The longer I photograph people, the more content I find myself with my gear. I’m not someone who feels like I have to chase every new camera body that comes out (for those who’ve asked, I still shoot with my trust, 2-year-old Canon 5D and love it!) and I’ve gotten to the point in my business that purchasing more tools feels like an agenda item that’s necessary only if I feel like, by missing it, I’m missing out on a chance to make my work improve and to grow as an artist.

I had the chance to shoot with the 35 1.4 lens when I was out in Philly shooting Tina’s engagement earlier this year and from the minute I put that lens on my camera, I was in LOVE. Between my camera, Tina’s 35 and my 50 1.2 lens, I felt like I’d find the holy trifecta of tools that made me happy as a photographer.

I’d been coveting that lens ever since and, a few months ago, decided to take the leap and make the investment. Since then, I’ve put it to use on at least 6 sessions, loving the results along the way. It’s sharp and crisp (when my 50 can be fickle in this department) and just enough of a wide angle to give great results with no distortion. I know buying camera equipment is personal to every photographer and I believe you should invest in the equipment that is right for you only after you’ve done your research and are not rushing into the purchase. All that to say, I’m supremely happy to welcome this guy to my line-up of lens!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

I put this one on the ‘ol 101 in 1001 because I’ve always been intimidated by the idea. The reason being is two-fold: 1) I’m not a baker. A cook, yes. A baker … not so much. 2) My mom is the most amazing cook AND baker. I’ve actually blogged about the awesomeness that is her apple pie before on my old blog—and how much she spoils my husband whenever we come home by sending us home with one. So just how good is my mom’s pie? Well, back when I worked at the newspaper, I gave a slice to a cubicle mate of mine who’s a fabulous humor columnist. AND HE WROTE AN ENTIRE COLUMN ABOUT IT. Which means 30,000+ people got to hear about it.

So, people, can you SEE why I was intimidated to go down this path? But I’m nothing if not a fool on a mission and when Nick said he was agreeable to helping me tackle this goal on the list, we headed to the grocery on a hot summer night and came home with the following:

Apples (of course!) And a glut of other ingredients that ranged from baking powder to Crisco. About which, I’ll just say, “Ewwwwww…” I’ve never made anything with it (see, this is because I’m not a baker) but if you want to tackle homemade pie crust, it’s hard to get around avoiding it. And trust me, for this project, store-bought was NOT an option. Cute, silly husbands are, of course, optional (oven mitts and a rolling pin, not so much..you’re definitely going to need those) I am, though, REALLY glad that Nick was agreeable to spending the evening in the kitchen with me. See, little known fact about Gail: I have ZERO arm strength. Like, Gumby could probably beat me in an arm wrestling match. So when the time came to knead the dough, between laughs at my husband in my apron, I was all, “Niicccckkkkk…it’s still too watery!!!” and he was all, “No, no, no…you’re doing it wrong. Here..just, just move over, let me do this.” And before I knew it, we had the real deal. Legitimate pie dough. I did, however, step in when the time came to form the dough into a ball. See, Nick, see…I’m good at this part at least While that was in the fridge, we peeled the apples. With only one paring knife, we had to improvise and darn it all if Nick wasn’t better at this process too! Something I was better at? Singing along karaoke-style to “Jack and Diane” when it came on the radio…for sure I was. Now comes rolling out the dough. Again, another area where Nick trumped me because I got frustrated at how difficult it was. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a total scrub in these photos because we’d worked out that night beforehand and post-shower, I just didn’t care enough to look in the mirror. Besides, who bakes pies in heels and makeup? Around the Werner casa, it’s headbands and T-shirts and yoga pants! It took the two of us and four spatulas to get this dough laid out in the pie pan to make a crust but you better believe there were some high fives involved when we did. Here’s where it REALLY came in handy having Nick to help. And my mouth is already salivating again at how scrumptious those apples look in their cinnamon-sugary goodness! Then it was an hour in the oven at 350 degrees….And voila!! A pie that was close but not quite…(we’re still first-timers, remember) as good as my mom’s. Yummy, yummy, yummy….nom, nom, nom….And you know what’s a must-have addition to pie? ICE CREAM!!!!

And for anybody interested, here’s the recipe!

PIE CRUST (makes enough for two pies)

4 cups flour • 1 tsp. baking powder • 1 tbsp. sugar • 1 tsp. salt • 2 cups regular Crisco • 1 egg • 1/2 cup water • 1 tsp. vinegar

Combine dry ingredients (stir well). Cut in shortening with pastry blender until the mix looks like pebbles/small peas. Measure 1/2 cup water in measuring cup large enough that you can also add the egg and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Slowly add to the flour mixture. (We mixed this all by hand). If the dough is too sticky, add another tbsp. of flour. Form the dough into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 30 min.

APPLE PIE FILLING (for two, 2-crust pies; can substitute Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts if you don’t want to make homemade dough)

Package of Jonathan or Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced • 3/4 cup sugar • 1 tsp. cinammon • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 2 tbsp. flour

Mix all the ingredients together well in a large bowl. On your counter, toss a little flour out and, using a rolling pin, roll out your dough (if you’ve made homemade dough). We found our dough teared easily, so we used a few spatulas to get it into place in the pie pan. To this, we added half the pie filling and a few pats of butter. Important: Make sure to wet the edge of the first pie crust with water before next adding the top crust. Press down to form pleats along the edges and use a knife as needed to remove the excess dough around the edges.

Spring the top crust with sugar and cut several slits in the pie. Repeat this process for the second pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown. The pie may be a little runny if you eat it within a few hours of removing it from the oven. Overnight, it will set up and you will promptly decide that you can eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Which, for two days, is exactly what we did

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

What, exactly, is that? Many of you have probably heard of this, but to the unfamiliar, it’s a list of an assortment of goals you want to accomplish over the course of nearly 3 years. Thanks to Melissa, I created my first 101 in 1001 on Jan. 1, 2008. Then, I promptly forgot about it. (Here it is, if you’re curious). When Melissa recently blogged about her version 2.0 of her 101 list (’cause, you know, she actually FINISHED her first one!), I got to thinking it’d be nice to give my own 101 a fresh new start (and the attention it deserved).

Looking back at my old list, I’m amazed to see I accomplished over a third of what I wrote down. As Melissa writes in her blog topic on the subject, people who write down their goals are much more likely to be successful in reaching them, and I couldn’t help but think she was on to something. So here’s to tackling everything that’s on this list of mine (and as you can see, I’ve left a small bit of wiggle room to add a few more goals too!). They may not all become reality, but if you don’t visualize ‘em first, how do you know how much you’re willing to try, eh? Wish me luck!

START DATE: March 7, 2010

END DATE: December 2, 2012

1) Travel Europe (Completed 7/10)
2) Visit New England (Completed 5.30.10)
3) Visit Seattle
4) Take a picture of myself visiting NYC in Times Square (Completed 4/23/10)
5) Go sledding (Completed 12.27.10)
6) Take a hot air balloon ride
7) Take a cruise with Nick
8 ) Visit a friend in a different state at least once a year
9) Pay for the meal of a stranger (drive thru counts!)
10) Help a local charity on a monthly basis for a whole year
11) Read the Bible in one year
12) Join a Bible study
13) Learn the art of relaxation breathing
14) Adopt a family at Christmas
15) Ring the bell for the Salvation Army
16) Read three books a month for a year
17)  Watch the entire series of Friday Night Lights
18) Art direct and create a video with my Flip camera
19) Create a coffee table book of my trip to San Francisco
20) Create a coffee table book of our Europe travels
21) Spend an entire day with my remaining grandmother
22) Tape record/videotape grandmother sharing stories about how she and grandpa met (Completed 8.1.10)
23) Babysit for a friend and/or family member at least once every six months
24) Put a bun in the oven (had to throw that one in!
25) Cook dinner three times a week for six months
26) Create a easy-to-search cookbook for my favorite recipes
27) Migrate all my old CDs into digital music
28) Practice yoga once a week for an entire year
29) Run another half-marathon
30) Revamp my living room
31) Put flowers on the graves of my decease grandparents
32) Research a well-known photographer
33) Replace the roof on our house
34) Cook Indian food (Completed 6.2.11)
35) Learn how to cook with a pressure cooker
36) Start an herb garden (Completed 6.8.11)
37) Knit 3 projects a year
38) Sit down at the piano once a week — even if it’s for 15 minutes— for an entire year
39) Create a collage of prints of my travels; hang them in the living room (Completed 7.22.11)
40) Have Nick and I’s pictures taken professionally again (Completed 8.16.10)
41) Create pricing booklets
42) Fully integrate ShootQ into my business
43) Begin using SmugMugs for my picture hosting
44) Work on SEO for my Web site
45) Develop packaging for my products (Completed 4.20.10)
46) Join WPJA
47) Shoot my first maternity shoot (Completed 6.11.10)
48) Go to another photography workshop
49) Attend WPPI (Completed 2.20.10)
50) Post once a week on the forums I belong to for three months straight
51) Get inbox down to zero every day for three months’ straight
52) Create holiday card templates for clients to order
53) Introduce new line of guestbooks and albums
54) Read 12 business books in a year
55) Begin using Quickbooks
56) Implement client surveys to get their feedback on how I’m doing
57) Create Christmas ornaments for my past wedding clients of each year (12.23.10)
58) Second shoot a wedding with Melissa Jill
59) Second shoot a wedding with Tina Jay
60) Get letterpress business cards made (Completed 3.22.10)
61) Begin a client referral program
62) Hang a hammock up in the backyard (Completed 6.24.10)
63) Bake a pie. From scratch. (Completed 7.30.10)
64) Take a family vacation
65) Clean out my closet each year
66) Purchase the 35 1.4 lens (Completed 8.12.10)
67) Purchase a laptop (Completed 12.17.10)
68) Begin to offer slide shows at receptions for my clients
69) Keep a gratitude journal
70) Take a jewelry class
71) Read a classic novel (Completed 2.18.10)
72) Go fishing with Nick
73) Ride in a bike ride with Nick
74) Join PPA
75) Learn how to play cribbage (with Nick)
76) Throw a party for someone
77) Go to a taping of Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me in Chicago
78) Complete a Photoshop tutorial
79) Take pictures of my college campus (for myself)
80) Have my photography work published on a style/wedding blog (Completed 10.3.11)
81) Have my photography work published on a Web site
82) Begin fostering relationships with vendors I work with
83) Create a canvas from my work
84) Shoot a session for free
85) Take swimming lessons
86) Watch all 100 movies on AFI’s 100 Greatest American Movies list
87) Go to a fancy New Year’s Eve party (Completed 12.31.10)
88) Have a date night once a month with my husband for an entire year
89) Make a mix CD for a different friend every month for a year (Completed April 2010-April 2011)
90) Create a birthday list of family’s birthdays and send a card out to everyone for their birthday. On time (for a change).
91) Begin creating ShowIt +Sites for my clients
92) Organize my spice cabinet (can you tell I’m Type A?)
93) Flex my writing muscles and write a short story
94) Start a Tumblr account (Completed 2.11.10)
95) Memorize a song on the guitar, record it and share it (just for fun)
96) Discover the beauty in poetry
97) Go waterskiing (Completed 6.27.10)
98) Buy a really amazing chef’s knife and learn how to sharpen it myself
99) Watch the entire series of The Wire
100) Learn how to side braid my hair
101)