Cookbook Pictures

So I am slowly cooking on the cookbook.  And one of the considerations I am mulling over in my head as I enter the recipes are pictures.  I don't want it to be without illustration.  Over the years I have taken many pictures of my food and I am planning on using several of them.  My one problem is that I am far from a food stylist.  And some of the pictures reflect that (actually, most of them do).

The second problem with the pictures, is that while I could retake a lot of the photos, I am lazy.  I don't want to figure out how to rig lights and 'set design'.  So then I hit upon the idea of combining my cookbook with my pictures by 'altering' the pictures and making them digital art rather than just food pictures.

For example, this is a picture of the chocolate cake I will have the recipe for in my book.

Glare on the left side, boring setting, doesn't make this a very appealing picture  But the cake is yummy.  I did leave out the cinnamon, as Texter is allergic, but a great cake.  And you ice it hot, so double greatness.

Then I played with it a bit.  In the book, I will have it 'behind and to the side of the recipe' and the edges will be faded into the page, but you can get a general idea.

So what do you think?  Good idea?  Bad idea?  Different idea?