Amy Hinden

Help this puppy find a home!

2010-03-05T18:16:00.001-08:00

This morning we found this malnourished puppy in our front yard. She looks about 6 months old and is very sweet though timid. We can't keep her but we really don't want to take her to a shelter as pit bulls usually end up getting put down. It looks like she was taken care of at one point -she appears to know how to shake and is very happy around people and inside the house. We called all the local shelters to see if anyone reported a lost dog but didn't have any luck. We really hope we find a loving home for her a.s.a.p. We gave her a bath, flea medicine, and food and now she needs a home! Email me at amy@amyhinden.com

Flytrap Screen Tees (women's)

2010-03-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

Flytrap Clothing

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

I love to bake. Actually, that's not true. I love to eat baked goods. Therefore, I bake. Especially on rainy days like today. Chocolate chip cookies are one of my absolute favorites so when I saw this recipe entitled "Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies" I had to try it. Honestly, I think any chocolate chip cookie is perfect but these are definitely the best I've had. Here is the recipe from America's Test Kitchen. You may have to register but its quick and free. I would post it here but it will be easier for you to print out from their site.

Decor

2010-02-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

I've been browsing online this rainy afternoon and just have to say, I can't wait until this line hits Target.

I love home decor! Every time I see a commercial or sitcom on tv I am always looking at the background to see how their home is decorated. Lately I find myself spending way too many hours looking at design and decor sites. If it were up to me we would probably redecorate every month but thankfully Matt helps me keep my visual A.D.D. in line.

Avenue

2010-02-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

She's lucky she has such a cute face. She completely depleted my tomato garden. All 200+ of them, even the green ones.

30 weeks

2010-02-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Sometimes out of the blue it just hits me.... we are going to have a baby in this house in just 9 weeks! Time is flying! Even though it is getting closer I still can't imagine it really. My life is going on quite normally- I pretty much forget I am pregnant until I look in the mirror. I've just been trying to keep up my daily walks, especially because the whole no sugar plan didn't exactly work out. I am not a happy camper when I don't get my chocolate fix. :-/ I had a cheat day on my birthday and it was all downhill after that...I am going to look on the positive though- my record is now 2 weeks instead of 1.

During my photo play date with Beth I hopped on the other side of the lens for a change. I was kind of nervous to have our date while pregnant as prego pics aren't really my thing but I think she did a great job keeping that in mind and focused on capturing "me". You can check out more here.

Beth Part 2

2010-02-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

Here's part 2, my personal favorite part of the shoot.
I love film because I love images that have a very raw feel to them. I learned photography through film but I rarely shoot it anymore because it is really expensive to shoot and I am not thrilled about all the extra chemicals that get used to produce film photography. I recently made the business decision to switch over to all environmentally friendly packaging and have been trying to be more green in my personal life as well. I am definitely not giving up film photography but these days I try to save it more for special occasions....
Anyway, I was thrilled when Beth showed me a new trick: putting a Holga lens on my digital camera! It produces the imperfect look just like a Holga film camera but I still get to shoot digital. Some of these next photos have been shot using that technique. I am so excited to have the best of both worlds now!

Beth Part 1

2010-02-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

I love it when I can find people that get as excited about art and photo as I do. Beth is a great photographer and we got together for a photo date. I can't wait to see her perspective on the day. We took tons of photos so I decided to post this in two parts because both parts have completely different vibes.

Paris and Normandy

2010-02-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

I don't want to jinx myself but I think my Paris album is done!!!! Just need to design the cover tomorrow.....
Here are a few favs I stumbled on today while wrapping up the album.

Paris

2010-01-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already been 9 months since I was in Paris and I am just now seriously getting around to putting an album together! It's been an overwhelming task with over 2000 photos to go through. I finally edited it down to my favorites and Matt was kind enough to organize the images into appropriate folders for me so I have been trying to do a section a day. Hopefully I will be done by the end of the month and then I will start my London album. I thought I would share a couple images from the section I am working on today.

Eric and Emily, Livermore, CA

2010-01-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

One of my dearest friends, Karey, invited me to go on a little road trip with her up to wine country to shoot Eric and Emily's wedding. Eric is a wedding photographer as well so he knew every detail he wanted at his wedding and was a total blast to work with. Tom's shoes, Volcom suits, and funky glasses were just a few highlights that added lots of unique style and personality to the day.

Federmann Family, Lompoc, CA

2010-01-14T17:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

I've always loved New Year's. A chance to start fresh and be better. This year I feel more motivated than ever to really stick with the plan. Then again, I don't know if I have ever really seriously made a resolution until now. It's only been a couple days but my plan to not eat sugar for a few months is going well thus far. Today I found myself craving my afternoon chocolate fix but filled up on fruits and veggies instead. I also decided to add another resolution today: to read through the Bible in a year. I am following this plan if anyone else is interested in joining me. I'm also trying to convince Matt to go walking every morning with me. Haven't gotten a commitment just yet but we did start off New Year's Day with a family hike:

Hope your new year is off to a great start!

Resolutions

2009-12-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

The last couple days I have been wondering to myself if I am going to make any new year resolutions. After finding out I was pregnant I told Matt that I am not going to eat any sugar the entire pregnancy. That lasted all of three days. If you know me well, you know I am a HUGE sugarholic. The longest I have ever gone without sugar is one week and it nearly killed me.
So, my resolution? Jan-April no more candy, cookies, cakes, etc. for me....
Until then, these are sooo good!
What's yours?

Rain

2009-12-10T18:19:00.001-08:00

I love it.
I went to the beach. It was frigid. But I like my pictures.

We're having a girl!

2009-12-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

We can't wait for 4/26
Only four more months to go!

Isaiah and Sonya Wedding, Santa Margarita, CA

2009-12-03T22:44:00.000-08:00

I just teamed up with Aaron to witness and document Isaiah and Sonya getting married at Spanish Oaks Ranch in Santa Margarita. They were able to wed right under some beautiful oak trees. With the surrounding hills all around it felt miles away from anything else. If I were ever going to renew my vows I would want to do it in a place just like Sonya and Isaiah. Such a gorgeous day and perfect wedding!

We got our tree!

2009-12-01T13:04:00.001-08:00

Family photo?

Ave helped sniff out just the right one.

We were super excited to cut down our own tree this year!

Us on our hayride

Now we get to decorate it tonight :)

Flytrap Screen Tees (boys)

2009-11-19T21:36:00.001-08:00

As promised here is some kid stuff from Flytrap. I am dying of cuteness right now!

Flytrap Screen Tees (men)

2009-11-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

The talented miss Jody has been busy creating some new designs which I am always honored to photograph. Here's a peak at some of the mens designs she has been dreaming up. Also coming up soon I'll show you a peak of some of her recent women and children designs too....
To treat yourself or make some progress on your Christmas list be sure to check out her store here.

Nick and Michelle Wedding, Santa Ana, CA

2009-11-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

Nick and Michelle were so excited to get married that they decided to have a civil ceremony at the Old Orange County Courthouse with their closest friends and family as witnesses. They plan to have a big wedding celebration in the future when all their family is in the country and able to attend but for now they were able to enjoy some luxuries only an intimate wedding can offer: a special family dinner at Rusty Pelican and lots of time for photos! It was really cool being able to walk around and take lots of portraits without having to worry about being on a tight time schedule.

Halloween

2009-11-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually a big Halloween person but when I saw the pumpkin costume at Petsmart I was done for. It was all downhill after that. I think we had an Avenue themed Halloween:

Our friends and neighbors brought their dog, Sage, over to play and I took advantage of the opportunity and asked them to snap a family photo of us.

Today we are detoxing from way to much sugar-lots of salad! One of my health nut friends gave me this salad dressing recipe that I love. Here it is if you want to give it a try:

Avocado Cilantro Dressing

¾ cup fresh guacamole or mashed avocado (I like the fresh pre-made one from Trader Joes or Fresh and Easy

¼ cup cilantro chopped

juice of 3 limes

2 TBLs water

1 TBL olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in blender or food processor

You can also omit the oil and water for a great chip dip or burger topping.

Julia and Johnny Wedding, Prather, CA

2009-10-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

On the outside Julia is all girl but the truth is she is a total tomboy at heart. And Johnny is the type of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. It's Julia who had to convince Johnny that he didn't need to buy a tent heater for camping, and she who has to bait their fishing poles...and it's Johnny who has to drag Julia shopping. Together they are amazing; a total blast to be around and up for absolutely anything which is a photographer's dream! I knew I wouldn't have to think twice about asking them to sit on some dusty rocks or trek up some hills which covered her parents beautiful property where they got married. The ceremony started a bit late so we ran out of sun and time to do all my crazy ideas I knew would suit their fun personalities ( I had been eyeing the trampoline and bright blue wheel-barrel!) but on the flip side we got to take some cool night shots.

I LOVE netted veils!!!

I love this shot of the bridemaids- Johnny's limo was coming down the hill and all the girls jumped in to cover up Julia.

Bethany and Alejo Engagement, Pasadena, CA

2009-10-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Alejo and Bethany are the type of people that make you feel like old friends. They decided to have their session in downtown Pasadena which was an awesome backdrop for urban photos that fit their personalities perfectly. It is always extra rewarding to work with people who get as excited about their photo-shoot as I do. I can't wait for their wedding!

Sarah and Andrew Wedding, Laguna Beach

2009-09-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Andrew's wedding was extra special to me because I have been friends with Sarah since she and Andrew were just dating. It was so exciting to hear about her getting engaged and watch her get married! Sarah and Andrew got married at the Pacific Edge in Laguna Beach and Maria Lindsay did a fabulous job pulling everything together beautifully. My favorite touches to this wedding were Sarah's linen wedding dress (how fitting for a beach wedding!), her blue L.A.M.B. shoes, blue toenail polish, and doves in her ceremony! She also featured a late night snack of mini milkshakes and sliders which were quite fabulous. Her wedding was such a blast to be a part of!