Tell a story

This may not look like a photo blog, but it is. The first picture, the biscotti being dipped in coffee, shows what we can do with biscotti. It is a tight shot, cleanly lit by soft but directional window light and tries to follow a lot of rules. Notice that the finger nail on the thumb is clean and trimmed short. It is not only your model's hair you want neat and trimmed for a shoot. (The hand model is me. I shot this with one hand holding the biscotti and the other holding the camera.) Note the focus. The image is very nicely focused on the biscotti. You can actually see the texture of the biscuit. Also note the background, the table cloth is from Menton, Provence, where France butts up against Italy. And the coffee cup is the kind found in bistros everywhere. When shooting food pictures, do not forget to give some thought to your props. (It is too bad a little more of the handle does not show. This is a strike against this picture. An important detail is missing.) At the end when I talk about how many biscuits this recipe makes, I show you a mess of biscotti running right out of sight. Art can break up a page but it is best if it fits neatly with the words. These two, words and pictures, should be partners and not acquaintances. O.K. Let's try and see how this all goes together using the Digital Journal software. (Note: all images shot with an old Canon SD10 and not more than a minute was spend shooting. Why waste time taking pictures when there's fresh coffee and biscotti to be enjoyed? Biscotti - the way to a man's heart I love coffee. Rich, almost thick coffee, with a small whack of sugar and smoothing splash of milk — sometimes even half and half. But what truly makes a cup of coffee, for me, is something that is only dipped, temporarily into the cup, and that's my wife's biscotti. Dried cherries, oven toasted hazelnuts and a little lemon zest all combine to make these just about perfect. A good cup of coffee, a crisp biscotti ready for dipping, and my morning London Free Press, the perfect way to start a day. If you'd like to try making my wife's biscotti you'll need: 4 cups (1 l) all-purpose flour 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt Grated lemon zest from 1 lemon 1 cup (250 ml) sliced hazelnuts lightly toasted in the oven or in a dry frying pan 4 large eggs 1 1/2 cups (225 ml) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract - use the real stuff and not vanillin 1 cup (250 ml) dried cherries 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) 2. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper. 3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder,salt, lemon zest and hazelnuts. 4. Using a KitchenAid stand mixer, beat eggs until fluffy and a light coloured. 5. Slowly beat in sugar, then oil, lemon juice and vanilla. 6. Slowly add flour mixture and stir until dry mixture is nearly absorbed. 7. Finally, stir in dried cherries. 8. With water-moistened hands divide dough in half and form each into a loaf about 15 inches (38 cm) long and 4 inches (10 cm) wide on a baking sheet. Keep loaves at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. 9. Bake from 35 to 40 minutes or until small cracks are visible and tops are golden. 10. Slice loaves onto a large cutting board and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) thick slices. If the knife blade becomes sticky, wipe with a damp cloth. 11. Stand slices upright and about 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) apart on baking pan. 12. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C) and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until biscotti are dry to the touch. 13. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet sitting on a rack. 14. When completely cool, store in airtight containers. This should make about four dozen biscotti. This is enough for more than three weeks if you share them with your partner and you both show proper restraint. Cheers, Rockinon