A Photograph With Legs - NYTimes.com There are certain dishes you need to be careful with when photographing so as to avoid the "what the heck is that?" factor. You don't want to rely on the headline or the text to explain to your audience exactly what it is seeing. For this week's Good Appetite column by Melissa Clark, we had that moment with the curry chicken recipe. Meats that are slow-cooked and have lots of sauce can sometimes be unidentifiable and lack form. The thighs and breasts look very similar when smothered in sauce, and they do not say "chicken." It is no coincidence that a good number of food shots of chicken dishes include a drumstick. The leg does not have an identity crisis and has a shape that lends itself to multiple plating options. You really want your image to capture the attention of people who merely scan the page looking for something interesting to eat or to make. You need to tap into the familiar and the recognizable in order to be evocative. Here, as in other arenas, a shapely leg can really catch the eye.