I figured that it would be a good idea to have a few professional pictures taken of me so that you would know what I look like. I always like to know who is on the other end of the pen when I am reading cookbooks or blogs. So here I am…
It was effortless for me to decide who to hire. Kelly Lawson’s work caught my eye when she posted a few of her photos on Facebook several years ago. I remember scrolling through my news feed and seeing an ethereal shot of a small child. I rarely, take the time to, manover through web sites – an hour later…
We had wanted to do the shoot at my farm so that we could take advantage of my white kitchen. I thought the white background and all of that beautiful sunlight would help to create the look I had in my mind – fresh, clean and straight forward – like my food.
We tried all summer to connect. Her busy photography schedule and my busy farm schedule kept us apart until after Ralph and I had moved back to the city. Finally, we had a date. I mentioned the upcoming session to my friend Judith Mackin. She asked, who I had chosen as ‘art director’. It had not even crossed my mind – very new at this! Being the doll that she is and recognizing the deer-in-headlights look on my face, she graciously offered to take the job.
The ladies showed up, Kelly, with all of her gear and Judith, with all of her energy! I just stood in place while they tested the light, framed the shot, changed the background noise [not noise as in sound but rather visual clutter in the background] and generally prepared the shoot.
Being able to look natural in front of a camera is not easy. You think you are posing au natural until you see the shot. I started out looking as if I thought Kelly was pointing a shotgun at me instead of a camera! Judith recognized that I was feeling awkward and started to gently tease me. I immediately forgot about the camera and started to interact with Judith. It was wonderful to work with such talented and extremely understanding women.
I did not want cheesecake shots. I am not into the female celebrity chefs who make a habit of dropping their cleavage into the stock pot! I don’t wear much make-up so we kept me as undone as possible. My yellow kitchen proved to be a great backdrop for my red t-shirt and stripped apron. I had invited Kelly and Judith along with their husbands, Jeff Roach and Robert Moore ,respectively, to join Ralph and me for dinner after the shoot. The cake you see me icing was for dessert.
Putting yourself ‘out there’ in cyber space is a little unsettling. It feels unnatural, but I am trusting my instinct. This new frontier is the way my children connect and share information. It’s fascinating to me and so my finger pushes ‘publish’…
Thanks for reading.
