I agree, they aren't very appealing, and I do eat with my eyes first, and I've noticed a lot of unappealing food pictures lately. I especially noticed the photo of a turkey in the LA Times this morning looked particularly unappealing, until I realized it was upside down! Give me a break. I can't decide if they are lazy or stupid.

I think one of the reasons I like the recipes on the CF is because of the wonderful photographs the CF members post with their recipes. Not that my rendition ever looks as good, but I always add the photo to the recipe when I save it so I know what I'm aiming for.

Don't think the L.A. Times turkey is upside down, just the wings and legs are at odd angles.

I agree the iVillage photos are not appetizing; bad lighting and poor background linen choices made everything look drab. The slaw doesn't look green and fresh and the cranberry sauce does not glow like the jewel that it can be.

Obviously they have no foodie or decent photographer working for them. That food didn't make me want to sample it at all.

I found myself looking at the utensils and bowls more than the food in those photos. The food itself didn't look awful, it just wasn't anything I'd lick the screen over.

Of course, this is kind of the pot and the kettle because my food photos are nothing to sing about. :)

Bri

Except for the cranberry sauce, it all looks cold and drrrrrryy....gag....

The Gratin looks particularly unappetizing, yuck.

They look pretty good to me! I take pictures with the camera on my phone lately, just because it's handy!

I use to do cooking for photography for several magazines and it takes a lot of special effort and techniques to make food look delicious in a picture; many times the food isn't even eatable once it's done being messed with. I'd say this work wasn't done by someone who was a food photographer.... just took photos of meal-ready foods.

And that bread looked pale and half-cooked :-P
I also went forward to their "Thanksgiving disasters to avoid"- some of them were pretty pitiful. One family that refuses to travel on Thanksgiving because the first time they did so, their dishwasher pipe broke while they were out and flooded the kitchen. That could happen any day. Another woman who doesn't "risk" making her own pumpkin pies because the first time she did she used too much Karo syrup that acted as a laxative. So get a new Karo syrup free recipe, fer cryin out loud.

Actually, Westelle, the photography was done by food professionals. She is a food stylist and photographer as is her husband. She has books out and an impressive Gourmet credential. I looked her up on Google.
Probably didn't have much time or something.

I got dizzy looking at the pictures that were taken from directly above. The cranberry sauce looks better because it is shown in perspective, as one might really see it. The main problem with the pictures is the camera angle - not sophisticated at all! Even the turkey, which is somewhat better, is shown straight on instead of from an angle. She obviously didn't take very many shots, or else she would have had something better to choose. Many of the photographers were are much better, including Ann and Diana. I've done professional product photography myself (for furniture), but Ann's food photos are better than mine.

Lars