pre-party blues

[dustthouart]

I am getting really sick of all these food blogs that post a bajillion artsy photographs before getting down to business ie the recipe. Even worse is when they just stick in some random crap. Exhibit A, which puts nine separate photographs before the recipe (for beet chips), two of which are of a tree, for no reason which I can fathom

Comments

[salanth]

Just make a bag out of a big dish towel and shake like mad.

[dustthouart]

I ended up slightly burning some of them. I should have trusted my nose instead of the recipe's time and checked earlier than I did. The recipe said 15 min, I pulled at 12.

The ones that aren't burnt taste really good though.

[anonymous]

I hope you don't mind my 2-3 photos with a recipe :) I like taking pictures.

That recipe you linked is ridiculous, though. Way too many before pictures especially--one before-cooking and one after-cooking (and no tree pictures?!) would have been sufficient. I do get a little annoyed with Pioneer Woman's photos of every single step sometimes, but I won't complain too much because I've really enjoyed the recipes of her's that I have tried!

I hope your party goes well! Sounds like a good menu!

[dustthouart]

I think 2-3 is reasonable. And pictures of a step in cooking, if there's something tricky about that step (ie "reduce the heat when the onions look like THIS"), can be reasonable. But so many of these blogs just go completely over the top. Like, one picture for adding each individual component to a batter. Ooh, you can measure flour! And now you can measure salt! So impressive, I definitely needed to see pictures of all of this!

Part of the issue is that the PW has been so successful that I think many people just assume now that a cooking blog has got to have the ingredients shot, the step by step shots, the shots of the finished product from different angles on various chic pieces of china, etc. It becomes more about how good your camera and food styling skills are.

[ext_1250616]

That anonymous post in your review for publishing box is me, by the way.

[dimethirwen]

I'm a huge sucker for food photography (if I'd have stuck with it I would have almost certainly moved out of weddings and into commercial/food photography), so photos of every step doesn't bother me, if they're pretty.

That being said... have you ever seen TasteSpotting?

http://www.tastespotting.com/

It's a giant aggregate of all of the internet's food blogs. A good way to find recipes, and also food photos galore. *salivates*

[ext_708786]

I know I said it before, but if Pippa isn't napping, really consider instituting "quiet time" in her bed each day! Even if she doesn't sleep, it gives you a break, and you are then better prepared to deal with her increased crankiness later!