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Kelly Neil

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LATEST POSTS

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Oven Roasted Spiced Pears
Oven Roasted Spiced Pears
about a week ago

Combined in a casserole dish with brown sugar, spices, and a small amount of liquid for one hour at 350ºF yields supple, lightly sweetened, spiced fruit that is versatile in both sweet and savory dishes.

Easy Minestrone Soup Recipe
Easy Minestrone Soup Recipe
about 2 weeks ago

After a month of practically living on shortbread cookies, Quality Street chocolates, and BBQ chips, I decided it was TIME TO EAT SOME VEGETABLES. A quick, easy minestrone soup recipe fit the bill quite nicely.

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Clementine Cream Cheese Swirl
Dark Chocolate Brownies with Clementine Cream Cheese Swirl
about a month ago

A mash-up of two recipes from The Brown Eyed Baker, these dark chocolate fudgy brownies are swirled through with clementine zest-flavoured cream cheese.

Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Mint Frosting
Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Mint Frosting
about a month ago

I came up with the combo of rich, buttery chocolate shortbreads, sandwiched together with vanilla mint frosting, and rolled in crushed candy canes just in time for Christmas!

White Chocolate Candy Cane Bark Recipe
White Chocolate Candy Cane Bark Recipe
about a month ago

A simple and festive recipe for white chocolate bark topped with crushed candy canes.

FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM

This easy minestrone soup recipe (vegan/vegetarian/dairy and gluten free) is a perfect compliment to the cheese biscuits I posted yesterday(just saying!). Recipes for both are linked in my profile.🍲🍅🥦 . #souprecipe #minestronesoup #healthylunchideas #winterfoods #foodphotographyandstyling #foodphotooftheday #foodphotograpy #simplerecipes #feedfeedvegetarian
So far today we’ve eaten pancakes with strawberries, built blocks, sorted laundry, read stories, run races (while crawling), had a tea party (with tea, cookies, and pretend soup), and cleaned up toys, all the while wearing our flannels, and drinking bottomless cups of coffee, and apple juice. Soon, we’ll start the laundry, wash the breakfast dishes, and Elodie and I will bake a batch of my Nanny’s cheese tea biscuits. Later, we’ll watch a movie together in bed (maybe Toy Story - last weekend we watched Coraline - the first movie E has ever watched from beginning to end, which she loved, and I thought was scary af), as we snuggle, and eat snacks. For us, snow days are a perfect mix of cleaning, keeping cozy, and living in the moment, because we literally have nowhere else to be. 🌬❄️ . If today is a snow day for you too, I hope you are bundled, and cozy, and warm, and, if you feel like baking a batch of my Nanny’s cheese tea biscuits too, you can find the recipe in @baked_theblog’s Insta profile. . #snowday❄️ #cozydays #cleaninghouse #snowdaybaking #snowstorm2019 #thebakefeed #thefeedfeedbaking #thenannyproject #grandmotherrecipe #bluepottery #homemadebiscuits #easyrecipes #f52butter #f52grams #comfortfoods #foodfluffer #shareyourtable #halifaxns
"I've been taking pictures with my phone," he said. "But they don't match what’s in my mind." . We were sitting at a table in a cozy café, he with his latte, me with my drip. . "Tell me," I said. "Where does it start?" . He starts talking. A tale of school. Of new directions, new jobs. Of taking a risk, throwing himself in, applying to be a market vendor. . "I want people to know it’s quality, that I take it seriously, but I also want it to be fun, and vibrant, and colourful. Because if it's not fun what's the point?" he said. . "Exactly," I thought, my mind swirling with ideas the colour of petite pink peppercorns and glistening golden grapefruits. . Later that night, sitting at the kitchen table, I hold his words close, a mug of tea steaming. Sheets of blank paper sit yawning before me, and then, suddenly, . I sketch. . I sketch his words. I sketch his product. I sketch his story. Soon, we will bring those drawings to life with images that celebrate his journey, his energy, his spirit. And though the process will be serious - very serious - we will capture the boldness, the essence, the pure vivid joy of his craft. . And it will be so much fun. . #halifaxns #halifaxblogger #halifaxphotographer #halifaxphotography #halifaxfood #foodphotographers #foodphotography📷 #storytellingphotography
We've been eating these pears for days now. . For breakfast, perched on pancakes, pooled with brown sugar syrup. . As a snack on homemade granola, dolloped with thick, tangy plain yogurt. . After supper served with slices of angel food cake and spoon-sized billows of whipped cream. . Here they're tossed with brown sugar, ice wine, and spices, waiting for the oven to preheat, ready for roasting. A quick, simple recipe I wrote for my In Season column in this past Friday’s Chronicle Herald. . . . . . #pears #pear🍐 #winterfood #winterfoods #winterfruit #inseason #roasted #foodphotography📷 #alienbees #thebakefeed
Came up with a tasty little recipe using Nova Scotia Bosc pears and @luckettvineyards’ Isolde ice wine for my #InSeason column in today's edition of @thechronicleherald. . . . . . Shot with - Canon 5D Mark 2 Canon 24-70mm 2.8L at 45mm ISO 100, 1/200th sec, f5.6 (to blur texture of vinyl background) Backlit with one Alien Bees B-400 strobe at 1/4 power through diffusion, no fill Background is @minibackdrops 2ft x 3ft in “white concrete” . . . . . #pears #thebakefeed #novascotiafood #novascotiaeats #eatlocalns #nogginsfarm #alderneymarket #foodwriting #foodphotographyandstyling #bhgfood #thekitchn #todayfood #foodblogfeed #foodphotography📷 #foodphotograph #halifaxns #strobelights
I recently read a post in a FB photography group I belong to where a woman said she had messaged another blogger to tell her she loved her photography, then asked her which lens she uses. . And the woman wouldn’t tell her. . It got me thinking. When do we stop sharing? We teach our children to share with others but we often stop carrying through with the concept as adults. Why couldn’t a reply have been sent that said, “Oh. Thank you so much! I use a Canon 50mm 1.4”? . I think the answer is fear. . “I can’t tell her which lens I use because she will COPY ME.” . “I can’t tell her which lens I use because she will STEAL MY CLIENTS.” . “I can’t tell her which lens I use because SHE WILL TAKE BETTER PICTURES THAN ME.” . Guess what? . IT’S ALL BULLSHIT. . No one on the PLANET has your mind, your brain, or your soul, and NOBODY ELSE has your exact life experience. . People may copy you but they can’t BE you, with your particular skill set and style. . People may steal your clients but guess what? If your client chooses a shitty-client-stealer over you, well, maybe that shitty-client-stealer is simply a better fit for THAT client. And that my friend is the CLIENT’S prerogative (I’m also a firm believer that there are PLENTY of clients for everyone and there are many clients that are a right fit for YOU). . It may sound cliché, but sharing what I’ve learned and what I know has made me a better, well, EVERYTHING - artist, business person, mother, and human being. Let’s stop being afraid! I’ll go first. Camera settings for this shot of @livelybakeryhfx’s Grandma’s Cabbage Pie: Canon 5D Mark 2 Canon 100mm 2.8L Macro ISO 100, 1/20 second, f 5.6 Recipe and styling by @livelybakeryhfx Shot for @thesupperclubmag . #cabbagepie #russianfood #winterrecipes #comfortfoods #glutenfreepie #halifaxns #halifaxblogger #halifaxfood #recipesharing #letsgettogether #artistsharing #sharingiscaring❤️ #feedfeedbaking #feedfeedglutenfree #thebakefeed #womeninfood #canoncanada #mycanon #mycanonstory #foodphotography📷 #foodphotographyandstyling #foodstylingphotography
How do you tell a story with a picture of food? . After I was assigned to shoot Trevor Simms’ seafood pasta for @curatedhalifax I brainstormed how I could incorporate elements of water, stone, and living in the Maritimes in one shot since Trevor, originally from Newfoundland, is currently Executive Chef of @harbourstonesg. . An old, light blue cupboard door adds tones of water and distressed wood, with tiny crackles rippling across the door like waves. . A fork from the 1800s, with a whale bone handle, is a nod to the marine history of Halifax Harbour, and the Maritime fishing industry in general. . The pasta is plated on a vintage Wood and Sons Nova Scotia souvenir plate, with the Halifax Town Clock placed clearly in view to represent both Trevor and Harbourstone’s presence in the city. . The lobster, shrimp, and scallops are nestled in the pasta but arranged to be the stars of the show. . And finally, I chose a hard direct light with strong shadows to mimic the sun, which rises over Dartmouth side and sets on the Halifax side of the harbour. . Would you have noticed or guessed at any of these elements in my “story”? I’d love to know what you think in the comments below! . . . . . Styled and shot for @curatedhalifax . #foodphotography📸 #foodphotographyandstyling #foodphotography101 #foodphotographytips #foodphotographystyling #foodphotographyprop #foodstylingprops #foodstylingtips #foodstylingclub #foodstylingphotography #foodstyling101 #foodstory #foodstoryteller #foodstorytelling #visitnovascotia #novascotialife #seafoodpasta #novascotiaeats #novascotian #halifax #halifaxns #maritimes #maritimehistory #maritimer #maritimelife
Staring. Watching. “He’s dead”, I thought, my heart racing. “Oh my god he’s dead.” Suddenly I saw movement, realized his fur was rising in steady rhythms. Up and down. Up and down. Relief hit me so hard I physically staggered. Back upstairs I went to finish a project. Ten minutes later the thought struck me again like lightning. “He’s dead,” I thought, panic clawing its way into my brain. “Oh my god I know he’s dead.” . After a couple of days I knew something was wrong. My cat, 13 at the time, of course COULD have died at any moment, but to panic and check every 10 minutes to see if he was breathing was… weird. I couldn’t stop. . My doctor diagnosed me with generalized anxiety and mild obsessive compulsive disorder. My mind was rocked. “No, no, no,” I thought, “That can’t be right. I’m the STRONG one in my family. I ESCAPED all of this.” Research and self-reflection proved I was wrong. I hadn’t escaped. I haven’t escaped. . The signs were always there. Since I was a child. I see them now. Social anxiety is a big part of it and over the years I’ve trained myself to appear comfortable when inside, I’m anything but. I think that’s why I love collaborating with other women. . Let me explain. . It takes courage to approach a stranger, message someone you don’t know, and say, “Hey. I love what you’re doing. Would you be up for putting our minds together sometime and making something beautiful?” . When they say yes you are excited and scared. You can’t predict how time will flow when you work with a stranger. You don’t know them, their quirks, or their habits, but when you let the day happen, give the other person space to do their thing, and force the fear that lurks in the pit of your stomach to shut the hell up for a minute, well, magic can happen.✨ . . . . . Gluten-free Medovnik (Russian Honey Cake) recipe + food and prop styling by Sasha @livelybakeryhfx . Shot for @thesupperclubmag magazine . #honeycake #russianhoneycake #hocsupperclub #winterfoods #wintercake #feedfeedbaking #feedfeedglutenfree #bakeandshare #liveforfood #mycanon #firstweeat #plateddessert #plateddesserts #meandmymanfrotto #foodphotography #foodstyling #anxietyawareness #ocdawareness
My phone updated last week and now tracks how much time I spend on my phone and OH MY GOODNESS IT’S GROSS. Hours! Hours upon hours! I mean, yes, I’m running a business from my phone, but STILL.😬 . We have a rule in our house - no phones at the table while we’re eating. Ok it’s my rule, but Chris, Elodie, and I eat together at LEAST once every day. I don’t want to be a zombie who would rather look at Facebook than pay attention to my family.🧟‍♀️ . @PresChoice has a wonderful campaign happening right now called #EatTogether, encouraging us to get back to the table and simply BE TOGETHER at the dinner table (“getting together” is actually one of my personal themes for 2019, so when I was asked to help spread the word about the Eat Together campaign I immediately replied, “YES!!”). . There’s a website (link via the linktree link in my bio but just in case it’s www.pc.ca/eattogether) where you can take the pledge to spend more time at the table with your family and friends this year (it literally takes less than one minute!) and for every pledge received $1.00 will be donated to PC Children’s Charity. It’s cool too because the site updates in real time - you can see exactly how many people have taken the pledge along with us.🤝 . Please help me keep my New Year’s goal in motion - take the pledge, gather the people you love around the table, and help raise money for a great cause?🥰🙌🏻😘 . #PCPartner #notsponsored #gatherandfeast #gatherings #Canadian #canada_true #canadalove #familymeals #familygatherings #gettogethers
She’d spent hours in the kitchen, glasses steamed up, sweat dampening her shirt. “Why is this so hard?”, she thought to herself. “Why am I doing this?” . By the end of it all she was tired but proud. She’d done it. She’d made something from nothing with her own two hands and it was beautiful. Maybe others would say it was shit, but to her, right there, in that moment, quiet and alone in her small kitchen, it was beautiful. . Social media doesn’t have to be lonely, and it doesn’t have to be a place that steals joy. It can be a place where we gather and are safe, while we cheer for one another and make beautiful things. Let’s make it a point to get together in 2019 ok?❤️ . #letsgettogether #womenhelpingwomen #garlicpasta #chickenrecipe #darkandmoodyfoodphotography #stonefruit #novascotialife #seafoodchowder #fishchowder #johnsonbrotherschina #appleblossoms #rhubarb #cocktails🍸 #autumnvibes🍁 #appleseason #spanishtortilla #acommonplate #supperclub #hocsupperclub #gatherandfeast #gatherings
Raise your hand if you’re ready to eat some vegetables! 🙋‍♀️🌽🥦🥕🥬🍅 . . . . . Shot for @schoolhouseglutenfreegourmet . #eatveggies #nomorecookies #grilledcorn #summerfoods #foodstylingandphotography #foodwinewomen #storyofmytable #homemadefood #firstweeat #herestothefarmer #seasonalfood #farmfreshfood
Guys! It’s the last day of my #NovaScotia food producer photo package giveaway! 📸 . NS food/drink producers can leave a comment under my previous post pic of @madewithlocal’s delicious granola bars as to why they would love to win a professionally styled and photographed brand photography session including a series of 3 final edited images to use however they like! . I’ve had some amazing entries so far and would love for others to still have a chance to enter. Share the local love my dudes. 🙏🏻❤️ . #halifax #dartmouth #hrm #halifaxns #discoverhalifax #visitnovascotia #novascotiabusiness #novascotiasmallbusiness #novascotiafarmers #novascotiafood #novascotiawine #novascotiacraftbeer #halifaxfarmersmarket #novascotia #discovernovascotia #novascotiaeats

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The Botha Family

October 06, 2012 in Family, Nova Scotia, Outside

Is this not the cutest little family EVER?!? Turns out we're neighbours too!! It was an absolute pleasure to photograph Jani and her family last week at Fisherman's Cove in Eastern Passge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: blue, family, yellow
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