Tag: photography

Brew a delicious cup of French press coffee!

Y’all know I love my coffee.

Or at least Ihopeyoudo if you’ve been around for a hot second!

Now I’ll be honest with you – sometimes there’s nothing better than a cup of coffee that someone else made {I see you, busy moms & dads!}. But I think it’s v important to learn how to brew your own coffee in as many ways as possible. If you’re a coffee nerd like me you’ll understand that certain roasts taste best when they’re brewed in a particular way & that there’s always more to learn!

I used to hate French press coffee – it felt gritty, too sour and heavy, and just yuck. But that was because I was doing it wrong!

It took some tinkering with different recipes & tutorials that I found on the internet, but I finally found just the right taste. Full bodied, smooth, and easy to drink!

You might find that you want to add more or less coffee, or that you don’t really care about exact measurements, so take this all with a grain of salt. Or a grain of coffee??! lolz.

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Introducing… Made to Bloom Photography!

So, I did a thing.

I started a real, actual, legit, has-a-website-and-everything photography business.

*cue the internal screaming*

Without further ado, let me formally introduce Made to Bloom Photography!

I mentioned a few posts ago that I quit one of my jobs, the barista job that I had been at for two years. Quitting that job lifted a weight off of my shoulders, but it definitely wasn’t easy. It took some time to build up the courage to leave, but I’m so glad I did.

I rode that courage wave straight into the creation of my photography business, & am just hoping that it doesn’t crash any time soon 😉

I’ve been taking photos for friends for the past year or so, and just absolutely fell in love with portrait and family photography. I love the challenge of capturing fleeting expressions and creating photographs that show these people and these families in their unique stages of life, imperfectly perfect and oh so beautiful. I am so honored that my friends even asked me in the first place, and definitely wouldn’t have taken this big leap if it hadn’t been for all of their encouragement.

Most folks who get into the photography business tend to name their companies after themselves or work their names in there somehow. I totally would have liked to do that, but there was something so clunky about “Margaret Fogarty Photography” and all of the variations of that! Of course, then I went on to choose a name that’s as long as forever & a day, lol, but that’s life.

It took me quite some time to come up with a name that I liked, but something about Made to Bloom Photography really stuck.

So, where did this name come from?

As a military spouse who has to move every few years to a completely new location, I know what it feels like to be plucked out of my comfort zone. I heard the phrase “bloom where you are planted” right after my first military move, and something about it really stuck with me. Even if we don’t love where we are at the moment (physically, mentally, in our bodies, our careers, anything!) it’s up to us to bloom where we are, or to try our best to do so. We’re made (by our past experiences, our parents, our communities, God, or whatever you believe) to bloom right where we are. As a photographer, I want to help capture where you are right now, in all of its beautiful and messy glory. You’re made to bloom & I want to help you see that, too.

I’m feeling all of those nervous feelings about jumping into this new endeavor, all of that impostor syndrome goodness, but hey, life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Cue all of the cheesy inspirational quotes!!

So please, if you don’t mind helping me out, could you go check out my website, give me a like on Facebook, or follow my Instagram? I would love you forever, but I’ll probably love you forever anyways!!

Tova’s Cake Smash

Babies are gonna do what babies wanna do.

That’s one major thing I’ve learned as I’ve done more & more photo shoots involving babies + littles – it’s alllllll up to them! Case in point: Tova’s cake smash.

I had been photographing Tova every month for the first year of her life, as her mom’s a close friend of mine, and we had been planning for quite some time to do a cake smash for her first birthday. This involved lots of Pinteresting, Etsy shopping, baking (on Dina’s part!), and coordinating! We rented out studio time, and there was soooooo much leading up to this moment.

And of course, it ended with no cake being smashed and a very sad one year old.

This whole experience definitely taught me to keep my expectations in check when working with babes, and to focus on capturing the true nature of each shoot – no matter if it goes to plan or not! 😉

Tova’s Cake SMash

Let’s start off with one my favorite photos from the day – a reluctant little one quickly crawls away from the set-up…

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Jessica + Taylor

When you meet Jessica & Taylor together, it just makes sense. They’re so personable, funny, & sweet together that it wasn’t hard to get amazing photos of these two at their engagement shoot! I couldn’t stop smiling while I was editing this set, and I’m so excited to share it with you all!

They’re getting maaaaaaarried SO SOON! Sending all the love + good vibes their way for their special day.

Jessica + Taylor

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#summersnaps day seventeen – a man & his dog

I came home from work tonight & Ben took Moose out for a little potty training and playing – and this was what I saw when I peeked outside!

day seventeen

Just a man & his dog. Seeing these two together makes my heart swell with love and happiness.

Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – somehow we got the cutest dog in the entire world. Sheesh.

#summersnaps day fourteen – Prime Day mini haul!

day fourteen

My husband got me a Kindle Paperwhite during the crazy sales of Prime Day! Although nothing could replace beautiful, physical paperbacks, it’s nice to have something that fits so perfectly in any bag. I’m so excited to get more reading done with this beauty!

{If you’re curious, I got that laptop sticker at Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, NC! It’s one of the best indie bookstores I’ve ever been to. Here’s a similar sticker on Amazon! heads up: affiliate link}

#summersnaps day eight & nine – weekend edition

A free weekend {with no work days, gasp!} is made for pure laziness. Hence the late post & slightly boring snaps.

day eight

daisy

I am v grateful for grandparents who helped to weed the garden while they were visiting last week. These front yard flowers appreciated it as well!!

day nine

board game night

I am also vvv grateful to have couple friend groups to hang out and play board games with. Yay friends!

#summersnaps day four, five, and six

Family time = tired Margaret! Here are the snaps from the last three days…

day four

family reunion

My lovely grandparents just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. They are truly an inspiration and the most wonderful people you will ever meet!

day five

Drinking an iced turmeric ginger latte out of one of my fave mugs is a fab way to end a looooooong day.

day six

pour over coffee

I had a rare day off, so I got to slow down and make myself a delicious pour over. This is what fuels all of my photo editing!!