes it just involves, Gooseberries, Sugar, and Flour. So naturally I was in. I bought some, and I am still experimenting with them. They are very intriguing and I always like a new challenge. Only time will tell what I come up with for those berries.

And as for the interview, it went well and I took some pictures of a chef at Francesca's yesterday for the PR firm. I am editing them today, stay tuned for the images soon!

Food is Art is Life

Photography Workshops

Recently I have been feeling as if my photography needs a boost. I have been attempting to do as many test shoots as possible while keeping up with the rest of my life. I have a growing list of ideas next to my desk, it is just a matter of finding the time to shoot all the ideas. A friend of mine just recently told me about the Maine Photography Workshops, and how they are doing a food class this summer. I have looked into it, and I feel it would be a great way to get a great way to get inspiration, and education. I have heard many good things about the Maine workshops, and I am going to attempt to steal some time away from the city to attend the food photography class. It has always been a fantasy of mine to spend time in Maine. I really like the idea of the coast, the fishing, the fishermen, and the boats. There is something romantic about all of that, in my mind, and adding my photography to that fantasy would just make it that much more enjoyable. My work situation currently is not as flexible as I would prefer, but I am hoping that with some talking, and arranging, I may be able to run away. Moral of the story is, I suggest anyone that is interested in photography, to click the link above and check out the workshops. They have hundreds of them it seems, and they are a great investment to anyone's photography career.

Food is Art is Life

The Royal Family

While I was following my typical morning routine of blogging, reading, emailing, and chatting, I stumbled across a blog entry by strobist stating the easy way to do food photography. I really believe that Mr. Strobist, if you will is a very smart man, and talented photographer, and his entry completely intrigued me. He essentially build a light box, out of a regular box and some tissue paper. It creates a very soft, even beautiful light. I have worked in many studios and these same kind of contraptions are used everyday. So of course, me being me, took one look around my room, and turned my old computer box into a light box, and I was on my way to a new photo shoot.

While in college, my roommate studied engineering. He had to take numerous classes building, measuring, cutting, sawing, welding, throwing, hammering, and so on and so forth. Essentially every single class that I would fail, because I never measure. In fact I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler. I am convinced this is the main reason my roommate and I get along so well, we balance each other out. He is technical, I am not. I digress, while Adam was taking all these manly man classes, he built an absolutely beautiful chess set. Every time I see this chess set out, I am always amazed that one person made it, and I am living with him. So in honor of Adam's hard work, and my motivation, I made a simple still life. I used my new $2 light box, and I think it came out rather successfully.

This light box can come in handy in so many different photo shoots. It is essentially seamless, and when it comes to reflective objects, all photographers know they need that. I only used two sheets of tissue paper on each side of the box. It only took me about twenty minutes to cut and tape the tissue paper in place. I suggest taking your time with the tissue paper, because I did rip a piece rather successfully with in the first three minutes. But all in all, it was incredibly easy to make, I really suggest anyone that has a little time on their hands to give it a try. It was a nice test shoot for a Tuesday morning. Here is a behind the scenes shot of my set up also, to help give a better visual.

Food is Art is Life

The Spice of Life

This past weekend was an incredibly fun and enjoyable father's day weekend for me. My father drove in from Cleveland to spend his father's day with me. So naturally, I planned out an elaborate weekend which included the Indians/Cubs game, Steak houses, Boat tours, and everything a father could enjoy. We had an incredible time to say the least. Spending time with my father really made me think about my career, and my future photography career. Not only did it make me think about it, but he did a great job motivating me, and making sure I know that what I am doing, will work, I just need to keep working on it. So when I got home, I naturally did a test shoot. My roommate's girlfriend bought us a house warming gift of a new set of spices that are very modern, and adorable. So I thought that I would get out the lights, and play a little with them. It always surprises me how quickly I lose time setting up my lights, and playing with the placement of the ingredients. It really makes me smile when I realize that an hour has gone by and I am still playing in the piles of spices, attempting to make them look natural, and pretty at the same time. Those are the moments that I realize that I could never do anything else but photography. And in a metaphorical way, I think "the spice of life" is appropriate, after the weekend I had. I recently received word lately that a friend of mine is starting her catering company very soon, and she is going to need many pictures for her website, which means I am going to be a very busy busy bee. I can't wait to work with her, she is an incredibly talented vegan pastry chef, and a very smart woman. It should be a very fun photo shoot. I will keep you updated!

Food is Art is Life

My Chicago

As I travel through this game I keep calling my life, I typically have a camera by my side. I attempt to never leave the house without a camera in my purse. Some times it is a point and shoot, sometimes it is a large DSLR, or even sometimes it is a toy camera. Fact of the matter is, I have a camera. Chicago lends to many different skyline images. While I am driving I am always noticing different angles, and aspects of the skyline, from different points of the city. Recently, Chicago weather has been very rainy, and silly, and I noticed that the clouds were incredibly low. I drove past this scene, and in my mind it captured my Chicago beautifully. The clouds with the buildings, and a sea of taxis with their drivers. My Chicago. I have been acquiring many different skyline images, mostly because, I just can't get enough of this city. I look at the building, and still can't believe that I live here. I love this city. I am going to continue my journey through this city, working on my photography, and enjoying every minute of it. I just wanted to share this image, because everybody views their city differently, and this is just one of my images of the city.

Cleveland Cavaliers Wheelchair Basketball Team

Today I have been working on a brochure for the Cleveland Cavaliers Wheelchair Basketball team. My older brother is on the team, and he asked me to design their brochure for their first annual celebrity basketball game. I immediately said yes to the request, although I consider myself a photographer, not a graphic designer, but I really believe in this organization and I figured I can come up with something. In my years of college, I took many design classes, and I have designed brochures for political campaigns in the past. How easily I forget that a photographer is a photographer, not a graphic designer. WOW. I have gained another degree of respect for graphic designers today. It is incredibly challenging to be creative with words, limited space, limited images, and many different limited elements. Not an easy task. I came up with a rough draft, and sent it off to the team, and I am anxiously awaiting a response, because I hate to say it, but I am proud of myself. I am proud of the challenge, and the cause. It makes me feel really great to do something for a cause that I truly believe in, no matter the time/cost/effort. It makes me really think about how I work, and the people and companies that I constantly interact with on a daily basis. My father always said "If we had a perfect world...(fill in the blank)" and that is how he and I would come up with solutions, and work from there. Well if I had a perfect world, I would always work with people and companies that made me feel happy, and good about the cause, and the work that I do. If only the world was perfect. Don't get me wrong, I have a pretty close to perfect world right now. For the most part, I am my own boss, and saying and going and doing as I please. Not many people can say that. I guess what I am trying to say is, I feel great working for a good cause such as the Cleveland Cavaliers Wheelchair Basketball team. Maybe I will start volunteering more....only time will tell.

Summer Time Vegan Pizza

It seems as though this past weekend Chicago heard me complaining about the weather. It finally felt like June this weekend, people were filling the streets, going to festivals, putting the top down on convertibles, and grilling out. The epitome of why many people live in Chicago. It was a beautiful weekend, and it inspired me to get to the market and invite some friends over for some delicious food.
For Sunday lunch I invited my friend Mary over to see my new apartment and sit in the sun, and catch up/ gossip as us women do. Mary is a vegan, so at times it can be challenging for a Irish girl like myself to cook without cheese, or meat. Yet every time I do it, I enjoy the challenge, and enjoy the food. So yesterday I rifled through my fridge and came up with my version of a summer time vegan pizza. I had a pizza dough ball from my favorite pizza shop, which is vegan, and many veggies left over from the market. I simply made the dough, chopped some fresh garlic, and layered the asparagus, zucchini, and plum tomatoes strategically around the pizza, and threw it in the oven, and roasted it for around 20 minutes. VOILA! It was light, healthy and delicious. Mary and I had a great time catching up, and eating our delicious creation.
It always interests me when people get so hung up on vegetarianism. The old tried and true cliche phrase "you don't know unless you try" is one of my favorites. I enjoy trying different foods, even if they don't involve meat or cheese. This recipe was absolutely delicious, and a fun way to push the limits of pizza making. So moral of the story, TRY IT!


Summer Time Pizza
Serves 4

Ingredients
Pizza dough
Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic
1 Zucchini, sliced
1 Plum Tomatoe, sliced
3 Stalks Asparagus, sliced

Directions.

1. Preheat oven at 375*
2. Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness, and place on pizza stone or pizza pan.
3. Drizzle dough with favorite Olive Oil, and scatter chopped garlic around dough.
4. Arrange veggies around dough, in any fashion you like. It can be thrown on, or strategically placed.
5. Bake in oven for aprox 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Food is Art is Life

The Urban Herb

Things have been a bit hectic lately in the world of Tiffany one could say. I have recently moved to a new neighborhood up north in Chicago that I am quickly falling in love with. Roscoe village has some competition from Lincoln Square. Moving is one of my least favorite tasks, considering I have moved essentially 4 times in the last two years...long story. On top of moving the weather in Chicago is barely reaching 70* and it has not been providing much inspiration, or motivation, until yesterday.
While exploring my new neighborhood yesterday, I discovered a wonderful farmers market in the middle of the square. It had roughly 10 to 12 tents set up, which were littered with happy hippies more than willing to talk your ears off and fill your belly with their new organic, pesticide free, heart healthy, and warming products. I tried pickled mushrooms, organic bloody mary mix, morrel mushroom cheddar cheese, and smelled some amazing flowers, soaps and oils. To say the least, I was in HEAVEN! I had to stop at the greenery tent and drool over all the fresh young vibrant herbs they had, and of course buy five of them. The neat thing about this greenery was that, they had the window boxes there, and planted my chosen herbs right there in front of me. Yes, I know my friends that are reading this are laughing right now, because I have tried this before. Friends have told me before that I don't have a green thumb, but I never listen. Every year, I get excited about having a window full of fresh herbs, and some way or another they die. Yet, I keep trying, and this year is no exception. This year my herbs are outside, so my furry feline can't have her afternoon snack, and I know not to water them profusely. So we will see how this years herb extravaganza goes. Only time will tell, Basil, Chives, Rosemary, Sage, and Parsley here we come! And on top of that I took the image above with my new simple point and shoot camera I bought this weekend. Just a simple 10mpx Nikon Coolpix, not too shabby for $130. Just add that to the never ending collection of cameras in my life.

Food is Art is Life

Well, I am back from small town America in Ohio. I went home to visit my family, and had an incredible time getting out of the city, and enjoying the long weekend. My home town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio has a large celebration for Memorial Day weekend, and my father made me promise I would come home every year to celebrate with him. It is always nice to get out of Chicago every once and a while to remember that there is grass out there, and you don't have to honk your horn if someone is moving at a slower pace than you. But while I was enjoying the life of leisure, I could not help but think about my new up coming adventure today.
I am meeting today with the CEO and Chief Creative Director of an advertising agency today. They are going to look at my book, and we will go from there. I am not expecting much, because this is a new ball game for me, which I am very excited about. If anything, it will be a great critique of my book, and now I will have a connection in a very large ad agency.
I also recently sent out a new self promo to a mixture of different ad agencies and magazines, to help promote some new fresh work. I figure it is summer time, and it is time to show them what I've got! The work isn't going to find you, you have to find it. So here goes nothing....or everything!

Food is Art is Life

My photos are in Oy! Chicago!

Well, I am officially in Oy! Chicago. They were writing an article about summer foods, and the photo editor asked me about some of my images, and BINGO! I am very excited about this, hopefully it can lead to good things to come. Check out the article at http://www.oychicago.com/article.aspx?id=3000

Food is Art is Life

Invasion of the Shutter bugs

I am not going to rant and rave today, but it has come to my attention, that I am not alone. Crain's Chicago, a business magazine just wrote an entire article discussing my aggravation on the dying dignity of my photography industry. I am incredibly concerned about the future of the quality of the photography industry. In times like these where money is tight, and magazines are closing left and right, the hacks and butchers are able to benefit by offering cheap unprofessional services. I don't know very many other industries that someone would sacrifice quality because they are tight on cash. I sure wouldn't go to a mechanic to work on my teeth because it is his hobby to floss. Think about it. The Crain's article was very interesting, (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=31715&seenIt=1 ) and it made me have a flood of many different emotions. I am currently attempting to get new work for myself, and today my new self promos should arrive in the mail. So after reading that article, I am going to work, harder, and more creatively, and hope that the silly click happy people don't ruin my future career.

Horray for May!

Well, I think it is safe to say that Spring has arrived! Chicago is hustling and bustling with Cubs games, Sox games, Bulls games, and the streets and bars are full of happy people. The past month was very rainy but, along with the rain came the flowers! The city is in full bloom of Tulips and many beautiful flowers. Everyone in the city is pouring out of their apartments, to enjoy the much needed sun. Every morning seems to be a bit brighter and warmer.
In honor of the spring a friend of mine is hosting a photo contest (http://typicalkhaos.wordpress.com/) and the theme is SPRING TIME. I plan to enter it, but I just need to come up with a strong concept. It is hard with such a broad theme, but I imagine I will come up with something. There are so many different aspects to Spring, and Chicago. Spring is one of the best times of year. We will see, what I come up with. Hopefully I win!

FOOD IS ART IS LIFE

Money buys jobs?

So I just returned from an interview for a summer side gig here in Chicago. I went to this photographer's 2 million dollar mansion for the interview. I quickly realized I was in an entirely new ball game. As I entered the home, I met his beautiful wife, and daughter that were coloring in the kitchen, celebrating and talking about Earth Day. They were very nice and precious. I proceeded to go to the studio, in the finished basement of the enormous home, just to be blown away at the sheer amount of equipment, and monstrosity of flat screen tv/monitors that this photographer called his computer. We sat down and started talking about photography equipment, and the industry, and such things, which is when I quickly realized this man had not been in the business very long by the way he was describing things, and his lack of knowledge of such things, one being medium format. Call me a snob, but I am. As our conversation proceeded, he revealed, to me that he used to be a publisher for magazines. He didn't specify, but he did mention that he worked with BMW a lot. And he has only been "playing" with photography for about a year and a half. BINGO! I win. Publisher, with a TON of money, and a TON of contacts, and a TON of expensive equipment is now getting jobs with the city of Chicago. UGH! I am obviously just venting out of jealousy right now. I am always amazed what money can buy you. I have worked with many very talented photographers, that have started with nothing and worked their way up, and that is exactly what I am doing now. And I would be lying if I said that it didn't infuriate me when I see rich people that are bored, taking jobs away from people that are working everyday of their existence to make it in this industry. I guess I can just go back to my favorite phrase...

"Everybody is a photographer, now that we have digital"

Ok, I'm done venting....we will see where this leads.

Avo Crabby Bites

I have recently been thinking about updating my photography website (www.tiffanyoneillphotography.com ) with some new fresh material. In order to do that, I have to take more pictures, so I have been. Recently, I made a new appetizer, which I am still coming up with a name for, which I am now calling Avo Crabby Bites. I just mashed up some avocado, salt, pepper, and lime, for the spread. I spread it on the cracker, and topped it off with some crab meat, and sprinkled some Old Bay seasoning on top. It was a very simple recipe, and it was a hit at the party. Something new, and delicious. I even had someone say that they were so "California", which I think is rather funny since I was raised in Ohio, and now live in Chicago. But I guess they are kinda "California".

Food is Art is Life

The HAM of the show!

Today is the first day I have had a chance to finally catch up on some of my photography from the past Bunny Foo Foo holiday. For this holiday, I invited my "Chicago Family" over for a nice brunch. The only stipulation was that everyone bring a dish, a pot luck if you will. One of my favorite things in life is to get all of my friends together, feed them, and sit back and relax while watching them all smile. This brings absolute fulfillment in to my life. Thus, this past Sunday was an incredible day. Each and everyone of my friends did their part and brought an absolutely stunning, and delicious dish. So naturally, me being the photographer, attempted to take a few pictures downstairs in the studio, while the dishes were arriving. That is until mimosas arrived, and I was thoroughly distracted by the delicious bubbly beverage, and had to put the camera down. Thank you Steven Dale. Although, I, along with all the other carnivores at the brunch would have to admit that the star of the show was Lindsey's HAM. Let me attempt to describe. Upon arrival of the 9lb, juicy, candied pineapple encrusted ham, the entire room stopped talking and proceeded to walk into the kitchen, and act like rabid wolves that have never eaten. Everyone wanted a piece, and we hadn't even started the brunch yet. Lindsey spent two different days preparing the "Martha" monstrosity. She made the incredible glaze the Saturday before, to torture herself, and her roommate with the delicious sweet aroma of cloves, pineapples, mustard, and many more delicious combinations, which she incorporated on Sunday for the baking. When you actually did get to taste the Ham, it essentially melted in your mouth. It was incredibly juicy, with large morsels of candied pineapple chunks to marry along with it. It was the best ham I have ever tasted in my life, and can't wait to have it again next year. Therefore, I dub the winner of the Brunch Lindsey's HAM.

FOOD IS ART IS LIFE

Waking up at 5am by your cat meowing in your ear is a very interesting way to open your eyes. Welcome to my world. So I figured my fuzzy feline was telling me that I had work to do and I had been lazy lately. Right, so here I am. I thought I would continue on my journey through my trip to Florida, and keep editing and correcting my images, so here is a fresh shot of the pool. One of the most beautiful pools I have ever relaxed by. I wish we had Spanish architecture in Chicago, I have decided that it is my favorite style of architecture. The warmth of the Terra Cotta shingles, with the Stucco walls, and all the little lizards running about climbing up the walls is fantastic. But then again I have a significant weak spot in my heart for the whole Spanish culture ;)...long story. But the entire apartment complex I was staying in was beautifully maintained, and I couldn't help but become a architecture photographer to a certain extent. I don't claim to be an architecture photographer, but sometimes you need to just ignore the titles, and snap the shot that inspires you. So enjoy, I think I am going to go to the studio and take some more pictures!

Food is Art is Life

Fresh from Florida

Well, I am officially back from my mini vacation to Florida. Florida was beautiful, 85* and sunny everyday! I had my camera on me the whole time, and was loving being a tourist, taking fun silly pictures of pelicans, and boats. Fun. I am considering adding a "travel" section to my website, just for fun. The more the merrier right? Ha. I figure, if someone wants me to go to a beautiful place and take pictures, and pay me on top of it, WHY NOT! With all that being said, it snowed in Chicago yesterday...Lame. But I believe that it has all melted in one days time, so in my mind, it never happened. So I figured I would provide you with some of my sunny pictures to inspire more spring thoughts!

And on top of that I am having a print sale, 20 % off entire order. Just enter the coupon code: SPRING at check out. Sale is going until May 1st, and the coupon is a one time use, so use it wisely!

FOOD IS ART IS LIFE

RAW

As I am sitting in O'hare airport in chicago happily people watching, I read a rather interesting article in the new issue of PDN. The article discussed Bon Apetit magazine's new appoach to photography. They have started styling less and usibg a much mre raw look to the photography. I think the photography is inteesting and I understand the idea. Bon apetit said that theuy are doing tthis to get new readers and to attempt tpo be different. The most interesting part of the article was they admitted that they were hiring potait photographers to do the shoots. They noted many of the photographers were very hesitent to do the shoots, but eventually gave in. So my questiom is, do I start marketing myself as an "anything" photographer and create mediocre images and not really concentrate and hone and perfect my skill? Is that what Bon Apetit is indirectly saying. Should I start shooting my portraits with out a hair/make up/wardrobe stylist and call it "raw and a new look", instead of really saying what it is....the economy sucks and everyone is cutting budgets?

I think I will be RAW and say it how it is.

St. Patrick's Day Spirit

Irish Diplomacy~
The ability to tell a man to go to hell so he'll look forward to making the trip.

Stuffed French Toast

As I sit at my kitchen table "office" I can't help but finally breathe a sigh of relief. I am surrounded by my new food and wine mag, a dish of fresh strawberries, and a delicious cup of French Vanilla coffee editing photos. A great way to start my day. But in all honesty, I haven't been sighing many reliefs, lately. We are all apart of these tough times right now, and I have been watching and experiencing my photography career slowly diminish. I have not been in this industry very long, meaning I don't have a healthy bank account to keep me afloat for many months of NO work. Since November, my assisting career has been slipping. Recently, my main client Pettersen Associates, a catalog house in the West Loop closed its doors after 30 years of being in business. That was incredibly hard on me, financially, and emotionally. I never thought they would be part of this crisis. So needless to say, after that, I took a step back, and reevaluated my situation. I knew I had to do something fast to keep my bills paid, because let's just say, the people that were calling my phone were NOT clients, or my friends, if you know what I mean. As of February, I officially became a photographer during the day, and a bartender at night. This adaptation of my career path is natural to me. Bartending has always been my fall back career, it is fun, and quick money. I am not happy about having to do this, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I am working on restructuring my career in the photography industry. I am working on a new self promo, and believe it is time I spread my wings as a far as they can go, and see what happens. Only time will tell....

But on a lighter note one of my best friends from my childhood came to visit me last weekend, and of course we HAD to have Stuffed French Toast and Mimosas! I love Stuffed French Toast, it makes me feel fancy and it tastes delicious. This recipe can be adapted with any kind of fresh fruit, I only ask that you always use fresh fruit. Make it seasonal, the more combinations the better. Enjoy!!!

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
serves 4

8 slices of Challah Bread
1 Tub Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Pint Strawberries (sliced)
1 Pint Blueberries
4 Lg. Eggs
3 T Milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

1. Spread each slice of Challah Bread with a layer of cream cheese, evenly distributing the entire tub between all pieces of bread.

2. Place as many strawberries, and blueberries on 4 of the slices of bread. You are essentially making a berry and cream cheese sandwich.

3. Place remaining slices of bread on top of berry slices.

4. In a deep place mix the eggs, vanilla, milk, cinnamon and sugar together.

5. Heat skillet over medium heat, and grease according to your preference using cooking spray or butter.

6. Dip each "sandwich" in egg mixture and add to warm skillet immediately. Toast until golden brown on both sides. Aprox, 5 min a side.

7. EAT with powdered sugar and syrup and ENJOY!

FOOD IS ART IS LIFE

The never ending Valentines Day cookies

Happy Belated Valentines Day!!!
Being the silly romantic that I tend to be on occasion, I decided that I would make valentines day cookies for my sweetie. Not to mention I couldn't afford to buy fancy ones. Let me tell you about this adventure. I started with a very simple recipe for the dough involving the simple flour, egg, butter, sugar combo, which I quickly and later regret, TRIPLED. I lost my mind, and thought that if I was going to be romantic, I was going to be 100 cookie romantic. HA! What an idea. So a few hours later, after I had dough coming out of every corner of my kitchen, I stopped making dough and enlisted some extra helping hands. I called two of my best buds, Adam and Andrew, who both were looking for something cute to do for their sweeties, so naturally they turned to me to make cookies. We started baking these cookies with the X O and HEART shaped cookie cutters I got at the $1 store around 7pm. After the Adam the engineer over analyzed the depth and consistency of rolling out the dough, we were on a roll. While the boys were rolling and baking, I was mixing frosting, and getting the sprinkles in order. I had no idea what a test of attention span this was going to take. Keep in mind, there were sports on the television, and I had to keep reeling the boys back in, saying things like, "Tiffany's is really expensive, COME BAKE COOKIES!". So after the 274 cookies were finally baked, we had to move on to icing. Clearly the most entertaining aspect of the night. The boys quickly made it a competition on different combinations of colors/sprinkles they had on their cookies. Very entertaining, it must be the sports thing in them. It only took us until about 11pm to finally finish frosting the cookies, and the last hour, I was the only one frosting, because Adam was on the phone with his long distance girlfriend, and Andrew just told me he was "over it". Needless to say this was an experience! And now I am a few days out of Valentines Day, still eating cookies! My sweetie really appreciated them, but didn't want 75 of them. So now I eat and take pictures. And maybe next year I will save a few dollars to buy cookies!

Food is Art is Life

Print Sale!

Tiffany O'Neill Photography is officially for sale on the web! I have been approached many times by people interested in purchasing prints of my personal work, and I have always wanted an easy way for them to purchase them. Now they can! I am working with another company that is ordering and shipping the prints for me for a simple price. The cool thing about the company I am working with is that they are using my favorite printer. The prints are absolutely beautiful! I have created a website page through this company, and you can find it at....

www.tiffanyoneillphotography.zenfolio.com.

My website for my work, now has a page that can direct you to the store also. I am very excited about this new adventure for my business. I have always been interested in selling my images. I believe that if you make art, you should share it. So now I am.

Please go to the website, and check it out, I will be constantly adding more images and providing coupons, and promotions.

Food is Art is Life

Artichoke Spinach Dip.

My culinary mentor was a man named Flanny. He was a large, bald, diabetic, Irish man. Flanny was the chef that took me under his wing, and taught me almost everything I know about the culinary world. I worked with him in a kitchen that specialized in different kinds of game, we made Elk, Veal, Bison, Venison, any kind of game you could imagine. I worked with him for years, and when I go home to Ohio, I have to go to the restaurant and visit him. He is an incredible man, and I owe this recipe to him.

I am going to share my (Flanny's) Artichoke dip recipe. Every time I make this dip, it is a hit of the party. It is not the most typical Artichoke dip, that you normally see at parties. I add a few different things into it, and I don't puree the ingredients. I like to see and feel what I am eating. I used to have to make bin after bin of this dip at the restaurant I worked at. On a daily basis, I would be up to my elbows in this dip, it was that popular. I add crab to it sometimes, or spinach, it all depends on my mood, and my budget. But I typically make the artichoke the star of the show, because they are so buttery and delicious. I really believe they give a very distinct taste, that is unachievable by any other ingredient. Along with the Artichokes, DO NOT leave out the Cumin. The cumin is the spice that everybody will be asking you at your party, saying "what is that deep flavor in the end". I typically don't tell people, ha, it is my secret (not so much anymore) ingredient.

So here is my extra special Artichoke dip...


ARTICHOKE DIP

Ingredients.
1 cup Mayo
1 cup Sour Cream
1t. Cumin
1t. Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 small yellow onion
1 Can Artichoke Hearts
1 box frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Handful of Breadcrumbs.

Process.
1. Mix Sour Cream, May, Cumin, Onion Powder, and Salt and Pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Chop kinda small, the onion, add to the Mayo mix.
3. Chop the Red Bell Pepper in small pieces. Place Red Bell Peppers in a paper towel and squeeze the juices out. You don't want the dip to be too soupy. Add to mix.
4. Chop Artichokes, not too small, make them the star! Add to the mix.
5. Thaw frozen Spinach, and ring out in towel, add to the mix.
6. Add Parmesan Cheese, and mix everything together.
7. Place in oven proof dish, add Breadcrumbs on top. Place in preheated oven at 350' for 15 minutes, or until bubbly.
8. Add Chips, Pitas, veggies, Serve. Enjoy!

I promise you, you will be the hit of the party if you take this dip with you.

FOOD IS ART IS LIFE

Holga

When I was in college, almost every year our professors would challenge us and get us away from the expensive equipment, and tell us to make a strong image with a $15 toy camera. This was always one of my favorite assignments. My favorite toy camera is the Holga. It literally is a plastic camera, but the cool thing about it is, that it takes medium format film. Yes. Film. The entire back of the camera comes off to insert the film, and in doing that it sometimes has light leaks, which create cool effects on your images. This camera is also awesome because it is all totally manual. You can forward the film yourself, which really means that you can do panoramic images, double exposures, and whatever your silly mind can think of. I could seriously talk for hours about this camera. I used to work in a camera store, and a co worker of mine called me the "Holga girl" because whenever I sold one, I would talk forever to the customer about it. I almost always keep my Holga in my purse, when my friends aren't borrowing it, and the image above is a recent image I took in my kitchen when I was cooking. I got some really fun images out of the few rolls of film I took.

Recently, I have noticed that it is "hip" to be a photographer. I know it is "hip", I am a self proclaimed awesome "hip" photographer. Insert sly ego comment here... All in all though, I have noticed that these toy cameras are being sold in clothing stores, that are marketing to the hipster, indie, too cool for school generation. The funniest part about it, these stores are selling these cameras, literally for 7x the normal cost. I think it is silly, but at the same time, I wish I was that smart to up sell my stuff. Odd.

I think I will stick to my $15 camera, and my own "hip" creativity.

Food is Art is Life

From my head down to my legs...I love Eggs.

I typically do not have a very strict schedule in the mornings. Although, when it comes to the weekends, I do try to always have at least one, if not two morning meals. My favorite breakfast delight is simple with my eggs over easy, there needs to be bacon involved, a sort of bread for dipping, and my favorite breakfast potatoes. I could eat that breakfast everyday without a problem. Although my mornings tend to be ever changing, so I do not get to indulge as often as dreamed. But eggs are such a staple in the culinary world, they are used for baking, frying, scrambling, deviling, poaching, pretty much everything. I am always impressed when I am shown a different way of approaching the egg.
I am constantly surrounded by people who are intrigued about food, and want to share new things with me. One of my best friends, recently was on the quest for the best deviled egg recipe, and she nailed it! Yum. Another wanted to have a scramble, a Tofu scramble, sans egg. But that was still delicious. A very unique one is going to be the recipe I share today. It is a super simple Salsa Egg.


Sexy Salsa Eggs.
Ingredients.
2 eggs
1 cup. Salsa (any variety...verde..mild..hot.)

Directions.

1. Use a non stick saute pan, and pour the salsa in the pan, over medium heat. Let it warm up.
2. Crack eggs directly on top of salsa. As if you were going to fry the egg on top. Cover the pan, and let it cook. By covering it, it will essentially steam the egg, to leave you with a nicely cooked spicy egg.
3. Eat!



A friend of mine showed me how to do this, and I was very impressed by the different technique. By cooking the egg in the salsa, it adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the egg, and the entire meal. You could add some tortilla chips on the side, and maybe an avocado on top. That is the fun in cooking, make it your own!

Food is Art is Life

Animal Food???

Some people say that I talk to my cat Kaedella too much. I tend to agree with them, but I believe it comes with the self employed studio at my apartment territory. I am absolutely fine with my relationship with my cat, I saved her life...and she is slowly saving mine, by listening to me. Which gets me to my point of this entry. I have often heard that people tend to look, act, and relate to their animals. If that is the case, I am a tired, multi colored, crazy, bitchy, passionate, stubborn, loyal person. So be it. So I decided to make a photo project out of animals, people, and food. Starting with my Kaedella, who tends to not like her picture taken. I figure I will photograph the animal, the owner, and the typical foods that coincide. Combining all my favorite things in life.

Chicago is a very animal friendly city. Every where you look you see a cat in the window, a dog playing in the park, and the occasional unique animal. So I am now on a mission to capture the animal and the owner. I think it could lead to a fun exploration of Chicago, and her pets.

Test Shoot

Recently I have been playing in the studio, doing test shoots to fill up my time. I went to my favorite produce market Stanley's the other day and saw that they had some White Asparagus. So I figured, that could be a fun challenge. And a challenge it was! Turns out the thought of photographing white asparagus sounds like a good idea, but it is white, which makes it hard to make it interesting with contrast and what not. So I added some other elements, like some wild rice, and a cutting board under, to add some more texture and color. So here is the final product.

Inspiration.

Recently, I have been overwhelmed with events that have completely inspired me. For starters, I have never felt so hopeful and inspired by a presidential inauguration than this one today. For my entire life, I have been immersed in politics, through my father. I begrudgingly would help his judicial campaign after campaign, but this past year his congressional campaign was different. I really enjoyed being apart of what was happening in our country, and I still do. I can't wait for what is to come for our country. Horray! New President Obama!

Another recent inspiration I witnessed was my brother. My brother called me a few weeks ago telling me that he was going to be in Ft. Wayne Indiana for a basketball tournament. So, me, being the best sister in the world went to Indiana to see the tournament. My brother is part of the Wheelchair Cleveland Cavalier basketball team, and it was absolutely inspirational. I have seen my brother play basketball before, but at this game, he made his first basket, and I was there taking pictures. It is fun! I am always amazed by what people can accomplish when they put their minds to it. My brother makes me smile, and motivates and inspires me on a daily basis. It was only two years ago that he had his dirt biking accident that left him paralyzed, and he is out there every day working, and exploring new adventures.

So today is about inspiration. We learn, we grow, and we stand up, brush ourselves off, and try again.

Food is Art is Life

Spring is on my mind.

Remember when it was warm outside? Remember meeting friends after work at your favorite watering hole, to sit and sip on the sidewalk, or in the beer garden? Yea me too, I was thinking about spring at the same time I was thinking that 24 degrees was warm. It has been a hard and cold winter! While I was thinking of my new self promo, all I could think of was spring. So, I figure, I should attempt to get people excited about warm weather. I don't think it will be hard, I know there are many people here that were ready for Spring when the first snow flakes fell.

Work has been a bit slow for me lately, so I have decided to dive head first into my studio. Cook...shoot...conceptualize....shoot....continue on.

My girlfriend also told me today, that I have stopped posting recipes, and she is right. I have been a bit behind on cooking lately, so I will make something delicious in honor of Mary, and have a juicy recipe in the close future. It may not be Vegan though Mary...but we will see.

Oh yea! On a side note, My alma mater Ohio University, is none only than Barack Obama's new white house photographer's former employer. I am rather proud to say that I went to the same school, as Pete Souza was teaching at. Granted, he was not my professor, but we know whats up...that's all that I am saying :P OU...Oh Yea!

Food is Art is Life

I officially have a studio!

The new equipment has arrived in full, and is all set up in the basement of my building! (Shhh don't tell my landlord) But my new camera, shooting table, lights, softboxes...and everything are ready to play. I haven't felt this motivated, and inspired in a while. I immediately ran to my kitchen, and put together a mini photo shoot. Clearly, I still have some leftover Christmas things, so my shoot was of some Mint Hot Cocoa. It is still winter, and in the latest issue of Food and Wine, they had an entire section on Hot Cocoa. I think it is great, it is snowy and cold outside, so lets stay warm with Cocoa.

I am excited, motivated and inspired...be expecting more images to come!

Food is Art is Life

2009 is on my side!

Today is a great day. I just got home from a very successful interview at a wedding studio, to get some new fresh side work. I believe that it went well...and I may have my foot in the door. They are checking my background, so I figure that is a good sign. I also had a fabulous time helping on a photo shoot with a very talented photographer that I respect and look up to last night. She is doing a new project with Burlesque dancers, and everyday things. It was really fun! I also got my reciept for my new studio lights in the mail today, so that means they are close behind. Horray! I am so excited for the new year....new adventures....new happiness!

Food is Art is Life

2009 is Here to stay!

Happy New Year to all! 2008 was a year to remember in the photography world. This past year challenged every single photographer, not to mention everybody else. I have made some investments into some new equipment, and I have decided "to go big, or go home". Incredibly cliche, but I am going to keep moving forward. To start the new year, I am going to have a print sale....so keep your eyes peeled. Details to follow soon!