In the November issue of 3ABN World magazine there is a recipe for Blueberry “Buttermilk” Pancakes (dairy-free), contributed by Jill Morikone. In her short introduction, Jill tells how these pancakes became a weekly tradition in her home. For the design of this page, I decided it would be nice to show a married couple eating pancakes at a candlelight dinner, as Jill had described the tradition in her home.

This is original photo was taken by my assistant, Kenton Rogers. The couple at the table are Jill and her husband Greg:

It’s a fine photo, and we could have run it just the way it was. But for this intimate candlelight dinner shot, I decided I wanted something more romantic. I also thought the lighting looked a little flat.

In this version, the highlights have been diffused, the candle’s flame is a little softer, and I added additional lighting around the candle and at other places to help illuminate the scene a little more dramatically:

Like many designers I know, I often set out with a general idea of what I want to achieve, but along the way I toy around with other possibilities. It is often through play and experimentation that new methods and styles are developed, and sometimes there are very pleasant surprises to be found.

While playing in Photoshop, I also stumbled across a technique that produced this image. Notice the very soft color transitions (especially the candle), the effect on the cabinet in the background, and the hard dark lines defining the shapes. I think it has a very artistic, painterly feel to it. Although I decided not to use it in the layout, I thought it was an interesting effect to file away for possible use on another occasion: