French Toast with Maple Cream and Berries

THE RECIPE

French Toast: Combine three eggs, one cup of milk (I used coconut), a splash of vanilla, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and an 1/8 teaspoon of salt.  Whisk it around a bit and pour it into a shallow baking dish.  Slice eight to ten pieces of day old or two day old or three day old French bread (or Ciabatta or Brioche if you want to get fancy) and heat your pan.  Drop a tablespoon of butter in the pan (or don’t if you want to skip the extra fat). Soak the bread slices in the egg mixture for five seconds, turn once, and soak the other side for five seconds.  Place slices in your pan; you should hear a sizzle.  Cook about three minutes per side or until browned (not blackened, that technique is for fish and does not involve burning).

Maple Cream:  Combine one cup of yogurt, preferably Greek, with two to five tablespoons of Maple syrup.  Stir and dollop over French toast.

Berries: Pick them. Wash them. Drop them on the yogurt.

THE PHOTOGRAPH

Fan three slices of toast on a plate.  Spread a line of yogurt down the middle and drop five berries in the yogurt.  Place the plate in front of a window, but not in direct sunlight (this creates harsh shadows).  Use a low aperture to achieve a shallow depth of field, where a very small amount of your photo is in focus.  Use a shutter speed that allows for a brighter than normal exposure (your little arrow should be blinking around the 1 on your exposure meter). Frame only a small part of the food, not the entire portion on the plate.  Shoot.  If you are using a consumer-end camera rather than a professional one, set it to Macro mode (usually a flower) or Portrait mode and turn your flash off.

Technicals:  62mm at .4m away, F2.8 and 1/50 at ISO 400.

My clients get 10% off at popartworks.com

Hooray for Pop Art Works; my clients now get 10% off at their website: www.popartworks.com. Tell ‘em Dorothy Haraminac sent you.

This is a 36″x36″ print on canvas of not planets, not solar systems, but boobies! Hooray! It was a birthday gift for my husband and hangs proudly in our living room.

Of course, your boudoir shoot does not have to be as revealing as mine.  Contact me today to book your own shoot.

Boudwhat?

What is boudoir photography? Sexy pictures of you, however you define it. They can
be intimate, sexy, bold, artsy, or anything in between. Luxury bridals, vintage pin-ups,
and implied nudes are just a few of the styles that fall under boudoir. The goal is to
have fun showcasing your personality and style.

Who should get boudoir shots? Anyone! Be beautiful inside and out. Many of my
clients are brides to be who want a gift for their fiancés. Others want an album as a gift
for every imaginable holiday while still others do it as a celebration of themselves.

Who is the photographer? Always and only me, Dorothy Haraminac.

Do I have to be nude? NO! You can wear whatever you want: lace and heels, jeans and
a t-shirt, a puffy parka and snow shoes, or even lace and snow shoes.

Where will the shoot be? Anywhere you want: at my house, at your house, in a fancy
hotel suite, or even outdoors (weather and outfits permitting).

How do I view my proofs and who will see them? All your images will receive mild
retouching; once your images are ready, we will meet again for you to select which
images you want printed. You are the only person, besides me, who will see your
images.

What about my “flaws”? Every model has them and, like the professionals, you will
have the benefit of digital artistry to make sure all your images are awesome.

Should I have professional hair and makeup done? Entirely up to you. Unkempt hair
and a bare face can be just as sexy. Of course, if you are trying to recreate a specific
look, go pro.

Can I bring someone with me? Absolutely. Half my clients want a friend there and the
other half think it would be awkward. Again, entirely up to you.

1.            Use a wide angle lens. Put camera on tripod and level it.

2.            Get subjects in first outfit and put them farthest to the left of your frame. Snap photo.

3.            Change into second outfit; take a photo in second position of frame.

4.            Change into third outfit; take a photo in third position of frame.

5.            Change into fourth outfit; take a photo in fourth position of frame.

6.            Edit the image in Photoshop. Open all four photos; choose one to be the base photo.

7.            Select only subjects and their shadows from fourth photo.  Copy and paste to first photo.

8.            Select only subjects and their shadows from third photo. Copy and paste to first photo.

9.            Select only subjects and their shadows from second photo. Copy and paste to first photo.

10.          All done.

Tips

Choose an angle wide enough to encompass all possible positions of the subject. This makes each pose appear more realistic in the final image, especially when choosing a distorting lens.

When selecting in photoshop, refine the edge to increase it and feather it, this will make your copy process easier.  Once pasted, each subject in the single image is a separate layer.  Edit each layer to erase shadows that overlap and adjust perspective by moving the image up or down so the subject appears closer or farther away from the background.

Instead of outfits, change poses.

Instead of next to each other, have the subject also move toward the camera in each successive shot.