20 on Tuesday: Bree Hester of Baked Bree

I love food.

OK.  I’ve said it.  I am a lover of good food.  My newest issue of Bon Appetit is sitting on my desk right next to me as I type.  I have a serious sweet tooth.  I have a fairly strong salty tooth.  And a tooth I reserve just for bread straight from the bakery, crusty on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.  Mmmmmmmm!!!!

Yep.  I love food.  Unfortunately, this being January and all, I’m restricting my food intake in hopes that I can look like I don’t love food quite so much.  

The funny thing is, when I’m trying not to eat as much food, it seems like food is all I can think of.  It’s when I peruse food magazines and watch the Food Network and visit food blogs the most.  So, I thought this would be the perfect time to feature my very favorite food blogger, Bree Hester!

I  “met”  Bree back when we were on a few of the same photography forums.  She was in the midst of a successful portrait business and I was just beginning my journey.  I was in awe of her amazing pops of color and her beautiful images of children and families.  I still have her portrait blog bookmarked on my computer in my favorites. During the months while I was in the trenches of learning and reading and practicing and workshopping, I lost track of Bree.  I was thrilled when she “re-emerged” last year with a brand new blog...all about FOOD!

And who knew she had THE perfect name for a food blog. 

BAKEDBREE.

I love her blog because she combines her amazing photography skills with a fabulous talent for cooking to create a blog full of two of my favorite things, gorgeous photographs and good food.  No wonder I spend so much time there!

This Christmas I pulled myself away from a whirlwind of editing to make her Lemon Wreath cookies.  And.  Oh. My. Goodness.  They were divine!  And pretty!  My family was a little astonished that I had made them seeing that I hadn’t baked anything in forever.  I wish she lived closer so I could eat all of her recipes as she blogs them.  On second thought, that may not get me any closer to my goal of a swimsuit.  Anyway, I’m so excited to feature this week’s 20 on Tuesday, Bree Hester!

Hi Bree,

Where are you from?

I am from Linwood, NJ which is right outside of Atlantic City.

Where is home now?

For the next few months, home is Carmichael, CA.  In June, we are headed to Fort Leavenworth, KS for 10 months.  Then most likely, Washington, DC.

Are you formally educated or self-taught in photography and cooking?

Self-taught in both for the most part.  I took a few photography classes in college.  Film classes, but I stopped taking pictures for a long time.  When my son was born, I fell in love again, but made the switch to digital and had to learn all over again.

As for cooking, I learned from my mother and from my love of eating.  I have always loved to cook and it has always been a big part of my life.  My mom owned a catering business for many years.  I love having a house full of people, so I had tons of parties.  I learned to cook and entertain along the way.

What led you to pursue photography as a career?

I never meant to get into photography, it just sort of happened.  We were living in a teeny, tiny town in Canada and people liked the pictures that I was taking.  Before I knew it, I was in business.  When we moved back to the states, I opened my portrait business officially.  About 9 months ago, I closed to it to focus on my food blog.

What led you to specialize in food blogging?

It is the perfect fit for me.  It combines two things that I love.  Food and photography.  I think a lot of people are afraid to get in to the kitchen and I want to show them that cooking is fun and easy.

Who gets to eat all of your blog creations?

The dinners, my family.  The baked goods usually go to some friends and neighbors.  The guys at Air Station Sacramento and the teachers at my children’s school get a lot too.

How do you decide what recipes to blog?

I only blog things that I really like and that I think people can make easily.  I find inspiration everywhere and do not make the same things very often.  Of course there are certain staples, but I like to have a lot of variety.

I like to challenge myself and my readers with things that are more technical sometimes, but I always warn them first.
If you could be invisible for one day with your camera…

I would follow my 2 year old around and actually witness the mischief that he gets into!

My sister has writes a popular craft blog and often shares with me what she calls her “craft-fails”.  Crafts that never made it onto her blog because they didn’t turn out.  Have you had any “food-fails”?

All the time!  I burnt my Christmas Eve dinner so badly that we ended up eating fried egg sandwiches and pancakes. I burnt the soup that I was making so badly, I had to throw the pot away that I made it in.  Only I do write about them.  I want my readers to know that I don’t always get it right.
Who inspires you?

My mother.  My children.  And Nigella Lawson.

What’s in your camera bag?

A Nikon D700, a 24-70 2.8 (my kitchen lens), a 50mm 1.4, and a 105 2.8 macro

What are your three favorite kitchen items?

My Kitchen Aid mixer, my Wusthof Santoku knife, my Martha Stewart dutch oven,  and heatproof spatulas.

If not a food blogger/photographer what would you have been?

In a previous life (before children and being married to the military), I was a teacher.  I would love to teach some cooking classes.  I would also love to write a cookbook someday.  It is on my bucket list.

If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home?

My husband I were just talking about this last night.  I think in New England somewhere.  Someplace with a small town feel, but close enough to a large city.  I miss the 4 seasons.

What talent would you most like to have?

The ability to eat whatever I want and not gain any weight.  And for the dishes to do themselves.

What are the three words your spouse would use to describe you?

He would say (I hope!) that I am motivated, funny, and creative.

Something that is over rated…

Sleep.  And making chicken stock from scratch.
Your favorite movie of all time?

Today it is Love Actually.

If you could change one thing you did while starting your photography business, what would it be?

I had zero confidence.  I thought that I was the worst photographer in the world and that people were doing me a favor by hiring me.  I was wrong.  I was (and still am) a good photographer.  How could I ask my clients to take me seriously, when I did not take myself seriously?

What quote best represents you at this moment?

I have two right now.  “Go big or go home”.  And, “the worst that they can say is no”.

Bree’s work can be found HERE

Thank you, Bree!!!