Recipe hubs without photos?

1. 94

   Cardisaposted 12 years ago

   I know it's the recipe that counts but we eat with our eyes. When we see photos of great food we want to create and eat them.
   
   I always wonder how people react to recipes without photos as I am seeing quite a number of them. Even a photo of the main or one of the ingredients would be fine. You don't have to post the complete dish even though that would be better.
   
   What are your thoughts on this?
   
   This is a genuine question as I have tons of recipe that I haven't posted because I have no photos yet, so would like to get some feedback.

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   1. 61

      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have few recipe hubs which I'd posted at the beginning without photos because I didn't have a camera then. I agree though, it's far better to have photos of the dish if you can. Now, I have to learn how to take decent photographs of my food.

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   2. 73

      Benoitsmidgetposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. I know when I am looking for a recipe, I always end up choosing one with a photo. I realize that not everyone knows how to upload a photo, but I agree it definitely helps to have one.

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   3. 59

      paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Go to google images. Search for (as an example), "chili:site:.gov." No quotes. Something will turn up that you can use.

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   4. 68

      novascotiamissposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I usually search for recipes according to ingredients (e.g. at the moment I'm looking for zucchini recipes). I totally agree with you, if a recipe has one or several appealing  photographs it's more interesting and wets my appetite. When I browse through magazines these kind of recipes definitely catch my eye, whereas the ones without photographs remain unnoticed. Recipes with photographs will definitely get more attention.

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2. 61

   Margaret Skipperposted 12 years ago

   Hmm, i think a photo would probably help a hub when listed on your profile. That seems to be the first thing that interest me on profiles. The title is usually second, so if have a great title that could make up for the picture. Also, the search engines only show your title anyway.
   If you have a good following, they will probably look at your hub anyway because they are already familiar with you. I personally don't trust recipe pictures, esp from magazines, my creations never look that good!   On the other hand, yummy looking pictures do make me want to eat...lol.  This one is sort of hard. Im planning to make some recipe hubs that will probably go pictureless for a few weeks until i can develop the film. Develop the film? lol, yes i use a vintage 35mm camera.

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Google shows your photos and videos if you use the Google authorship.
      
      I want to post my recipes but have been holding back as I feel weird posting them without photos..lol....I haven't used a film camera in years, though I do have a brand new (used once) one.

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3. 71

   SmartAndFunposted 12 years ago

   I also have tons of recipes that I've not written a hub about because I, too, prefer to publish recipes with photos. Don't photos help curry favor with search engines and tell them that the page is one of quality? That's why I like to include photos -- to elevate the quality of the page, not just for search engines but also the reader.
   
   As for search engines only showing the title, that's not exactly true. If you publish your recipe using the HubPages recipe template, the first photo in your hub will show in Google search results as part of the "rich snippets" program. It is not guaranteed that the photo will show, and it may take a week or two for it to show up in results, but mine seem to always show up, eventually. I don't know about search engines other than Google, though.

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      Margaret Skipperposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh ok, i don't use Google! But maybe i should if the search results are better looking.

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      1. 94

         Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Margaret, Google automatically crawl you articles regardless of whether or not you "use" Google so so long as you use the recipe capsules your recipes will show up in Google's search engine.

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   2. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Smart And Fun, yes, I forgot about the recipe capsules. Plus if you are a Google plus member and you connect your profiles, your photos and videos will show up in search.

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4. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

   Oh, yes!  Please have a photo with that recipe!  It is very helpful to have a photograph or photographs to illustrate your finished product as well as the step-by-step cooking process.  It brings out the inner piggy in me because I will comment, save your recipe, and hopefully try it out.  Oh, YUM!

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What happens to me sometimes is I totally forget to take the step by step photos especially if I am working while cooking...lol, but I always have a photo of the finished product.

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5. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

   A photo of the finished product will do!  If the recipe is a little harder than most, it is helpful that a step-by-step is added.  I agree.  You can get into your cooking and forget all about taking photographs.  I've also had steam from the cooking cloud up my lens.

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, the steam does that to me all the time and sometime I still post the photos as they look real and I like to show that I actually cooked the thing...lol

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      1. 0

         jenuboukaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         hey had to chime in....Photos for recipes will go along way.,  Good quality and original.   After that nitemare cheesecake venture my camera is shot...covered in sugary cream cheese goo.  Hey all for getting that perfect shot....

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         1. 94

            Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            lol lol lol, pity you can't really eat the camera....hehe

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               jenuboukaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Oh, I never want to see cream cheese, pumpkin, or sugar for the rest of my days....
               
               and yes, I did lick the camera a few times...

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   2. 61

      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Me too. Made pea soup tonight, it was absolutely steaming and I took photos for my blog. I was so greedy that I didn't even wait for it to cool down before I devoured it. I've burnt my mouth.

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      1. 94

         Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         LOL LOL, happens to me all the time.That's why I make a pledge to let the food sit at least ten minutes before eating!

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6. 74

   WryLiltposted 12 years ago

   Yes, photos help, but my two fave recipes (cheesy mince risotto, vege mix soup) were both discovered online without photos.
   
   I guess it depends if it's a common recipe or style?

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I guess if it's a common recipe it doesn't matter? I want to post some more of my recipes but feel weird without photos. I guess I could try one and see how the response goes. I posted a marmalade recipe with just the oranges but that's marmalade...lol

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7. 77

   Aficionadaposted 12 years ago

   I have to admit I have mixed feelings about photos for recipes.  I definitely believe they attract more attention and interest for the reader (and probably for the search engine too, but what do I know?).  However I, as an actual user, rarely use recipes that have a picture.  That's because when I am searching for a specific recipe, I have other criteria that interest me more: the ingredients, the steps, the time required.  The comments below the recipe also help me to decide whether it's something I want to try or not.  When I first started looking at recipes online, I copied bunches of them to my hard drive, and the pretty pictures were a big factor for me then.  But I'm not sure I have ever actually cooked more than half a dozen or so out of the dozens upon dozens I copied.
   
   My guess (opinion) is that recipes with pictures may cause a flurry of excitement at first and help to create traffic.  But over the long term, it's the value of the actual recipe that will matter the most.  I could see posting a few good ones without pictures, but making sure you cook it up and take a photo soon and add the picture as soon as you can.  That way, you could test for yourself how much of a difference the photo makes.

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Aficionada. I'll try a few recipes without the photos. It will be hard but I guess I'll have to try it and see what happens.

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8. 84

   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   The vast majority of my cookbooks have no or minimal illustration. In fact, I avoid buying cookbooks with lots of glossy photographs, because I consider them a waste of money. I do not feel the illustrations add anything useful whatsoever.
   
   Thus, I am not in the least concerned about whether a recipe is illustrated. If I happen on one with a photograph on the web, I don't really look at the photo. I am more interested in the ingredients and how they are used.

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks WriteAngled. I guess I have been spoiled with looking at pretty pictures...lol, because I tend to go for the cookbook with photos. The only cookbook I have used without pictures is "The Joy of Cooking" and find it is one of the best cookbooks ever put together.

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9. 69

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   When I see craft or recipe hubs with no photos I tend to suspect the author had not actually made the product.

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   1. 94

      Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I feel the same way too...lol

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10. 0

    Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

    Exactly!  If I see a photograph of the craft or the recipe, I'd be saying to myself, "I want to make this!"

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11. 68

    holyjeans30posted 12 years ago

    If it's a recipe I was looking for I prefer to see a picture.  Lots of times I have simply skipped past a recipe without one.  Kind of sad because I may have missed out on a great recipe but I guess that's just how my mind works.  However, if the title is good enough to reel me in and the ingredients aren't over the top, I will sometimes read a recipe without a photo.  Don't know if that helps.  Really just depends on the individual.

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12. 59

    freecampingaussieposted 12 years ago

    They need photos to show you what it looks like . Travel hubs need photos as well. I usually leave a comment saying that photos woild help the hub out a lot .

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13. 71

    carol7777posted 12 years ago

    i always try to have at least three photos as people do like to see what they eat.  I have stayed through to the end of a recipe when there is a photo.  It does get readers to stay on target.

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14. 73

    Jean Rogersposted 12 years ago

    When searching recipes, I usually choose one with a photo too. There is something about seeing the final product that steers me towards a recipe. I agree with your idea about at least posting photos of some of the ingredients if you don't have a picture of the final dish. That at least adds some imagery to the hub.

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