Life in the Fair Household

Elyse: Where did these weird scratches on the floor come from

Ryan: Dang…I think that it will buff out, though….

A Week later:

Elyse: I got the scratches out of the floor, you were right, they were just on the surface.

Ryan: Oh, good. I think I might know where they came from.

Elyse: Really, what?

Ryan: The other day I was doing the moonwalk in my new shoes.

Apparently his new shoes are very slick, and condusive for doing the moonwalk. I think he was probably showing Pete.

I love you sweetie, you always make life fun.

New post on the pro-blog, www.elyfairphotos.com/blog

Dry Eyes

We have the best friends in the world. And all over the world! Recently, our friends Ben and Lindsay moved to Portland, and we have enjoyed hearing adventures of peacocks living in their neighborhood, and trips to Forks, WA to take the Twilight tour (yeah...jealous).  Yesterday, I received a package from Lindsay in the mail, containing these puppies:

That's right folks, certified Onion goggles. Specifically designed to keep your eyes high and dry while slicing through the layers of those tricky onions. They're like a mix between safety glasses, and ski goggles, encasing your eyes. Holla!

Lindsay and I both share the love of Tortilla Soup, but whenever I make it, I am always handicapped by the cutting of the onions. But not anymore! I used them tonight, and they worked like a charm. I'm not going to lie, I have been known to sport my swimming goggles while chopping, but I think that these have decreased the chance of a severed finger in my kitchen.

(the onions view. mu haha)

Thank you, Lindsay, I miss you guys so much.

In celebration of good friends and fall weather, here is the Tortilla soup recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. butter
• 4 cups diced tomatoes
• 1.5 cup yellow onion
• 2 Tbl cumin
• 1.5 Tbl salt
• 1 Tbl garlic
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 gallon chicken broth
• 4 cup cooked, pulled chicken breast

Instructions:

1. Saute onions & butter in a large sauce pan until onions start to clear
2. Add all of the other ingredients excluding the both and chicken, and saute for 3 minutes
3. Meanwhile, put broth and chicken in stock pot
4. Add the sautéed mixture to stock pot
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and serve with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips

Wal-ah, happy cooking!

Family Session

I just posted some pics from my latest family session on the new blog, www.elyfairphotos.com/blog. Lara, Bryan and Geneva were a lot of fun, even on (what I am convinced) was the coldest day of fall so far! Because of that, it made me think of a photo tip that I wanted to share with you. I know I haven't done these in a while, I'm sorry.

Photo Tip # I can't remember: I always grumble when it is rainy or cold, because it makes my job difficult. But, on the other hand,  it is good because it makes me think outside the box. I love outside shots, but the shot below is one of my favorite, and it came from the need to warm up! We stopped in after our first location to grab a cup of coffee, and the local proved to be a good spot to snap a couple shots. Shooting inside can be frustrating sometimes because you can't get as much light as outside (duh, but there was no other way to say it).

All that to say, here is my photo tip. This one is specifically for those of you who have an slr camera. Next time you are in a situation where there is not enough light to take a photo with out the flash, play with your ISO. In film, ISO means how sensitive the film is to light. Essentially, it is the same thing in digital, but it effects the image sensor. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive it is to light, so it will allow you to take photos in sitiuations where there isn't as much light. "Well, Elyse, why wouldn't you just keep it at the highest number all the time then??" Good question. There is a trade off for quality. A higher ISO will produce a more 'grainy image,' not as sharp, especially when blown up. A middle of the range ISO is 400, and gives you a pretty crisp image, but still allows for room in your exposure.

So, break out your manuals and play with the ISO settings. You might be surprised with the results!

For those of you who haven't made the leap to the new blog yet...

I've decided to keep this guy around. I think I want something that I can be a little more personal with, and share tips and life with :)

So, with sharing tips, one of my favorite new blogs to read is The Savvy Photographer. I love the tips they share, and the interviews that they do. I feel like I've learned a lot, and it directs me to a lot of resources. And, they do giveaways! So if you're interested in learning more about photography, hop on over there and let the learning begin!

Busy Little Bee

I guys, I know I’ve been a little MIA lately, buuuuttt I’ve been working on getting my NEW BLOG set up. Bigger pictures, better quality, good all around for all of us. I hope you will continue to follow me! I’m a big fan of google reader, have you used it before? It’s an RSS feed, so it automatically updates you when your favorite bloggers post something new.

The new blog name is www.elyfairphotos.com/blog. So buzz over there and take a look at what I’ve been up to lately.