Baking Memories| Lifestyle Photography
What is Lifestyle Photography?
Lifestyle photography may be a buzz word you've heard thrown around lately. When I first heard the phrase, I didn't know what it meant either. I immediately pictured that late 80s and early 90s show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". It's kind the same thing.
Lifestyle photography is just photographing your life. It's a much more candid and natural feel. In a lifestyle session there is minimal posing, looking at the camera, say "cheese". It's more about creating organic moments between the family members and then continuing to encourage that family interaction while documenting all the lovable details.
I know, you might think, "oh, that's so easy!" It's not. It's kinda like baking. You have to get all the ingredients right to create the organic moment. When I was in college, we learned about the Hawthorne effect (observer effect). The Hawthorne effect is when someone alters their behavior because they recognize they are being observed. Every parent reading this (and teacher) knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Your typically well behaved toddler all of a sudden becomes insanely hyper when your friend comes over to visit...that's the Hawthorne effect. There are steps I take to try to minimize this. I'm not going to get into those, you'll just have to hire me to find out. :)
But you may be here for the cookie recipe and pictures. This recipe is one of mine and E's favorites to whip up. (ppppssst...baking cookies is a great activity for a lifestyle session)
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed. Mix in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla (in that order). Slowly mix in the baking soda, flour, and salt. *I like to add a little cinnamon but that's just me.* DO NOT OVERMIX. Fold in chocolate chips.
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop large spoonful onto baking sheet. I like to use an ice cream scooper and fill it half way. Bake for 11 minutes. Be careful to not overcook. The cookies will be soft and puffy. They are better if they are a little under cooked as they will continue to cook on the tray for a few minutes. Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
It will make a dozen good sized cookies.
