Interior design is something that I have come to respect and love more recently as an adult. It occurred to me when I moved into my first apartment alone and was no longer living with my fabulous interior designer friend Maggie that it is a true art and skill. One that I am unfortunately not amazing at but I think some of her skills rubbed off on me so I at least have a live-able home!

Lately I’ve been working with fabulous interior design group from Residents Understood , helping them capture their unique interior design projects. They have done some incredible work around the city so far, and I’m excited to share their latest project with you here. This was a kitchen that they remodeled, and I am in LOVE with the blue and yellow complementary colors, as well as the fun details like the drawer hardware and chalkboard. Enjoy!

Well folks! In honor of Valentines day….and it being my birthday month! I have decided to use February as my month of LOVE this year! I’m going to share with you this month, all sorts of great things that are my absolute favorites in this world! From chocolate molten lava cake recipes to some of my favorite shoots from the past few years. It is so exciting!

I want to start off this month by starting a contest! I am a sucker for creative and fun proposals, and hearing about how couples met and fell in love- like that first moment they knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their life with their significant other. SO! With out further adieu, this month’s contest is about you all sending me those stories, about Love from falling in love, to the most creative and fun proposal stories! I’m also a sucker for  those fabulous awkward date stories- as a single gal myself, trust me, I can absolutely relate!

The winner will get a free 1-2 hour Love session with me (Whether it’s an engagement session, a post wedding session, a portrait session) and have their story and session posted on the blog for all eyes to see and share in the fun!

So how do you enter you may ask?? Well it’s quite simple:

1. Like the Kate Haus Photography Facebook Page

2. Write your story in 1000 words or less and send it off to k@katehaus.com with the Subject line: Love my story!!
The contest ends on the 28th of February and the winner will be announced March 5th.

**In order to win you must be located within 100miles of the Washington DC area. And schedule the photo session before February 2013.

It is always a special honor to have the opportunity to photograph a friend’s wedding, and Mike & Ellen’s wedding weekend in Hood River, Oregon was no exception! I’ve know Mike and Ellen since 2005 when I was tromping around in the woods as a Naturalist in Vail, Colorado. They are a special couple and it was truly, so wonderful to be there for such a fabulous occasion!

The wedding was filled with personal touches and local details, such as fresh local berries in their champaign and bridal bouquets. Friends and family all pitched in to make the day a special one. Ellen’s friend made her dress, another friend designed the flower arrangements, Mike’s friend made the cake, and one of their friends even brought some home brew beer! The entire event took place on a most spectacular day, at the quaint Lakecliff Bed & Breakfast in Hood River, OR, overlooking the spectacular Hood River Gorge. It could not have been more picturesque- another perfect day with a perfect couple! They said their touching vows, which even made me shed a tear or two behind the camera, as the sun sank to the west and cast a romantic glow over the valley. The reception took place not but 100 feet away, outside, under some bulb lights and a starry sky (after just a slight sprinkle). There was eating, dancing and toasting galore! Enjoy!

My last free weekend of the summer before the crazy wedding season that is enveloping my life this fall was spent with great friends doing some really fun stuff! It was early August, and we drove down to Point Look Out State Park on friday night. It’s the perfect lovely quick get away vacation spot- 2 hours south of here (DC) and right on the water where the Chesapeake and Potomac river’s split. We set up camp down there, and whipped up a little camp fire to relax and sip some wine by. Saturday we hung out at the pet beach with our dogs who ran free and wild all day, swimming and galavanting through the sand. After a long hard day of relaxing, we boiled some shrimp and had yummy shrimp tacos and smores by our fire. It was a beautiful sight…though since I was taking a day off from photographing anything, we don’t have any photos. HOWEVER, we do have photos of Sunday when we packed up camp and jumped up to Solomans Island where we rented a Pontoon boat and an inner tube for playing out on the Patuxent river (a small river branching off of the Chesapeake). You’ll see photos of myself, my dog Nala, and our friends, Greg, Ru & their dog Bodhi. Enjoy- there are some classic action shots!

I am so lucky to have the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market every Sunday morning- year round! Farmer’s markets just make me feel soooooo good! Knowing where my food is coming from and knowing I’m supporting the local economy is great and all but- the best part is just how absolutely delicious the food I get from the market is!! And when I go, my imagination goes wild! I start getting very creative and whipping up recipes and huge extravagant dinner party meals in my head. So I figured it would be a great thing to share some of these market dinner recipes with you!! This will hopefully be the first of many posts because I love doing it, and when you are eating fresh and local foods, it’s not hard to make them look and taste good with out much fuss! Luckily, my favorite time to go is in the summer when there are fruits, veggies, and flowers galore! Here we go!

The last few weeks they have had squash blossoms at the market.This is awesome for many reasons. One is because you don’t see these in the groccerie store….like ever…Two is because the one and only time I’ve had squash blossoms was in a little town on the west coast of Italy- and if that’s not a great memory to bring back then I don’t know what is.

So inspired by the squash blossoms, I decided to fry them up one week, and then to test another recipe stuffing them with cheese, the next…

Fried Squash Blossoms:

Ingredients:

1.  12 Squash Blossoms
2. 1 1/2 c. Corn Starch
3. roughly 1 c. milk or more depending
4. 1 tbs garlic powder
5. 1tbs salt & 1tbs pepper for seasoning
6. enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan about an 8th of an inch
7. Sea salt crystals for post fry.

To Create:

1. Mix the corn starch with the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl.
2. Pour the milk into the bowl, stir in just enough to slightly dissolve the corn starch and create a thick milky liquid
3. Stuff the blossoms individually with the cheese mixture
4. Pour the olive oil in the pan and turn on the heat.
5. Have a clean plate with a paper towel on it ready to place the cooked blossoms on when they are done.
6. Once the oil is hot, start dipping the squash blossoms into the bowl of starch and milk- being sure to coat the blossom fully- then put the blossom into the pan. You can do a dip and place- dipping each blossom and then placing it into the pan one by one.
7. Once one side of the blossoms are brown, turn them over to brown the other side.
8. Once the blossoms are  done cooking (fully brown) then take them out of the pan and place on the plate with the paper towel.
9. When all the blossoms are on the plate, sprinkle some sea salt over all of them for extra seasoning.
10. Place them on a serving plate, and they are good to go!

Cheese Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms:

Ingredients:

1.  12 Squash Blossoms
2. 1 1/2 c. Corn Starch
3. roughly 1 c. milk or more depending
4. 1 tbs garlic powder
5. 1tbs salt & 1tbs pepper for seasoning
6. cheese
7. enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your pan about an 8th of an inch
8. Sea salt crystals for post fry.

To Create:

1. Mix the corn starch with the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl.
2. Pour the milk into the bowl, stir in just enough to slightly dissolve the corn starch and create a thick milky liquid
3. Pour the olive oil in the pan and turn on the heat.
4. Have a clean plate with a paper towel on it ready to place the cooked blossoms on when they are done.
5. Once the oil is hot, start dipping the squash blossoms into the bowl of starch and milk- being sure to coat the blossom fully- then put the blossom into the pan. You can do a dip and place- dipping each blossom and then placing it into the pan one by one.
6. Once one side of the blossoms are brown, turn them over to brown the other side.
7. Once the blossoms are  done cooking (fully brown) then take them out of the pan and place on the plate with the paper towel.
8. When all the blossoms are on the plate, sprinkle some sea salt over all of them for extra seasoning.
9. Place them on a serving plate, and they are good to go!

As a photographer, I get told to “make me look good”. I definitely do my best to make everyone look good- I work to find the beauty in each and every subject I have, to get the light right, and to choose a good location for what you and I are envisioning. BUT I can’t do everything. I have a few tips from working behind and in front of the camera from my modeling days that you can keep in mind during your sessions. There are always things that the clients can do to make themselves look and feel better for the day of their photo shoot- whether it’s your once a year portrait session, a once in a lifetime boudoir shoot,  or your one and only wedding day. And here are some tips to jot down- from little to big they are all a step towards bringing out your greatness, individuality and sheer awesomness when in front of the camera.

1. Do-Dress to impress: (from babies to the elderly- this applies to all of you!). Don’t-throw on your favorite 10 year old worn t-shirt, jeans and sneakers unless this shoot is a memorial shoot for your old clothes. Simply put- always try to look your best. To take it a step farther, stylize yourself to look like they do in magazines- don’t wear something uncomfortable or shabby- unless that’s what you find impressive. Wear your clothes, don’t let them wear you. It’s important to know what makes you look good- know your body type. Wear what you feel good, happy and confident in, and don’t be afraid to check out what the mannequins in the stores are wearing- they usually know what they are doing. It obviously depends on what look you are going for in your session, but you should look the best you can in any genre from casual to black tie. Also note that if  your shoot is glamour, swimwear or lingerie, wear loose fitting gym clothes which have no elastic bands. Do not wear underwear. Underwear leaves lines on the skin, which can require 30-60 minutes to disappear. After all, you are paying a lot for these photos and they will be memories that last forever.

2. Be yourself, be yourself, be yourself!: I can’t stress this enough. Have you ever noticed how someone who is really aesthetically attractive can loose all their appeal by being an ugly person from within? And then have you ever noticed how someone who may not be the next Gisele Bündschen or Ty Digges can be the most beautiful regardless of their looks? Well that’s because the it’s true- beauty comes from within. Being your bad-ass self is what makes you be you, and makes the photo’s yours and individual to you. That inner beauty is and being yourself gets caught on camera so keep that in mind! Beauty is in the simplicity and confidence of the inner you matched with your individual good looks.

3. Look like your best self: Unless you’re being paid to model for a brand or for some campaign and are told not to bring yourself to the table- there is no excuse to throw on globs of make up you bought just for the shoot, or to have your hair styled crazy way in which you would never wear. You should enhance your best features, but that is all. If you don’t know how to enhance your features, have a stylist, make up artist, and hair stylist or a friend with all these qualities, help you out. And keep in mind wild and disheveled hair may be better for you than the well-groomed look.

4. Be confident:  Nothing more awesome than true confidence. ‘Nuff said.

5. Relax: Butt not too much- one thing they taught me when I was modeling is to pose, and then move into a more natural pose by taking a deep breath and relaxing. So there is a happy medium between posing and relaxing. When you pose and then move into a more natural feeling area of the pose- you have made it yours, and you have made it look natural. Perfection.

6. Act out your thoughts: Think about what you want to project- being in front of a camera is the same as being in front of a video camera- you are always acting, so get into character and get your mind into the right mood. Music definitely helps to set the mood but then it’s all about what you are thinking. For example thinking about your boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other or someone you have a crush on helps to get a coi and come hither look. Or thinking about the baby you are about to have brings a look of excitement and joy mixed with a little fear sometimes. OR thinking about your wedding to come and how in love you are with the one you are about to marry helps to get that exact expression. Basically, my point is, the best way to capture the feeling of a person is to have them get lost in their thoughts…the feelings just come pouring out. It’s quite candid.

7. Smiezing: It’s a term you hear Tyra Banks use all-the-time- Smile with your Eyes. It’s an excellent skill to have in your bag of tricks. It’s smiling with out contorting your face into an actual smile….sounds difficult. Try it in the mirror. Practice it. Hold on to it. And use it forever and ever. You will love it. Promise.

8. Practice makes perfect:  I’m giving you permission to be a little vain. Look at yourself in the mirror a lot- learn how to express what you are thinking…and learn to be aware of what you look like when you aren’t thinking about it. Look through some magazines, take a note from the experts- copy your favorite poses and make those yours.

9. Take Care of Yourself: Modeling101- There’s a lot here, so take it as far as you want.

• Get plenty of rest. Have a good night’s sleep and avoid partying the night before your shoot.  Alcohol and cigarette smoke, even smoke in the air, can make your eyes red and puffy. Also, if you are a smoker bring down the number of cigarettes your smoke or stop completely before the shoot. Smoking deprives skin of oxygen and nutrients and makes it look gray.
• Wear antiperspirant.
• Make sure your finger and toe nails look clean and manicured. Use a clear nail polish which will go with any color clothing. If you must color your nails use a neutral white or cream. Red nails will look strange if your outfit is blue. If you dye your hair, make sure that you have had your roots recently treated. Studio lighting can exaggerate dark roots.
• If there will be a makeup artist at the shoot, arrive with no makeup on. If you will be doing your own makeup, remember that photography lighting- (in studio and under the hot sun) and the heat from the lights tend to make the skin look shinier than usual. Do not use any shiny or bright make-up that might cause reflection or glare during the photoshoot. Apply a base to smooth your skin and make it look consistent. Use mascara to bring out your eyes. Bring several colors of lipstick that you can apply depending on the color of clothing. If you do get a pimple the day of the shoot, do not touch it, as you will make it redder and harder to cover. Most photographers have no problem with one or two pimples as these can be easily covered with makeup or digitally removed by photoshop. If you have serious acne problems, be sure that your photographer knows this in advance.
• In your Diet avoid too much salt and iodine in your diet. Salt can lead to water retention in the skin and the skin surface does not look smooth and tight but tired and bumpy. Iodine, for example in sushi and marine dishes, can trigger break-outs. Include more fiber into your diet it will help your body to get rid of toxins, and drink plenty of water.
• If you shave, do so 2 days before the shoot, in order to give your skin a chance to recover. If you do it yourself, follow the main rules of depilation to avoid irritation and ingrown hair: cleanse your skin and exfoliate before depilation, do not stretch your skin when depilating, do not apply too much pressure when shaving or using hair depilation cream, do not run the shaver over one and the same spot several times or you can create irritated spots. If you have to, reapply shaving cream.
• Hopefully you moisturize your skin regularly. If not, certainly apply moisturizer on the days before and morning of the shoot. To make your skin look smooth, supple and glowing, consider using with a hydrating cream containing exfoliators such as hyularonic or glycolic acid.
• Work out- you may want to vary your routine to show off the muscles you’re most proud of. Or, a week before the shoot, you may want to increase the intensity of your workout. For example, if you usually do aerobics or body shaping, switch to working with gym equipment for a couple days. You will notice how well your muscles will respond. In no way does this mean you need to have a stereotypical fashion model’s body. Exercise can be great for any body and can boost confidence – and confidence is really what makes you attractive.

10. Don’t think too much: It’ll show. This isn’t rocket science. Just have fun and be as natural as possible.

]]> http://www.katehausblog.com/looking-good-its-what-models-do-top-10-tips/feed/ 0 http://www.katehausblog.com/perfect-summer-cocktail-the-summer-lantern/ http://www.katehausblog.com/perfect-summer-cocktail-the-summer-lantern/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:21:06 +0000 Katharine Hauschka http://www.katehausblog.com/?p=4071 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

I couldn’t go all summer (my favorite season) with out shellin’ out some food and drink favorites. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a monthly food and drink post…or maybe even more than one or two per month…we’ll see. When I get busy with wedding season in the spring and fall it’s not always easy to do more than wedding posts…as I have pictures galore to go through.

Anyway, with out further ado- here is one of my favorite summer cocktails, one that if possible, I ask pretty much every bartender to throw together for me. I call it Summer Lantern because it reminds me of all that is good in summer- sunsets, sipping an nice cool iced tea or lemonade on a hot, sultry, summer’s evening while rockin in an old rocking chair on a big antebellum porch in the south, watching time pass because it’s too hot to move, fireflies, katydids, swimming, peaches and fresh fruit….

Summer Lantern:

4.5 oz Sweet tea vodka

8.5 oz Cold Water

3 oz Peach schnapps

Juice of half a lemon

splash of sparkling water

1/4th lemon thinly sliced

1/4th slice of peach

Ice cubes

Sprig of Mint

Create:  Combine the vodka, water, schnapps, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake. Fill the serving glass with the peaches and lemon slices, and some mint leaves. Pour the shaker contents into the serving glass. Add several block ice cubes. Add a splash of sparkling water. Give one little stir and add the sprig of mint.  Voila!

Oh boy is it delicious- you really can’t go wrong!

And if you can’t find any sweet tea vodka, regular black tea with a shot of vodka does the trick with out adding that super sweet sugary sweet tea taste.

Laura needed some photos before she went off to College for her sophomore year. Not to mention, this time of year is a great time for some portraits, everyone’s sun kissed and feelin happy from the summer… So the two of us just met up around her home and took some fun photos for her to cherish forever ]]> http://www.katehausblog.com/beautiful-laura/feed/ 1 http://www.katehausblog.com/ameesh-anissas-big-wedding-day/ http://www.katehausblog.com/ameesh-anissas-big-wedding-day/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:44:55 +0000 Katharine Hauschka http://www.katehausblog.com/?p=4049 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

A gorgeous day in July for a gorgeous couple t0 get married at the Woodmore Country Club in Maryland. One of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve been to thus far! Here’s why- it was a Hindi ceremony which is always fun and interesting to do, and they had a very insightful, kind and wise Pandit (Hindu Preist). His words about marriage and love were most excellent and, I can’t lie, I was tearing up behind the camera! I began the day photographing Anissa while she and her close female friends and family helped dress her and get her ready. Needless to say, she looked stunning as you’ll see below. She then walked out to the patio of the country club where the ceremony took place. It was a hot, humid day and the ceremony was in the direct sunlight- not an easy sight to photograph correctly, and not an easy setting to sit in. By the end of the 2 hour ceremony, most of the guests had migrated to the shade or indoors to the air conditioning. But I held up strong with Ameesh and Anissa in their full garb and me in my black formals snapping away through out the meaningful and symbolic passages (of course sneaking in a cup of water or mango lassi here and there to keep hydrated). Ameesh and Anissa were just so happy and so obviously in love, that they didn’t seem to notice the heat- most of the shots I got of them were of them gazing into each other’s eyes with care and true love. It was so sweet!

After the ceremony, we took some fun portraits around the grounds in their wedding clothes. They then changed into their reception outfits for some more photos, and of course, the reception. Throughout the evening celebration, there were performances, lots of dancing, socializing, amazing indian food,  and some yummy georgetown cupcakes. With such a beautiful evening, I had to sneak Ameesh and Anissa outside for a few minutes of stillness and photos which you’ll see at the end. Hope you enjoy the photos!

 

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