Children/Family Photography- Meet Ella

We had the privilege to photograph Ella, Kyle and Ricki's adorable baby girl. She is so alert and lively that its hard tell she is only three months old! We had tons of fun taking pictures of the family playing together. Thank you Kyle and Ricki for allowing us to photograph your sweet baby girl. As always, here are our favorites of the evening; Make room,  huge post coming up... Ella is so adorable we just couldn't have enough of her. 

Kenya & Peter Burch 
Southern Oregon Photographers

Senior Photography-It' all about Crystal

Ok, so she is not exactly a senior, Crystal is a junior at SOU with a major in accounting, but it's never to late to get senior portraits done! She is such a beautiful, smart young woman and a pleasure to photograph. We shot Crystal's photos in her picturesque backyard. Her little brother came along for the shoot and he was sooo cute. When our flashes fired he thought they were fireworks! :) Here's a few of our favorites from the evening.

Kenya & Peter

Senior Portrait Artist

It's all about Nancy

We had a lot of fun shooting the second part of Nancy's senior portrait. We headed off to the park and enjoyed the perfect Saturday afternoon, nice weather, magical light, great model, what also could you ask for, really? Thanks Nancy for an awesome day! You look beautiful...Hope you enjoy this preview.

Kenya & Peter
Southern Oregon & Medford Senior Portrait Photographers

Horchata de Coco

Since we've been back from Mexico we've been dying to have some Horchata de Coco, which is a drink made with rice, cinnamon and coconut. I know it might sound like a strange combination, but it was one of our favorites drinks down there. So I surfed the web looking for just the right Horchata de Coco recipe. The food network seemed to have a simple enough recipe and it was rated 5 stars. I gave it a try and we love it! So I thought I would share it with you, to help you expand your culinary skills, enjoy!


Kenya and Peter Burch
Southern Oregon & Medford Photographers

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups (19 ounces) uncooked rice, pulverized in a spice grinder
• 1 ounces crumbled true cinnamon bark, plus 4-inch pieces for garnish (optional)
• 4 cups hot water
• 15 blanched almonds, lightly toasted and finely ground
• 1 can (13 1/2 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sugar
• 1 cup (8 ounces) cold water
• 1 lime, zest cut into long, wide strips
• Ice cubes
• Light rum (optional)
• 6 to 8 fresh mint sprigs

Directions

One day in advance, combine the rice, crumbled cinnamon, and hot water in a bowl. Cool, cover, and set aside. Refrigerate if the weather is hot.

The next day, stir the nuts and coconut milk into the soaked rice. Working in batches, add the rice mixture to a blender and process until quite smooth. Each batch should take about 5 minutes. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve and pour into a pitcher.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, cold water, and lime zest. Cook stirring, until the sugar is just dissolved. Let cool. Then remove the lime zest. Pour the cooled syrup into the pitcher and mix well. If the drink is too thick for your taste, add more water. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Stir well and pour over ice cubes in tall glasses. If desired, add a splash of rum to each glass before adding the horchata. Garnish with a mint sprig and a piece of cinnamon bark.

Keyla rocked the world part one

We had Keyla's senior photo session this weekend. We went off to the coast hoping for some nice weather, and although it was freezing and it did rain a bit,  we got some awesome pictures! She is just so photogenic and so natural in front of the camera. Thank you Keyla, we had tons of fun! Here is a quick preview of your session, hope you enjoy it.

Kenya & Peter

Southern Oregon and Medford Photographers

MAKE UP TIPS FOR A PICTURE - PERFECT FACE

Ok ladies, who doesn’t want to look absolutely gorgeous on their wedding day? Not only because it’s such a special day but also because you’ll have your picture taken over and over again.. The right makeup can make all the difference in the world. So whether you’re doing your own makeup, having a friend do it, or going to a professional, we are sure you’ll find these tips useful. Oh, and please do us a favor, under no circumstances should you go to a tanning booth or use a spay tan right before the wedding!




1. BLEND, BLEND, BLEND

You can use your everyday makeup, but use more than you normally use every day. Many makeup professionals use airbrush makeup, the method of choice for high-definition TV, because it’s lightweight, waterproof and gives flawless coverage.



2. SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE.

Use less makeup for a day wedding and more for evenings. You can get dramatic with eye makeup.



3. DONT SKIMP ON CONCEALER

Use a moisturized concealer on the thin, sensitive skin under the eye. If your concealer isn’t moisturizing, blend it with a skin cream. For blemishes, first treat them with a natural or over the counter anti-inflammatory, then cover with concealer.



4. DO A MAKEUP TRIAL RUN

It’s the only sure-fire, stress-free way to make certain your makeup will look beautiful.




5. NOT ALL MINERAL MAKEUP IS CREATED EQUAL

Titanium dioxide, a chemical used as sun block, can reflect flash, giving the bride a ghostly appearance. In 2009 makeup artist Annie May launched a line of mineral makeup especially formulated for photography called Advanced Mineral Makeup. May promises it won’t white-out the bride under a flash.



6. USE WATERPROOF MAKEUP WITH STAYING POWDER

You don’t want to spend your reception in the bathroom reapplying your makeup. Foundation, eyeliner and mascara all should be water proof. And in case you cry (and you probably will), have a tissue or handkerchief handy to gently blot your tears right at the eye.



7. KEEP YOUR LIPS MOISTURIZED AND COLORED

Dry lips look dreadful in photos. Have someone carry your lipstick for you and touch up often. Matte and gloss lip-stick both photograph well, and be sure to use blended lip liner for enhanced definition.



8. DON’T FORGET THE GROOM

If the groom is red faced due to too much sun (or drinking), a little powder can help. That goes for shiny heads, too. And it’s a good idea to slip a tube of Chapstick in the groom’s pocket for his dry lips, as well as a handkerchief to dab “well-wishers’’ makeup smudges off his suit.



9. REMEMBER to apply foundation and powder to your neck, shoulders and
décolletage-you want your head to look like it belongs to your body!



Hope you enjoyed these tips! They are courtesy of Bridal tips for a picture-perfect face By Lorna Gentry ppmag digital edition March 2009



Kenya & and Peter

Southern Oregon and medford wedding photographers

We are back home!

After being five months abroad we are so excited to be back in the U.S! Let me tell you getting to the airport was not easy. To catch our plane we had to go from Tepic, Nayarit to Puerto Vallarta, normally this drive would only take about two hours. Expect it turns out it was some kind of a holiday. Well to make a long story short, traffic was so heavy it took us about five hours to get there! We almost missed our plane; luckily grandma was with us so we were able to go through the check in rather quick. We got to the gate just as the plane was starting to board, pheww!


Our flight went well, there was quit a bit of turbulence but nothing too crazy though. When we arrived to Los Angeles and had to recheck our carry-on because our flight was international. It was all going good, until grandma's purse got scanned. Peter and I had no idea what was going on, but they took grandma into a little room and we weren't allowed to go with her. :O They searched grandma and found nothing. So they went after her purse and there it was sitting in her purse, a little plastic bag with her insulin in it. But it wasn't the insulin they were after, it was the ice keeping it cool! The ice had melted, and the water that resulted was more than the 3.5 oz you’re allowed in the carry on. So they threw the water out and set grandma free. And off we went to board our last plane.

We were home and safe at about midnight. But we were freezing. Nobody mentioned how cold it still is up here. After having super nice tropical weather for the last five months, it's not easy to go back to reality :(

But one thing is for sure, we are happy to be home and ready to rock wedding season!



Kenya & Peter

Southern Oregon wedding photographers