Tag Archives: west bloomfield photographer

Samira’s Baking Journey

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We’ve had the good fortune to be called upon for some very interesting photo shoots over the years and we thought it would be fun to share some “frameable things” – not just faces…

So cue the music – “These are a few of our frameable things…..”

You’ve probably seen or heard us gushing about Samira Cholagh and her cookbooks, one of which (Treasured Middle Eastern Cookbook) is available at our studio here in the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield. We met Samira in 2009 as she was working extremely hard on her third book, and she needed someone to photograph the dishes she was going to feature. A special friendship was born (Believe that – Doug and food? Do you know Doug?) as we spent a good chunk of that summer at Samira’s home photographing and eating. It was incredible – this book focuses mostly on baking so we were eating pies, tarts, pastries, and cookies pretty much daily….. oy. Samira is the genuine article – sweet, generous, full of life, and her recipes are fantastic. We think the Food Network needs to discover her and have a show that focuses on middle eastern cuisine. Indeed, her show Samira’s Kitchen can be seen on MEA TV & Radio every Thursday at 7:00 PM and you can go to her YouTube channel or Middle Eastern American TV & Radio for more details.

We were very excited to see Samira on Detroit’s Fox 2 News again yesterday morning doing a cooking demonstration and promoting the new book A Baking Journey, and you can watch the clip from the show right HERE from the myFOXdetroit website! Meanwhile here are 4 photographs we took which appear in Samira’s book!

Frameable Faces Cookbook Photography

Yes – this is what we did with our summer that year….

Samira's Baking Journey, Samira Cholagh

Pineapple and coconut – one of Doug’s favorites from the book…

Recipes, Food, Photography, Frameable Faces, West Bloomfield Photographer

Beautiful – and yummy…

Food, Cookbook, West Bloomfield Photographer, Samira Cholagh

The fig pie is incredible – Doug’s other favorite – we just made this one ourselves a few weeks ago…

Blogging Revisited

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So….. we had a meeting with my friend and new guru Melissa Brodsky this morning and I am very excited! You see, Missy is an incredible and very accomplished writer and blogger and she knows her way around social media. I’ve mentioned her blog www.rockanddrool.com before and if you don’t follow it then you can’t be my friend anymore. Okay maybe that was a little strong. But you really should check it out – it’s fantabulous.

As most of you know I spend a lot of time updating our facebook pages and scouring the web for cool content that I think y’all will enjoy and get some use from. I tweet, I set us up with a page on LinkedIn and connect with people there, I’ve got Frameable Faces going on Foursquare, Yelp, YouTube……

It’s now time to revisit and take our blog seriously.

Little by little our online presence has morphed and grown quite a bit and this blog will once again become an important piece to the puzzle that should allow us a more robust platform and outlet for our creative energies (read – Doug can write and post more stuff), help us expand our reach, and help tie the strategy together.

All of those details might not mean a ton to all of you, but I know there are a decent number of frameables who are into this subject and regardless we just like to let you know what we’re doing and why. The blog gives us some additional flexibility and another way to build relationships online. We will continue to post on facebook and we will let you know when there is something to see here (which will be often) and we will ask you to continue to leave your comments, feedback, questions and come along for the ride! Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think! The frameables are the reason we are here and we look forward to giving back to you!

Frameable Food at Zoe’s House of Pancakes!

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Anyone who has spent considerable time here at Frameable Faces Photography knows that we are total foodies and it’s not uncommon for there to be food in the studio – lots of food.  So when we had the opportunity to photograph the new menu items at Zoe’s House Of Pancakes here at The Orchard Mall we salivated at the opportunity (pun intended). What a morning that was – photographing and feasting for hours until we couldn’t move. Flash forward a few months and the new menu is official with our images gracing the cover and the back! As for the food, I truly believe Zoe’s has elevated their game significantly with the new items. Zoe’s has always been a very good breakfast joint with a really good whole wheat pancake option, some yummy specialty items like pumpkin pancakes, the chicken pomodoro omelete and they’ve always had good lunch too. However in my opinion they have become the premier breakfast option on the block with the new items they have added and the line out the door on the weekends proves it.

My favorite is the Chilaquiles – tortillas, chicken, and salsa verde on top of hash browns and cheese with scrambled eggs on top – soooo good. The Huevos Rancheros is great too – love the latin flavor choices!

Zoe's House Of Pancakes

Huevos Rancheros

As for the pancakes – Red Velvet Pancakes!!!

Frameable Faces Photography, Food, Zoe's House Of Pancakes, Photography

Red Velvet Pancakes

Yes the red velvet pancakes are quite delectable and I’ve never seen these anywhere before. The carrot cake pancakes are unique too, and the very berry cream cheese stuffed french toast is out of this world.

West Bloomfield Photographer

Very Berry Stuffed French Toast

Yes we’ve tried all of these already – all in one morning actually…. (oy).  The conclusion: Eat at Zoe’s – and then walk down the hall and say hello after you do!

Frameable Faces – What’s In A Name?

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For some time Ally went by “Allyson Cohen Photography” before changing the name to Frameable Faces Photography. At the risk of sounding a little corny, Frameable Faces for us genuinely means many things and we thought we would share…

Community
It’s not just about Ally which is one of the reasons the change was made in the first place. Frameable Faces is a place – it’s a physical studio and a business true, but it only works business namebecause it’s more than that. It is really a community – all of you! The smiling and frameable faces of the people who pass in front of Ally’s lens make up Frameable Faces Photography. You are all a part of it and it wouldn’t exist without you. You ARE the frameable faces.
Lifestyle
Sure we take pictures and capture memories here, but we try to promote the idea that being “frameable” is an attitude and even a lifestyle. People are here because they live life to the fullest – otherwise they wouldn’t be looking to have it photographed. Sometimes people walk through our doors hesitantly – they don’t think they are photogenic. Those people deserve a lot of credit for overcoming their doubts and getting in front of the camera, and they end up discovering how frameable they really are. Is your attitude, your family, your life, your smile, your face worth displaying on a wall (or on a purse or in an album)?
Fun
We think the name is fun. It makes us smile, and taking pictures should be fun. We even think our little flower in the logo is fun (don’t ask us how it evolved into our little trademark symbol because we’re not really sure – but it seems to fit). We enjoy meeting so many wonderful people and getting to know our peeps, staying in touch, watching their children grow and celebrating life’s milestones. Sometimes it’s downright hilarious (like when a newborn baby poops on Ally).
So there you have it. Yep – it’s sugary sweet but it is what it is!

Look at these eyes!

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I had this session with sweet little E on Sunday. She came in and was a bit sad, but had some food and all was good! She was clowning around in front of the camera for a good long time! I got a bunch of really great shots. I’m hoping to use some of cute little E in my marketing in the coming year. She was so much fun!

Until next time,
Ally

How much cuter can you get??

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On Friday, I was super lucky to work with A and T. When they walked into the studio, I was SO excited to photograph them for their Christmas cards. What absolutely gorgeous children! And what little personalities. A is a little mommy – very sweet to her little brother, and T was making me laugh the entire time! What a little ham!

I love when my sessions are like this! Sweet kiddos, fun parents. I love my job!

Until next time,
Ally

One of my favorite babies in my new studio space!

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Did you know that I’m running an amazing special in November? I’m donating 15% of my gross sales to Gilda’s Club in honor of a friend of mine who’s fighting breast cancer. She’s going to win, I know, but it still hits too close to home for me. This is the least I can do for her!

So, that being said, I’ve begun moving myself into my amazing studio space at the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield. Today, I got to spend a little bit of one on one time (well as one on one as you can get…my sister was there!!) with my nephew G.

When I say that G is one of my all time favorite babies, I’m serious. This little guy had me from hello. Whenever I see him, my face lights up and I just get all soft and mushy. I’m pretty sure he feels the same way. I love this kid!

These are just a few of him. I know they’re similar poses but his expressions are priceless. I firmly believe that he’s probably one of THE happiest, fattest, squishable babies ever!

Enjoy “Heavy G!” I know I do!

Until next time,
Ally

The T family’s sneak peak

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I love these guys! I’ve known C and C since they were born and they’re like my own kids. When A called me and asked me to photograph her family, I immediately said YES! I love working with her and her amazing husband, J. We always have a blast when we work together.

C is a budding little model and is so darned creative – we were able to take a bunch more of her that aren’t getting posted here…You’ll have to check out the Frameable Faces group on Facebook to see those!! She’s an amazing dancer and is so much fun to be around. Little C is all boy. Completely full of energy and continually makes me laugh…even when he’s “acting up!” I love this image of him…it describes his attitude of our session this time to a “T!” But then, he turns that little frown upside down and is full of sweetness and amazing expressions!

So, that’s it for right now! More to come soon!! Thanks for checking in…

Until next time,
Ally

Is she stunning or what???

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So yesterday I spent four, YES FOUR, hours shooting L. She’s an unbelivable senior model and I had the absolute BEST time photographing her. I’ve officially made up my mind…Seniors are my favorite subjects to photograph!

L had another session right before mine and we agreed that we’d meet at her house to go over some outfits. We picked a bunch of great ones and we were off. We went to a construction site and the workers there were all about watching us work instead of doing theirs! I got to even shoot at my old high school, since she’s a student there and captain of the Pom squad! OH! I almost forgot to add that she’s a 4.0 student AND gorgeous, too! Talk about having it all!!!

I definitely have my favorites, and there’s still more that I have to complete, but I thought I’d start you all off with these few. If you want to see the rest, add me as a friend on Facebook (Ally Levine Cohen) with a note letting me know who you are and browse away!!

Anyone else wanting to be a senior model? Let me know! I’m putting together a great Senior Rep program, too, if you’re interested in chatting about that, too!

So, enjoy!

Until next time,

Ally