i’m a model!-shooting a new cover for my cookbook

In celebration of its upcoming 3rd(!) printing, today we shot a new cover for my first cookbook, fork me, spoon me. (Yep, we’ve had 3 printings in 4 years).

The decision to create a new cover for the book was due to both the book’s and our company’s success. In November, Life of Reiley will be releasing its second title, Kiss My Bundt by Chrysta Wilson of Los Angeles’ Kiss My Bundt Bakery. The idea was to create a line of books. And since Chrysta’s (like mine), is an expert-driven book, we put her perfect pout on the cover. And since I am the aphrodisiac foods expert behind Fork Me, Spoon Me, it was only fitting, for the sake of the line, that I also have my mug on my cover.

I asked my friend and world-renown photographer Luther Gerlach to shoot my cover and, happily, Luther agreed to help us create the image! My book designer, Deborah Daly, who has won many awards for her sensual book covers, helped me develop the vision for the cover. I wanted a simple image and one that fit in the book’s current color scheme of black, red and cream. We wanted to avoid cliches, no apples, no dribbling honey, no close up of my mouth with a chocolate covered strawberry. Since I am as darn near as white as snow, we had our cream. And I suggested a red (my favorite color) background. Something simple and claret, a perfect background for a title written in black. I also suggested that perhaps the shot should be from the back, (when it comes to serious photos, I’m a bit camera shy).

Deborah had the brilliant idea that we take inspiration from the world of fashion and sent me off to flip through the work of Richard Avadon. Six images in, I found her: a model shot from the back, in a black, backless dress, neck long and head slightly dipped.

For the food world, we translated this concept as a black apron, worn as fashion, back bared with a crisp back bow and layered with a fltted, floor-length skirt and stillettos. For accessories, not bangles and hair clips, but silver-plated, antique forks and spoons.

The preparation for the shoot actually began yesterday, as I ironed the apron, picked up toupee tape (for perfectly positioning the apron on my frame) and, most importantly, baked a peanut butter bundt cake from the Kiss My Bundt cookbook for Deborah, Luther and Lisa (my best friend and stylist for the day).

This morning I woke up early to prepare, (this involved dozens of pushups and arm curls-yep, I’m vain). And then I glued on some extra lashes. LOVE THEM. Still wearing them. May never take them off. I also chilled down the bottle of Korbel’s new Organic Brut, which arrived from their pr department yesterday. (Perfect timing.) The wine, by the way, was crisp, clean and absolutely delicious for a celebratory morning.

The shoot was quick and relatively easy. However it was most certainly not without pain. Although I am small enough that your average chef’s apron cover’s my frame, the photo require enough stretching and moving that we had to tape the whole thing to my skin on both sides. There was also a straight pin securing the top band that occasionally decided to poke at me. Now, I am flexible and from years of dance I can hold my posture pretty strong, but in order to get two shoulders, one arm, hide the other elbow, neck up, head turned, legs squeezed at the thigh, teetering in 5 inch heels while trying to relax my jaw and think tempting, warm and sensual thoughts while trying not to rip any of the pieces of double-sided tape fixed to my flesh and flash the world with things that should never go on my book cover… I got a workout standing still!

But I did it all while sipping Champagne, surrounded by three of my favorite people and you know what? Through the miracle of Lisa’s tape job, Deborah’s ability to balance on her thigh pulling wrinkles from my apron while staying out of the shot and directing the tilt of my chin and curve of my back and Luther’s truly magical eye, we got about 12 of the best photos I have ever seen of myself. (And a few pretty funny moments of just plain horsing around.)

I won’t show you the winning image just yet, but I’ve posted a few of the fun moments of the day, including some images against the red wall that should whet your appetite for what is to come.

Tags: fork me, kiss my bundt, spoon me

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 9:42 pm and is filed under living the life of reiley. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.