Ania Fields Photo Art - Sauk Prairie WI Photographer

Brandy and Casey – Winter Engagement Session, Sauk City WI Photographer

Ania — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:22:33 +0000

Brandy and Casey love skiing so when we first started planning their engagement photos we thought about capturing them in their element on a ski slope. However, since winter wasn’t generous with the snow this year, we decided to stay in Sauk City WI and do more urban engagement session. And it worked out great as these two are so easy to photograph and so sweet together. There was still some snow left on the ground so instead of skis we played with sleds. Thank you for a fun session! I can’t wait to capture your wedding in August, I am sure we won’t have to bundle up then

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Contemporary Headshots – Headshots Photography, Madison WI

Ania — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:12:17 +0000

Warm winter turns out to be a great season for professional headshots this year Here are a few new images from recent sessions. Have you been meaning to update your online look? Contact me and let’s create genuine, modern headshot images for your business or online networking.

click here to see more: www.aniafieldsphotoart.com

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Reed and Family – Extended Family Portraits, Baraboo WI Photographer

Ania — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:20:51 +0000

Reed just celebrated his first birthday! His Grandma invited me to his house to capture him at this milestone age. Since everybody was there for his party it was also a great opportunity to create some extended family portraits. We were hoping that an unusually warm weather will last until the day of our session and allow us to have some outdoor fun. But it didn’t, so when I arrived to their house on one freezing January morning we decided to stay indoors. The house was bright and with some furniture moved aside one wall turned into a perfect portrait background. Reed is not walking yet, but he is FAST. Together with his 3-year-old brother they did their best to challenge my chasing skills. Here are a few sneak peeks of what I was able to capture Happy Birthday, Reed!

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Modern Headshots – Madison WI Headshots Photographer

Ania — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:45:41 +0000

Almost everybody nowadays has some kind of online presence. It’s a must if you are a business owner. If your business has a website – you need a great headshot to go with it to make your business more personal. You only have a few seconds to make a great first impression . Chris and Mark contacted me recently because they needed some contemporary headshots for their websites and company brochures and I was happy to help them with that. We worked outside in natural light (they were brave in cold Wisconsin winter) and created these relaxed business portraits. Here are a few of their favorites…

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Wisconsin River on a Frosty Morning – Prairie du Sac, WI Photographer

Ania — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:44:37 +0000

This is how the world three blocks from our house looked this morning. Normally we just drive by it without paying much attention. Today (even though it was close to zero F) I decided to stop and just look. I need to do this more often

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Winners of the Best of 2011 Photo Contest – Sauk Prairie WI Wedding Photographer

Ania — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:20:37 +0000

Thank you so much for participating in my first ever best photo contest I hope you had as much fun as I did following your excitement and all the comments and “likes” on Facebook. This week I was faced with a challenging task of validating and tallying up all the votes. After counting and re-checking everything three times I can share with you now that the winners are… Kathleen and Ryan from image #31! Their prize is a beautiful 16×20 float wrap with a wedding image of their choice. Congratulations! But that is not all… Originally I didn’t plan on having a second place, however I decided to offer it after all the effort that Jessica and Brett (from image #26) put into campaigning for their winning portrait. With just a few votes less than the winning couple, they will receive an 11×14 art print.

Thanks again for all your kind words and support, it truly means a lot It was a great 2011 thanks to all of you and now I am looking forward to an even better 2012!

see more photos here: www.aniafieldsphotoart.com

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Best of 2011 Contest – Vote For Your Favorite Photo – Prairie du Sac, WI Photographer

Ania — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:00:03 +0000

When I thought about what to write about for my first blog post in 2012, I had an idea to make it into a contest. So here we go…!

Let’s go back to 2011 and enjoy it for a little longer… Here are my favorite images from all the weddings, family and senior sessions that I had a pleasure to capture last year. It was almost an impossible task to pick just one photograph from each session. If I had to do it again my choices would probably be different, but here in this post are my first impressions of favorites.

Now, it’s your turn and the fun part – the best of Ania Fields Photo Art 2011 contest.

Who wins?

Client(s) with the image receiving the most votes.

What is the prize?

One 16×20 float wrap using an image of their choice taken from last year’s session or wedding.

How to vote for your favorite photo?

1. You can vote for ONE image only.

2. Choose your favorite photo below (one and only!) and vote for it by leaving a comment below this post (just click on “leave the comment” link on the bottom under the last photo). In the comment box share the number of your favorite photo AND ALSO write why you like it most.

3. Bonus vote: You can have one extra vote for the same image. To receive it, just go to my Facebook Page and “like” it, to become a fan (if you haven’t done it yet ) Then go to the “Best of 2011 Contest” photo gallery and click “like” on the same ONE image you chose in the blog. Votes on Facebook will count only from people who both “like” Ania Fields Photo Art business page AND ALSO left a comment on the blog.

4. Voting closes on Sunday January 15th, 2012 at midnight CST

Please follow the rules above so that your votes count and share this contest with family and friends. I will do my best to validate and tally up all the votes correctly and will announce the winner here on the blog. Thank you for all your support and trust in 2011. Wishing you the most wonderful 2012, hopefully we’ll have a chance to enjoy it together

go here for more photos: www.aniafieldsphotoart.com

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A Little Summer in Winter – Sauk City, WI Photographer

Ania — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:36:43 +0000

2011 was definitely a year filled with travels for our family. Winter finally arrived with some snow to Wisconsin and we just came back from an amazing trip to much warmer parts of the world. Hopefully the warmth we soaked in will last until the spring Visiting the Caribbean was on my wish list for a long while and recently we had an opportunity to cross that off. Well, actually not fully because we all definitely want to go back and see more but I am so happy and grateful to be able to see a small part of it. Beaches lined up with palm trees, clear blue water, interesting sea shells, snorkeling in coral reef, swimming with the rays, tropical jungle, exotic animals, new cultures… the list could go on and on. The kids called it an “epic vacation” and the only thing I regret is that I didn’t have any decent waterproof camera. I am a little ashamed to admit that most of our water related adventures were captured only with a single use plastic point and shoot. I haven’t developed that film yet Here are a few images from the islands taken when there was no risk of getting wet…

After returning back to New Orleans we stayed a little longer there before heading back home. This was just enough time to see The French Quarter, full of beautiful old historic buildings, iron balconies, artists, eclectic shops, great food and and of course live music. A few hours wasn’t nearly enough to experience it all but it gave us a taste of that amazing city.

I was trying to set up the camera for a photo of my family when a kind passerby offered to take that picture for me. One of very few with me in front of the lens Thank you!

I am sure we will be back in New Orleans to explore more. And on the way back (while driving 60m/hr ) I was able to capture this last Louisiana image…

So Good You Could Eat Them – Local Gifts – Sauk City, WI Photographer

Ania — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:07:34 +0000

Being a small and local business myself, I do my best to support other small businesses and local entreprenuers. And one that I always recommend — as I strongly believe in everything that she does — is our Roots and Shoots CSA farm owner Heidi Accola. In December the growing season in Wisconsin is obviously over but with gift giving time upon us I would like to share with you some other products that Heidi creates in her kitchen (and I photographed them in mine yesterday ) Here they are – handmade soaps:

All Heidi’s soaps and balms feature organic herbs and additives and are gentle on the skin. They are also colored and scented with natural colorants and essential oils. Here are just a few of the yummy ingredients: pure olive oil, beeswax, goat’s milk, carrot juice, oats, egg yolks, cucumbers, pumpkin, sweet potato, lemon, mint, coffee, chocolate… All so good you could it it And they smell delicious, too!

These soaps and balms would make a beautiful gift for someone who appreciates local, organic, sustainable products. If you are interested in any of the above give Heidi a call at 608-643-5273.

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What I Love – Kombucha – Learn How To Make It – Prairie du Sac, WI Photographer

Ania — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:11:41 +0000

Today I would like to share with you how to make kombucha. This is not really a photography related topic, but one very close to my heart, as I used to teach workshops how to make this special drink. And of course I will include some images as well We’ve been drinking kombucha regularly for several years now. I think this is one of the things that helps us stay healthy during the colder months. It is also one of the best thirst quenchers during hot summers. Kombucha is a naturally fermented drink made of tea, sugar and special culture called “scoby”. Because of the fermentation, it is full of health benefits, probiotics, vitamins, enzymes and more. It is also very easy to make at home at a fraction of the cost of store bought bottle. If you’ve never tried it I encourage you to buy a bottle, and who knows, you might like it so much that you will want to learn how to make your own. This recipe below will help you with that. Besides, with the holiday season just around the corner, home brewed kombucha in a nice bottle makes a great gift as well as a conversation starter Aren’t these pretty?

This is what you will need to make kombucha:

Large stainless steel pot (at least a gallon or larger). Stainless steel, enamel or glass work well. Aluminum or teflon coated pots are NOT good.
12 cups of filtered water
1 cup of sugar
5 teaspoons of loose tea or 6 tea bags. Plain black or green tea is good. Sometimes I like to experiment with flavored teas but you have to make sure that they don’t contain any oils or artificial flavoring as these are not good for the scoby.
Scoby and about a cup of previously brewed kombucha as a starter. This might be the most challenging ingredient to obtain… You can get in touch with me as I always have some extra ones or search Craig’s List. You may also grow your own scoby from scratch by using two bottles of plain store bought kombucha. If you choose this method just use less water for your first batch. In kombucha circles your first scoby is called “the mother” and the new ones it produces are “babies”
a glass gallon jar
piece of old t-shirt and a rubber band
plastic straw
several glass bottles with plastic caps (not metal!) or ceramic flip tops. I use old lemonade or grolsch beer bottles. You can also buy EZ-cap type bottles at a store with beer brewing supplies.

How to make kombucha:

Wash the pot and add 12 cups of filtered or spring water and bring to a boil. You’ll need only 8 glasses if you are going to grow your own scoby.
When it boils, add 1 cup of sugar, stir it well to dissolve and boil 5 more minutes.
Turn off the gas, add tea to water, cover and let cool down to room temperature. I usually do this step in the evening and let it cool overnight.
Pour your sweet tea from the pot into a clean glass jar, add your scoby (the mother) and some starter kombucha. If you don’t have a scoby then pour two bottles of PLAIN (not flavored) store bought kombucha. Never add a scoby to hot sweet tea – it will kill it.
Cover the jar with cotton cloth and secure with a rubber band.
Put the jar in a place where nothing will disturb it and leave it alone for about 5-7 days. You may look and admire how your new baby scoby is growing on the surface, but don’t stir or shake the jar.
After 5 days you should see a new scoby on the top and you may start testing your kombucha to check if it is done. Just slide a straw by the side of the scoby and sample. It will have a vinegar smell and semi-sweet taste, like apple cider. It may take from 5 days to two weeks to brew kombucha. It depends on the room temperature, how thick was the scoby and how much starter you used. Always wait long enough so that the baby scoby is at least 1/8in thick. This is how it should look, see the lighter layer on top? This is a new baby

When the kombucha tastes good to you, carefully remove the scoby (mother and baby) put it in a glass container and pour a cup or more of kombucha over to protect it and cover. Now you can make a new batch with it, give the baby to a friend or put in a fridge until you are ready to make more (we usually have two or three gallons brewing at the same time). You can separate the scobies or keep them together. As you can see here, it turned out I had 4 layers of them. More would be too many, it was time to get rid of the bottom ones.

You may now drink the kombucha straight from the jar but it tastes MUCH better if you first bottle it. Pour kombucha to the brim into glass bottles. You may add some flavoring now: pieces of fresh, frozen or dried fruit, ginger, lemon juice or our favorite – mint sprigs. Cap the bottles and leave at room temperature for 2 to 5 days. This will make kombucha deliciously fizzy. Keep an eye on the bottles though because if you leave them too long they may explode and you’ll have a nice kombucha pattern on you ceiling… This happened once when we added too much fresh apple juice I hope you’ll find these instructions easy enough to experiment in your kitchen and brew your own kombucha at home or at least buy one bottle in a store and try it if you’ve never had it before. Happy brewing!

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