Fall in Florida

Because there are no big piles of red and orange leaves to jump into, there aren't many signs that it's Fall in Florida. It's still between 80 and 90 degrees most days, with just a tease of cooler daytime 70s weather here and there. But it's pretty much still green and hot.

Florida is one of the few states in the US that stays green. There are a few trees that drop their leaves, but I dream of the gorgeous golds and reds that so many states enjoy.

We have pumpkins! hahaha That's pretty much the only blankets of orange a Floridian sees in the Fall, and even those are only around for about a month. For Thanksgiving, homes are adorned with faux Fall foliage and warm-toned table runners. We light pumpkin-scented candles to complete the mood, but it still falls short of the traditional Fall that most in N. America enjoy.

Nevertheless, I'm determined to faux-Fall it up with hay, pumpkins and faux "turned" leaves!

Here is one of my latest shoots. Notice all the green! lol

But I must say Fall, like all of the non-seasons in Florida is simply beautiful. And this warm and beautiful family was such a pleasure to photograph with the faux-Fall scene. :-)

Happy Fall, all!

xo
jbnewcomb<3

Showcasing Sarasota's Beauties

Everyone deserves to feel beautiful.

When I was a teenager, I wanted so badly to feel beautiful. This desire, mixed with the desire for a boy to notice me, was a driving force in practicing self-portraits. I became a master at posing. I'm what I like to refer to as, "The Perpetual Smiler". My poses are flawless. hahaha What I mean is that I have practiced posing so much that my body naturally moves into the perfect position and I look almost exactly the same in every photograph someone shoots of me. And I feel beautiful.

Not every woman grew up obsessing quite as much as I did, and yet they want to feel beautiful. They deserve to feel beautiful. And I adore capturing their best angles, showcasing their beauty like never before. And I'm pretty darn good at it. *toot toot*

That is why I gravitate toward headshot photography. It's so rewarding to know how happy I make my clients when they see their shots for the first time.

Here is one of my latest beauties I was honored to photograph.

Simply gorgeous!

xo
jbnewcomb<3

Love is Intoxicating!

I just love love. My friends laugh and occasionally tease me for being such a romantic. But is there any other reason for living than love?! Of course, I don't think so!

Here is one of my favorite couples. They're so adorable together!

Jack and Kassandra, your love is palpable. I adore you both, and I'm so happy you reunited after all these years.

xo
jbnewcomb<3

The Happiness Diet

Warning: contains some crazilicious theories on dieting. :-P

Baking is dangerous! Or so you'd think! Honestly, I swear I've lost weight since I've been eating a pound of butter a week. Unbelievable, I know. But hear me out. I've got a theory. And maybe a revolutionary diet bubbling to the surface! lol

I love to cook meals, but the love I have for the baking process makes my love for cooking seem like a tolerance! I've never felt as good cooking an entree for my family as I do baking a decadent layered chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting or delightfully scrumptious sour cream scones. The cake and scones take twice as long as most dinners, but somehow I enjoy it more. I know there's something so satisfying and delicious at the end of that long process. And the smiles and the "oooh...mmmmm...uhhh this is the best!" is the inevitable reaction from my family, and of course Moi!

So here's my theory as to why I feel less puffy after eating such forbidden foods!

* I'm not buying these naughty treats from a store, so it's all 100% pure food! My body recognizes it as food instead of half chemicals and industrial products, and it says, "yeah, I know exactly what to do with this," and that "something" is not to add it to my thighs!

* Baking is just plain enjoyable! For me, it's one of the top 5 favorite activities of all time. So, the happier I am, the less stress I have. The less stress, the less cortisol released, and the less my body holds onto and creates fat.

* I'm more satisfied with food in general and eat less because of it! My sweet tooth, or more appropriately called my "butter tooth" is satisfied on a daily basis, so overeating is less of a temptation.

You may not buy it, but the fact is, I have been eating foods no diet would condone, and my jeans fit better!

That doesn't mean you could eat what I eat and not gain weight. It's not because I have a high metabolism. I don't. The diet is a diet that prohibits unhappiness. The diet consists of finding what truly makes you happy and doing it on a daily basis. Lucky me, that happens to be baking! For you, it may be realizing you love to glue gum wrappers to cereal boxes! lol

Find what feeds your soul, and your body and mind will be harmonious, and you will lose that extra pudge. Or as I like to say, you'll "de-puff". In my case, it wasn't simply eating peanut butter brownies, it was baking them!

xo
jbnewcomb<3

Zone of Fantabulousness!

I blogged earlier about a topic related to one's "Zone of Genius" here. It's basically the area in what you do that you not only excel, but you enjoy the most. Photography is my zone of genius. But because I love to change everything to fit me, I call it my Zone of Fantabulousness. I love made-up words, just like my photography idol Jasmine Star. It's like language is a puddle. Some walk through it, others splash! She and I like to splash. Fantabulously making messes of our language.

Back to my point....

When I am photographing someone, I am calm and having the best time of my life. And I had no idea it would be like that! I was soooo nervous to start my photography career. I've always loved snapping pics of beautiful things and people I love, but that was so casual. No pressure there. So the idea of photographing people I didn't know as well was sort of a bitter sweet fantasy. My soul urged me on to do it, speaking to me in supportive non-splashy language, like, "you have to do it, you won't regret it". But then the insecure side of me screamed, "what if I am so nervous that I can't get the shots I want?"

Yes. I have some issues with being nervous. Ok, crazy whacked issues. Sometimes. So of course, I thought I'd choke and bomb and sputter around like a cheap dying firecracker. Bbbbzzzzeeeee! Pop pop. Smoke. Then nothing. That's the image in my head of what my potential failure could have looked like when beginning my photography career.

But wait! Something brilliantly, oh-so-fantabulous happened! My natural talent soared through the air like one of those giant commercial, totally illegal fireworks that your rebel neighbors shoot off at the 4th of July. I rocked it! I freaking blew my mind!

And so it began...my journey to greatness. Or at least just totally diggin' what I do. And in the dream-crushing world of choosing a career, there's nothing to hope for more than that.

Here's a shot from one of my latest sessions...the beautiful Jenny. And she said she didn't take good pics because of some crazy silly reason...proved her wrong....huh, Jenny? ;-) Nothing short of photogenic!

Love her amberlicious eyes! A gorgeous mom to be x3!

xo
jbnewcomb<3

18K Gold Granola Bars

First time I created a recipe completely on my own, and boom! Fabu! *toot toot!* < that's me tooting my own horn. :-p

My daughter needed more variety for breakfast and more nuts and seeds (gotta have those omegas!) in her diet. So Mommy came up with an unbeatable recipe for getting her to eat....(drum roll, please!).....

* Pumpkin seeds
* Flax seeds
* Sunflower seeds

Those foods can be rough to eat, especially for a 5 year old. Personally, I can eat them all individually. Well, flax seeds on their own are a bit slippery and odd in texture. But I needed to dress up those power foods with something that would make her beg for more. And that, she did!

Here's my 18K Gold Granola Bar Recipe. I named it this because it has 18 ingredients. You can substitute certain ingredients for others, eliminate a few all together and up another ingredient. There are endless combos for granola bars, but this one is utterly magical!

18K Gold Granola Bars

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat flour (or all-purpose)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup soft butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable)
1/2 cup honey (tip: if you measure the honey with the cup you measured the oil with, the honey will easily slide out.)
1/2 cup sugar (or skip this and just use a full cup honey)
1 tbsp molasses (or just use brown sugar instead of sugar or none at all! lol)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

1/2 cup cashew pieces (or chopped cashews)
3 tbsp flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup sweetened cranberries
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Mix first 4 ingredients into the large main bowl.

Mix next 7 ingredients in medium to large bowl. Add this mixture to the the large main bowl.

Mix next 4 ingredients in small bowl (or just throw these ingredients into the main bowl and stir).

Mix last 3 ingredients in small bowl (or again, just throw these ingredients into the main bowl and stir thoroughly).

Pour into greased pan and bake at 325F for 25-30 minutes or until desired consistency.

I used a pizza cutter to cut these into bars while still hot.

Voila!

You're welcome. ;-)

xo
jbnewcomb<3

Children & Families Session with Wings!

"Red Bull gives you wings!" but children certainly don't need Red Bull!

Last week, I had a high-energy photography session with the ever-beautiful Jenny and her gorgeous children. My kids look like veals next to these adorable little firecrackers! Their energy is boundless! They sure kept me on my toes in order to get great shots that really showcase their personalities.

Here's a preview of the shoot:

I just adore this family! And I feel honored to have immortalized their adorable lil personalities in photographs. :-)

xo
jbnewcomb<3