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Saturday, January 30, 2010 Holy Cow! ![]() I follow the Farm on Facebook and Twitter, and decided it was about time I visited the place that Udder Delights comes from. And also? I've never actually met a cow before. They give tours twice on Saturday, so we ran over there this morning at 10am, paid our couple bucks, then were sent in back to meet the 'babies'. They have an area with 'rescued' animals where you are welcome and encouraged to pet and feed these guys. They have bunnies, chickens (I held one!), goats, a sheep, a tiny donkey, two horses (one is 32 years old. THIRTY TWO! that's unheard of. the other horse was 'rescued' from riding lessons because he kept falling asleep with kids on his back. ha!), and two BABY COWS. Babies! We'll get to them later. When the tour started, we took a hayride around the farm, and the official farm dog, Toby, jumped right up on the trailer and right into my lap. I think he was tired from Ryan throwing the stick for him so much earlier. When he got tired of me, he moved on to ryan. ![]() We got to see all the cow pens on our tour. The cows are all separated by how pregnant they are (yes, just like humans, milk cows must have babies to produce milk). There's the normal prego areas, the 'vacation' areas (they're due in a few weeks and need a little break), and the maternity area. The maternity area is a little more comfy with a soft bed for them to lay on, and their only job is to become mommy cows. Superstition Farm has about 5 calves born a day, and one was born about an hour before we went through!! ![]() Listen, these cows are treated really well. They are milked two times a day (for which they automatically line up because they're so anxious to get rid of the weight in their udders) and they are bathed two times a day. When they are being milked, their 'homes' are being tended to, including removing manure, which is given to nearby farms to be used. We were really impressed with the fact that Superstition Farm works with local producers to use 'recycled' food for these ladies. They eat the wheat bi-product from a pasta plant on the West side of town mixed with cotton seeds left over from nearby cotton fields. And hay of course. On to the stars of the show... These two little guys haven't been shipped off to the 'nursery' farm to be bottle fed until they get older because these two are special. This little brown guy is a boy Jersey. Jerseys are smaller and make less milk, BUT the milk they produce is higher in milk fat content. Translation: yummier. ![]() And this little girl, she's here because the owner of Udder Delights thinks her mommy produces the best cream for ice cream. She's a special little girl, and at only a week old she's just getting used to all the attention. ![]() Both these babies are still drinking off the bottle and when they're thirsty, they'll suck on your finger.... or anything else they can find. ![]() If you live in the valley, I cannot more strongly recommend that you visit this amazing little farm. It'll change the way you think about the food you eat, and it'll show you why supporting your local farmers is so important. Oh, and also? Superstition Farm sells cheese (of all sorts), milk, butter and any other thing you can think of right in their store. AND, farm fresh eggs. I can tell you, there's nothing in the world like farm fresh eggs. Oh, and the Farm supports other local guys too. Ryan and I bought a container of Farmer John Milton's salsa and I'm not ashamed to say that we ate that whole freaking thing as soon as we got home, and we're still trying to figure out what the magic ingredient in this stuff is. Salsa crack I tell you... ![]() *Note: if you live in AZ, make sure you buy Shamrock or Lucerene (at Safeway) to ensure your milk is local and fresh. Also, did you know that on average the eggs you buy in the store are already about 30 days old? And they've had the protective layer of 'stuff' removed from the outside to make them look prettier? Buy local. Buy fresh. The end. Thursday, January 28, 2010 Big News! I've also been pretty busy in my personal life as well. Ryan and I took our first cruise in December. Oh boy. It may have been our last. And right after the New Year I took a solo trip to visit my family in Florida. Of course it was during the coldest cold-snap they've ever had. Of course I took my camera along with me on both of these trips, so I'll be sharing some of those pictures soon. And now on to the big news! Drum roll please.... First, Nemec Photography won a Bride's Choice Award from WeddingWire.com! I can't believe it! I am so honored and overwhelmed. And it's all thanks to my amazing brides and grooms. I've loved working with all of them, and it means a lot that they loved working with me too! My second big news is that one of my photos was featured on a national TV show! Little Susie, who's session was back in the fall, was on Lifetime with her parents, and they chose to use one of the photos I took to introduce her. Isn't that amazing? You can watch the video here (go to this Sunday's show and click on the video for "Loving a Child with Epilepsy"). ![]() Thanks for checking in with me! Happy 2010. I have a good feeling about this year. Labels: photography awards Saturday, January 23, 2010 Cruisin' Ryan and I took our very first cruise in December. We decided on a short one to see if we liked it. Here's the mistakes we made: 1) Picking Carnival Cruiseline, 2) Thinking we might get over our "we are NOT cruise people" attitude. We took the 4 night cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada with a whole 'fun day' at sea. It was equal parts "um, which lame activity should we force ourselves to do next" and "this food is terrible! but we have to eat..." and "omg, I am SO SEASICK!". Ok, that's a lot of quotation marks, and a lot of negatives. But look at how happy we were when we first got on the boat! ![]() And look! Life jacket! ![]() We don't have many pictures of the first night or the Fun Day at Sea because, again, SEASICK. (side note: found out after the fact that Carnival is the worst offender of SAYING they have stabilizers, but they don't actually USE them because it uses too much precious fuel) Walking down the hallways you could look ahead of you and see people fighting to walk a straight line. It didn't help that I was stupid enough to believe that the inside cabin was the best for seasickness. Seasickness + claustrophobia. Ugh. But look! Cute towel animals! ![]() First stop: Catalina. We got downstairs as soon as the tender boats started running, thinking it was going to be a stampede to get off the boat. Huh. No one here. Cruise lovers are so interesting! It really seemed like more stayed on the boat then got off. Anyway... we got to the island and rented at golf cart. This was a really good idea because we got to speed around at our own pace, and the views were gorgeous. ![]() Ha! I couldn't resist. I was so excited to see a deer that I didn't realize he was pooing until after I took the picture. The best part of Catalina (besides the absence of rocking under our feet) was walking through the town looking at the houses. They are adorable! And the people seem to really like it there. When we got back on the boat, we decided the best course of action to fight the rocking was... Ensenada was the next day and we booked an excursion. Horseback riding. I've only been once and I was about 10 years old. So yeah, I was nervous, but excited to try something new. Until I met this: The horse from hell. First off, this horse HATED Ryan's horse. Our horses got into a biting fight with us on them when we were posing for the traditional "Yay we're horseback riding!" picture in front of a giant wagon wheel. Then we get going and it takes no time at all to figure out that my horse used to be the leader of the pack, but now he's been relegated, with me on his back, to second from last. He was PISSED. And oh did he love to take off and run through tall, mean desert bushes. For two hours he did his best to make a run for the border with me attached and the trail guides flanking us from either side. Ensenada itself is fine. Predictibly lots of beer and tequila. THAT is a sport I'm good at. So that's it. Sad, huh? Do I sound like a spoiled brat? Truthfully it wasn't fair to this particular trip that our last big trip was the most amazing ever. The cruise didn't have a chance. But really, if I'd JUST had good food, or a stabilized boat, or less sugar-loaded kids running through the adults' only area.... But let's be honest, I could always have fun with this man, no matter where we are. ![]() Wednesday, December 02, 2009 Gift ideas for your photographer - 50mm lens. If you have a cropped body camera (vs. a full frame), then the 50mm is perfect lens for portrait work. I survived on my 50mm f/1.4 on my D200. Note though: now that I've got the full-frame, the 85mm works better for portraits. Here's why. Oh, and if you can't afford the 1.4, you won't be sorry with a f/1.8! - Gorillapods are so cool, and they make them in all sizes. Whether you've got a point-and-shoot, or a heavy SLR, there's a Gorillapod for you. Great for if you're horrible about getting pictures with YOU in them. Set the camera on the timer on the Gorillapod anywhere. - A good sturdy tripod is a must for any photographer. - A nice camera bag or backpack is an idea, but if you've got a photographer who loves to change lenses, I don't know how I'd live without my Shootsac. The covers are interchangeable so it's like having a new bag all the time! And the neoprene bag is great at protecting lenses. They've got a big sale running right now. - Every SLR guy or gal should have an external flash with some sort of diffuser on it. For Nikon users, you'll be plenty happy with the SB600 and Canon folk, try a Speedlight. - Books on photography are great presents. I like books that show the exposure details of each photo (aperture and shutter speed). - I'm very happy with my subscription of Popular Photography. The gift that gives every month! - Photoshop Elements is a great starter program to use, and it's pretty affordable. Full-fledge Photoshop is about $600, and if you've got the cash, it's the way to go. - If your photographer already has Photoshop, how about a set of Actions. My favorite is Totally Rad Actions. - A great stocking stuffer is a rocket air blower for leaning lenses and a quick fix for sensor cleaning. - Why use the lame-o camera strap that advertises what kind of camera you have when you can have a strap that has some personality. I love these and these, but there's tons of straps out there. - A UV filter is another great stocking stuffer. I keep one on each of my lens to protect them. Check out the specific lens filter size for their lenses. It is a whole lot cheaper to replace a filter then a lens! - I have a digital photo frame that I love. - Everyone could use more memory! Get them a memory card. - And now that they have so much memory for all their pictures, how about an external hard drive to store them. Costco usually has them at a reasonable price. Leave your ideas in the comments. Maybe you can help MY husband with some gift ideas! Sunday, November 22, 2009 Amanda Nemec - Photography 'Teacher' ![]() (taken by my 'student' Alyssa Olson, who I also share a cube with at work) We had a GREAT time in the workshop yesterday! My students came ready to learn, and their spouses came ready to be photographed. I figured this way, we'd all learn, AND everyone would get some good photos of themselves. Here's a few I took along the way: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I'd love to do this again sometime. I like that it wasn't really anything formal. I came with a few talking points, but they came with lots of questions. Then I broke them off into groups and had them practice on each other. I saw a few lightbulbs going off yesterday, so I think everyone got something out of it. ![]() ![]() Oh, and they bought me beer and a chimichanga as 'payment'. Sweet! Today I did 2 photo sessions already, and they couldn't have been more different! The first was a family I've known forever, in fact I grew up living across the street from them. Their girls are all grown up with families of their own, and this large group was a challenge at 9am when the light was really giving me problems. Darn that Arizona sun! I'd give up my favorite lens for an occasional cloudy day! This session was a tad nerve-wracking because John, the dad, is a great photographer and I was so honored they asked me to take their family photo. But also, Janet, the mom, was a dear friend of my mother's. I'm so lucky that so many of my mom's friends keep in touch, and Janet is just such a special part of my life... ![]() Right after that I met with this little family. Funny, small world story here. This mom's mother babysat me when I was in preschool and elementary school. This was the house I got sent to in the hopes I'd rub on Lori and her sister Lisa when they had the chickenpox so I'd get it. Didn't work! But, Lori's a MOM now, which makes me feel super old. And her hubby Josh was friends with my brother in high school. ![]() Thanks everyone from my workshop for making it so fun, and thanks to both of my great families today for braving the frequent location changes in the search of scarce AZ shade.
Saturday, November 21, 2009 Photography 101: Outdoor Flash But, today I'm taking a break from photo jobs, and I'm holding a mini workshop for some of my friends on people photography. I like to think of it as me 'hosting' the workshop, because really, I'm hoping it's going to be more of a discussion and practice session. I can always learn too, and I hope we all learn something today. One of the things I've been asked to lead a discussion on today is outdoor flash for portrait photography. I almost always do sessions completely using available light, and where needed reflectors. I spend a lot of time during sessions looking for natural reflectors as well (light colored walls, the gorgeous desert ground in Papago...). But, I do know that a lot of photographers depend on flash, even for outdoor photos, and in Arizona where our sun is so harsh, this is a necessary skill. So to prepare for my discussion, I just went out on my back porch where Mika was sunning herself and snapped a few photos for reference. Let's start with the 'before': ![]() This photo has a few good things going on for it. First, you can see I've kept her face in shadow and used the sun as rim lighting. I've also set my camera to manual so I can have more control over the exposure for her, and I still kept the background from getting blown out (although it is partial shade on that wall behind her, so not the best example). BUT, she's got horrible shadows on her face. This is the 'raccoon eye' effect you get when you take a picture of someone outside in the middle of the day. Not attractive at all. ![]() Well now, aren't you looking pretty! You can see a complete change between this picture and the last. In this one I've put my camera in 'manual' mode and exposed so that the background was a tad darker then if it were the subject. This helps make my puppy 'pop'. Then I used a flash (SB600 for my Nikon with a Gary Fong 'cloud' diffuser) to expose Mika. Doesn't she look much prettier in this picture? And you can see, I've actually got TWO light sources that I'm taking advantage of: the flash to expose her face correctly, and sun which is providing some very nice backlighting. Voila! You can practice this yourself at home if you have an external flash by making your own dog sit with her back to the sun, or you can always set up a stuffed animal on a chair. One more thing to remember: I sat myself in the shade so I wouldn't have to contend with sun flare, but you can definitely use a lens hood as well. I was just too lazy to go find mine. (although you can see a tiny bit of flare snuck into the second picture, and that's not necessarily a bad thing!) If you have any people (or dog!) photography questions, I'd love to hear from you!
Sunday, November 08, 2009 Weekend Off - with pics ![]() (this was taken by a stranger who may have left drool marks on my new D700. good thing I brought business cards! they were looking for a wedding photographer for their son.) Yesterday we took the doggies up to Sedona to hike the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. It's one of my favorite hikes in Arizona and we haven't done it in years. Bonus: the leaves are changing! Yes, we do get changing colors in the Fall in Arizona. You just have to search them out. Luckily we found some. ![]() ![]() We did about a 2.5 hour hike and were pooped out by the end. We were thrilled to find a bar and grill with a lovely patio to have a late lunch and an Oak Creek Amber to replenish our fluids. ![]() (hand-held, btw, at 1/20s) We took Schnebly Hill Road to get home (it's a dirt road that the Jeep touristy companies take) and check out our view from the top: Overall, an awesome day with my family. Much needed. And another bonus: no photo gigs this morning so we got to sleep in! And watch cartoons... I've got a few weekends in December open if anyone is still considering family photos. My turnaround is about 3 days, so you still have plenty of time to get photos taken for holiday cards. Contact me if you're interested! www.nemecphotos.com |
about me
About Me
I'm Amanda. I'm an engineer in an industry full of men, a professional wedding and family portrait photographer, a firefighter's wife, a traveler, and a dogMa. daily reads flickr blogger archives |