Welcome & Hi: Blogmas Intro

by Madison

Hi everyone! Welcome to Vogue & A Latte if it’s your first time and welcome back if it’s not. I am really excited about starting a new tradition called Blogmas. I am a big YouTube watcher (not maker, I am horrible at video editing. I wish it came naturally to me.) and my favorite YouTubers (Danielle Carolan, Brooke Miccio, Kenzie Elizabeth, Sierra Furtado, Morgan Yates, etc.) do this thing called Vlogmas each year where they post a video every single day up until Christmas. This must take a LOT of work for them, yet I am so intrigued by it and wanted to put my own twist on it by doing it in my own way on my own platforms. I feel like it is a challenge for myself to see if I am capable of writing a post each day (or writing in batches to post on days that I am unavailable). I am curious about how the consistency of posting each day on V&L as well as my Madison Crowley Photo blog will affect engagement. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Maybe I will be so tired of doing blog posts each day that I won’t finish (I hope not though, that would be weak of me!!!). Maybe my engagement will stay the same. Some posts will get more views than others because naturally people are drawn to different topics, but really I am just focused on writing about topics that interest me but benefit you. Two years into photography, I have made mistakes and learned lessons that I want to share but also have a good amount of beginner photography wisdom that I want to share. I also have some wisdom on what it takes to be an influencer (I used to focus mainly on that so I know what it takes to pitch yourself, work out contracts, post before deadlines, etc.), how to social media content plan & schedule, as well as a thing or two about non-toxic beauty, gluten & dairy-free cooking, blogging, and so much more. I’ve got a lot of topics to write about and I am excited to take you along with me!!!

Here is a littttttle bit about me in case you are new:
+ I live in Atlanta, Georgia with my 6-year-old Yorkie-Poodle named Boston. If COVID didn’t exist, I would be in Orange County every other month visiting friends, family, and clients.
+ As of today, I work full-time for myself as a photographer & mentor at Madison Crowley Photo (that’s crazy y’all)
+ I have a passion for coffee tbh. I am becoming a coffee connoisseur (not a coffee snob, though) and am newly into matcha. I love fancy drinks. In another life, I would open a boutique coffee shop.
+ I started a fashion blog in 2016 called Forge a Frenzy that has evolved into Vogue & a Latte which is definitely not primarily (or secondary or even tertiary) a fashion blog. At first, I was paralyzed by that as I didn’t know who I was or what to write about. Losing that desire and passion scared me for a while until I realized that the beauty of having your own blog is that you get to write about whatever YOU want. People are attracted to who you are. Write authentically.
+ I eat gluten & dairy-free (not by choice).
+ I care a lot about wellness (non-toxic living) because we come into contact with enough chemicals just by leaving our homes, why not manage the chemicals we actually can control?!
+ I have a wonderfully fantastic boyfriend who is supportive and Godly and funny and handsome and an answer to prayer.
+ I love fresh flowers. And green juice. And dainty gold necklaces. And good-smelling oils/lotions. And online shopping, unfortunately.
+ I am a major list girl. If it isn’t written down, it’s not happening. And that’s a fact.

And here are some topics you can get excited about coming up this Blogmas:
+ Your Email Is a Trap
+ How to Start a Blog
+ How to Plan for Your First Photography Session
+ The Only Business That Requires 0 Investment Upfront
+ Everything You Might Be Wondering About Where to Market Yourself
+ Christmas Eve & The Importance of Planning Ahead
+ Launch & Adjust

This post was short, sweet, and to the point. How I approach a lot of things in my life. If you don’t have efficiency, what do you have when it comes to your business! Most of these posts are going to be beefed up with tips, tricks, and education so we are starting off with a welcoming invitation to join me on this Blogmas journey. Fingers crossed we make it to the end!

You can follow along in real-time on my Instagram at @MadisonCrowley but until tomorrow, ttyl <3

If you feel so inclined, I would LOVE to hear how you got to this post. Instagram? Facebook? A friend?

Gift Guide: The Photographer

by Madison

Happy Blogmas Day 3! We are doing this, y’all!!

Today is the first of a few gift guides — it’s not too late! I am not done shopping for my family and friends and if you are, MAJOR props. If you have a photographer friend, family member, or are a photographer and need some Christmas list ideas, this post is for you. The entire image above is clickable (simply click on the red boxes with a + on them) and shopable except for these 4 extra special gift ideas:

Illustration
An illustration is a perfect gift that elevates an already present photo. I personally use @denofdreamers Tara Nix for my illustrations. She is affordable and her images are so quality! I gifted my boyfriend the image above for our 1 year anniversary and it was such a special gift.

Brevite Jumper Backpack:
CAN’T RECOMMEND ENOUGH. Holds everything. So many compartments and places for everything a photographer could need at a shoot or for a workday at a coffee shop. Seriously, get this for the photographer in your life.

Gift THEM a photoshoot (branding/headshot or a simple family/couple shoot!)
As a photographer, I would LOVE to be gifted a branding session or a couples session to have photos taken OF me! It is really important to get in front of the camera to learn how your clients feel but also just to get some updated photos of yourself! Clients want to see their photographer’s face sometimes too (: You can learn how to gift a photo session in this post I wrote.

Workshop from their photographers
Some photographers like Dawn Charles offer workshops, resources, guides, etc. that can be SO helpful for new and intermediate photographers. The photographer in your life definitely has a favorite photographer of their own… ask them who they are and then do the research to see if they offer a course or workshop!

GIFTCARDS!
Specifically to coffee shops. Starbucks would be great. Or even a Trade coffee subscription! They need their editing fuel!

I hope you were able to get some good gift ideas from this post! Happy shopping!!

PS: If you feel so inclined, I would LOVE to hear how you got to this post. Instagram? Facebook? A friend?

PPS: Feel free to share this post!!!

How to Gift a Photography Session This Holiday Season

by Madison

Hi there! Welcome to Blogmas Day 2! We are jumping right in with this second post. Getting right to the good stuff.

Photography sessions make incredible gifts. Specifically for your girlfriend, wife, Mom, and grandparents. Your girlfriend or wife will literally be OVER THE MOON if you gift her with a photo session. Your Mom and grandparents will be just as thrilled to be a part of one but will also cherish the photos in frames all throughout their home for years to come. The guy in your life could also be thrilled about this gift, especially your Dad. Dad’s are complete mush balls (most of the time) when it comes to photos with their kids or grandkids. This is also the perfect gift to give to a couple (maybe they just bought a house? Just had a baby? Need some new photos for the frames in their home?), your daughter or son (do they need new pics with their boo? New headshots? A session with their beloved pet?), or even your parents as a fun activity for them to do together. You could gift a photo session to your boss, your in-laws, your roommate, your sister, you name it. Who doesn’t want new photos?!

Now you’re thinking, how do I gift a photography session…?! Isn’t that so specific? Well sure! The date and location is super-specific. But you can purchase a gift card for the session price and print it and wrap it up in a frame or in an envelope to gift to your loved one and then work out the details later.

Step 1: Contact your favorite photographer (or your wife/girlfriend/mom/boyfriend/husband/dad/etc.’s favorite photographer) and ask if they offer gift certificates. 99% will, and they will have a procedure and process in place to get you through all of the steps in order to put a perfectly unique gift under the tree.

Step 2: Grab a frame or an envelope to print out this gift certificate! Either fold it up with a sweet message in a card or cut it out and place it in a frame that they will get to fill with photos from the shoot. Wrap it up and place it under the tree!

A two-step gift, what could be easier? And, you are helping a small business. We need all the help we can get this year 😉 I want to say thank you on behalf of all photographers as you gift sessions this year. It means the absolute world to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Another easy way to gift session this holiday season is by sharing our posts! Simply just sharing our posts to your Instagram stories or Facebook feeds helps us tremendously by expanding our circle to your circle.

Have specific questions about giving the gift of a Madison Crowley Photo gift certificate? Message me on my Instagram (@MadisonCrowleyPhoto), submit a form through my contact page on my website, or shoot me an email at hello@madisoncrowleyphoto.com. You can simply copy and paste this message into either:

HELLO! MY NAME IS ____ AND I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE ONE OF YOUR SESSIONS AS A GIFT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. WHAT IS MY NEXT STEP?

After we work out the details, you will be emailed this image (in high-res) to print out. There is a second page with a section to fill out explaining what the details are to the person receiving the gift and an exact message that your loved one can include when they reach out to me to schedule their session.

Give the gift of memories this season, a picture is worth a thousand words and memories are truly priceless.

Have any other questions? You can find me at @MadisonCrowley, @MadisoCrowleyPhoto or shoot me an email at hello@madisoncrowleyphoto. I would be more than happy to walk you through this process or figure out any details you may be wondering about. Let’s shoot!!!

Talk to you you tomorrow!
Madison

PS: If you feel so inclined, I would LOVE to hear how you got to this post. Instagram? Facebook? A friend?

PPS: Feel free to share this post!!!

3 Beginner Photography Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To

by Madison

As a photographer forging her way into the world of lifestyle, portrait, and family sessions galore, there are a lot of mistakes to be made. Lots of bumps in the road!! Thankfully, we recover and learn from them. And thankfully (most) clients are gracious. Whether you are just beginning to toy with the idea of grabbing your dusty camera hidden at the top of your closet or are heading into your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th holiday season as a photographer, here are some mistakes I made so you (hopefully) don’t have to!

1. Always Turn On Your Camera BEFORE a Shoot… And Always Bring a Backup

Check your battery, your SD card, and that it actually takes a visible photo!
Storytime: A little over a year ago, I was parking my car and walking up to meet a client at Lido Marina Village. I greeted them with a big smile, chatted for a bit, and then got to shooting. I found the right location and lighting, then set her up with her first set of posing directions and began to click away. As always, I checked my screen to take a look at the photos and lighting and adjust accordingly. I noticed that my screen was black. Yes, you read that right, black. My heart stopped for a second and I panicked. I had to think on my feet and didn’t want them to notice anything was wrong yet. So I lifted my camera back up to my eye and began to shoot some more. Still black… I told them I needed to fix the lighting and quickly scoured every setting I could possibly look at. I removed my lens and put it back on. Nothing. At this point I couldn’t hide the fact that something was off so I had 2 options: Continue to shoot and pretend everything was good and then say that something happened to the SD card (keep reading for the storytime on THAT subject) or tell them that something was wrong with my camera and that the photos weren’t capturing. I went with option #2 as that was the most honest, even though it was harder, and started explaining to them that I had no idea what was up with my camera, that I checked every setting and had no solution for the problem at that exact moment and needed to take my camera to the camera shop. I offered to take some iPhone photos for her so that she at least had a little bit of content from that day and assured them I would send back their deposit as this was completely out of their (and my) control. She and her husband were very gracious even though I could tell they were obviously very disappointed. I assured them that once my camera was fixed, I would reach out to them and offer a discounted session price to make up for this inconvenience. Clients prepare for shoots whether that be a hair appointment, taking off of work, buying a new outfit, or making a drive to the location you are meeting at. It is very important to give value to their time. It turned out that they did not end up wanting to reschedule, which is completely understandable. That was definitely a negative result of a beginner photography mistake! I didn’t beat myself up for it, mistakes help us grow and become better, but it was definitely a major lesson for me.

Moral of the story: Had I checked my camera prior, this situation could have been completely avoided. I would have seen that something was off with my camera and simply rescheduled or just started the shoot with my backup camera. Had I had my backup camera, none of this would have happened. I would have simply switched to my other camera, changed over the lens and SD card, and kept the session moving. ALSO, never put your camera in overhead storage on an airplane. 🙃

I now ALWAYS check my camera before leaving the house. Does the shutter close all of the way? Does the image appear on the screen? Do I have enough room on the current SD card living in my camera? How is my battery level? I also never go to a shoot without a fully charged backup camera with a blank SD card inside. I never want to freeze on the spot like that again or lose a client’s faith in me!

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Amazon Prime Day 2020

by Madison

Let’s make this short and sweet. Here is everything I have bought on Amazon over the last 6 months and then below that is everything I have on my wishlist for this year’s Prime Day. Happy shopping y’all!!

HAVE:

WANT:

Gluten and Dairy-Free Spicy Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Dressing

by Madison

I am soooooo excited to write about this recipe. My family has been making this caesar salad recipe for as long as I can remember. We would make it every Friday night with either pizza or hot dogs or hamburgers and I would look forward to having this dressing all week. We had this recipe on our book stand on our kitchen counter for my entire childhood. ANYWAYS, all of that to say that this recipe has withstood the test of time and is the best caesar dressing you will ever have — and it’s SO easy. So let’s get to it.

Caesar Dressing Grocery List:
1 Tablespoon + 1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic or 2 teaspoons of minced garlic (add more of either if you love garlic)
1 egg
3 Tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
Half of a 12oz can of anchovy fillets, drained
A few sprinkles of pepper
Head of romaine or container of baby spring mix
Optional: Dairy-free or regular shaved parmesan
Optional: Gluten-free or regular seasoned croutons

Spicy Grilled Chicken Grocery List:
1lb chicken breast (or prepackaged grilled chicken strips from Costco or your favorite grocery store); cut into bite-sized pieces if you don’t prefer strips
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce

Let’s cook:
1. Marinate your chicken in buffalo sauce. I marinate mine for 2 hours-ish. You can marinate longer or shorter. I am all about the flavor and the longer the marinade, the better, IMO.
2. Place all of the ingredients from the caesar dressing grocery list above into a food processer. This Ninja food processor works perfectly to mix all of these yummy flavors together.
3. Cook your chicken. You can grill your marinated chicken breasts on your outdoor grill. You can also place your marinated chicken on a hot pan; cover. Flip and cook to your liking. You can also bake your chicken! However you prefer to cook your chicken, go for it.
4. Prepare your spring mix and romaine (or whatever lettuce you choose) and pour a generous amount of dressing atop the lettuce. Toss in the dressing.
5. Place your marinated (or simply grilled chicken, it’s great either way!) right on top.
6. Enjoy!

If it’s not easy, I don’t want it. This dressing is full of flavor and lasts so long in the fridge for a full week of delicious salad. Also, the chicken marinated in the pre-made buffalo sauce is a no brainer. We enjoyed this meal with seasoned fries but you can add veggies or any other side to complement the salad. You can also make this salad as a side! I just love it so much I eat it as my entree. This recipe highlights an incredible GF/DF caesar dressing that is a staple in my personal recipe book. I would LOVE to hear and see you guys make this recipe so make sure to tag me on Instagram @MadisonCrowley. You can also keep up there to see more day-to-day recipes before they hit the blog.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I and my family do!!!

Gluten and Dairy-Free Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Recipe

by Madison

I would live in Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce if I could. I could drink that stuff like coffee. I mean, my stomach couldn’t physically handle that. But if I could, I would.

That means I would eat buffalo wings (gluten-free boneless or bone in, whichever) all day long. And I mean, we shouldn’t just sit around eating chicken wings all day if we are striving to be our healthiest selves. I have seen this recipe going around during quarantine and decided it was finally time to try it out for myself!!!

For those of you who have been reading my blog from the beginning, welcome back and welcome to a new era of V&L. Where I spend my money has changed, where I spend my time has changed, and where I spend the majority of my efforts for work/passion projects have changed. Instead of buying incessant amounts of clothes, I am buying food and making new recipes that I can share and help people who can’t eat dairy or gluten add some new meals to their repertoire.

With that being said, let’s dive into this yummy recipe.

Grocery List:
¾ cup gluten-free flour (I used brown rice flour)
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup oat milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
1 head cauliflower
Buffalo sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)

Let’s cook:
1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, add the gluten-free flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oat milk, and stir until well-combined.
3. Cut the head of cauliflower into small florets. You want them bite-sized so that you can evenly coat them with the mixture. You want every side covered!! Add the cauliflower florets to the batter.
4. Arrange the coated cauliflower on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Brush buffalo sauce evenly on all sides of the florets. I like a heavy dose, as stated at the beginning of this post, so feel free to douse those suckers. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, bake for another 10 minutes.

After making this recipe from a different one, I changed some things up to achieve peak buffalo bite perfection. We didn’t lather the buffalo sauce enough or make sure to evenly coat the batter on all sides. Flipping is important so that all of the sides of the florets are as crispy as possible.

Tbh, they taste freaking delicious. They aren’t chicken wings, but they are crispy at first bite and the perfect texture inside once you start chewing. They are a great alternative for chowing down on heavily battered and fried chicken wings or strips and also a great way for kids (or adults who don’t like veggies – ME) to get some nutrients in. I am not sure if this would work for other veggies but who knows! It just might. We put potato salad and pineapple with these and I got the Follow Your Heart vegan ranch to dip mine in.

Make sure to follow along at @MadisonCrowley for more in-the-moment recipes and photos! Feel free to share if you used this recipe and loved it!!

Moving Series Part One: Everything But the Furniture

by Madison

It’s moving time! I have tried (and tried and tried) to be a vlogger. Like multiple times. I can’t stand the editing process. And making sure I get enough clips. And making my friends and family be a part of it. Maybe I will change my mind, who knows. But for now, I am making moving blogs a thing as opposed to moving vlogs.

I am obsessed with moving vlogs, but it is hard to find everything they talk about, definitely not as shop-able! If that is the goal, of course. So, let’s make moving blogs a thing. Starting with the first in this series titled Everything But the Furniture. The reason for this is that I want to do an entire post on the items I get to furnish my apartment and how I chose them. But this post is going to be more of the essentials and random things I have gotten thus-far in the process. As I continue, and actually move in, there will be photos and live styling of how I put everything together. Exciting stuff, amiright?

I made this post super easily shoppable, the picture at the top of this post is completely clickable! Simply click on the product you’re interested in and shop away!

Most of the items are pretty self-explanatory, but here are a few honorable mentions that deserve a little more detail:
+ Malin+Goetz candle: I mean, that pricepoint is hefty, I am not even gonna lie. But for your home to smell like an expensive luxury interior design store? I am all for it. My favorite thing is to elevate your space in small ways that can make a huge difference. I am not going to buy a $2,000 bed but I will buy one that looks expensive. There are some things that are meant to be splurged on, candles are one of them.
+ COMPAGNIE DE PROVENCE soap: Again, another thing to splurge on. I am going to do a whole post on simple ways to elevate your bathroom (and make it feel like a fancy hotel bathroom) and this is one of those steps! This soap smells like heaven, lasts forever, and looks perfect on your bathroom counter.
+ AllClad pans: These are the best pans I have ever used. Take 1 second to wipe clean and never have anything stuck to them. My parents have had them for over 2 years and they are like brand new. They are absolutely worth the price point and the only pans I will ever buy!

I have a LOT more on my to-buy list as I am taking as little as possible from my current place and have been saving for a while in order to purchase all new things. The space that you live in daily should be your favorite space. The things that you use daily should make you feel at ease and bring you some form of joy, not to be too Marie Kondo over here. For me, living in a dark space with items that aren’t easy to use or are old or don’t work well doesn’t make sense to me. I would rather save in other areas and splurge on items that are going to elevate my every day. Kind of like how changing your phone case seems like a huge life change. Or changing your hair brush, mousepad, etc. Things that are essential that you use every day all day deserve upgrading! This is a hill I will die on.

Items I am still going to buy (that aren’t furniture)
+ Dyson Vacuum
+ Roku TV
+ Throw pillows
+ Plates & utensils
+ Single-cup Keurig
+ Hangers
+ Curtains
+ Vase
I will be doing a bunch of hauls on my IG as that is the easiest form of videoing for me so hop on over to @MadisonCrowley to see me unbox everything mentioned in this post (I shipped it all to Georgia) and the future stuff I buy to add to the apartment! I will document the move-in process as well as decorating! I am going minimal but classic and am excited about some of the art pieces I am going to be hanging on the walls!

I am so stoked for this. It has really given me something to look forward to during this quarantine. I would have liked to be able to shop for some of this stuff at the store but that’s just what happens when a deadly virus takes over the world!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the first part of this exciting series for me. Let me know if there are things I need to add to my list or if you have any of these items and love them too!

Don’t forget to head to my Instagram where more of the daily fun happens:
@MadisonCrowley

‘Til next time!
xx, Madison

What’s On My Counter ( and what should be on yours )

by Madison

One of my favorite things to read from bloggers and influencers that I follow is their morning and night routines. I have always been so intrigued by morning routines ( I did a whole series on them on the blog actually, you can read one here or search “morning routines” in the search bar ) and especially by the products that actually WORK. The beauty market is infiltrated with thousands of products, some that work and some that don’t, so reading and watching influencers I trust talk about their favorite products is something I highly value.

So that’s what this post is all about! Products that I consistently use every day and have seen major results from. Products that I have re-purchased, which honestly says a lot, especially if they have a higher price point. Honestly, I am willing to spend good money on products that work for my skin and hair because as I get older, staying youthful is key. Also as I get older, investing money in quality products as opposed to cheaper products has a lot of value to me, too. This list is tried and true and you guys need these items.

Tap the title of each product for the link to my current favorite beauty items! Happy shopping!

+ Olaplex No.3 – $28
If you’ve been following me for a little while, you know that my hair has been a JOURNEY. I have tried everything and I feel like I have finally been able to see some growth and change in my hair. I owe some of that to this product. It is an intense, thick, hair mask that nourishes and replenishes hair. Since using this product I have seen major growth, shininess, and thickness added to my hair. I have used it probably 5 times, once a week, and I should probably start upping the usage. This product came highly recommended to me through friends and influencers but also from people who use it at their professional salons, which is what really sold me on the product. They have some other products that come highly recommended too, that I will be trying soon! I will absolutely buy again and continue to update y’all on the transformation.

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How to Fly Spirit Airlines with One Carry-On and Enjoy It.

by Madison

One carry-on? Yup. You read that right. Shocking, especially if you know me.

I am here to share the in’s and out’s of flying with Spirit, how I prepped, my experience, and why I would 100% do it again.

Before booking my roundtrip Spirit flight from LAX to Atlanta (for only $167 I might add… that is unheard of, honestly) I did a little research. I wanted to make sure that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and where I needed to set my expectations. I read a few awesome blog posts (like this one) and figured I was ready to take the plunge. I didn’t have anywhere to be, technically, until the morning after my flight, so I was accepting any potential delay and clicked “confirm purchase” on the website. A couple of things that I did when purchasing this flight:

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