Stockland Martel Blog

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I’ve always been intrigued by the Edible series of magazines, whose stated mission is to “is to transform the way consumers shop for, cook, eat and relate to local food.” Founded in 2002 by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, Edible is a print franchise: You can start your own edition using the established business model, format, and branding for the magazine. With close to 60 incarnations throughout the country—from Orlando (launching this September) to Allegheny and Boston to Missoula—Edible is the ultimate regional publication.

Photography is, naturally, a big part of this award-winning food magazine, whose covers always feature a full-bleed image. So I decided to ask Michael Harlan Turkell, photo editor of Edible Manhattan (he’s also a photographer and shot the Edible Brooklyn and Manhattan covers you see above), about Edible’s take on commissioned and stock photos, how he finds photographers, and some of his favorite photos from Edible Manhattan.
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What is Edible?

Edible is a community of magazines around the country—over 50 strong—that focus on local and sustainable food. They were founded to educate eaters on where/why/how more so than your typical food-porn glossy. Rather than reviewing restaurants and discussing trends, Edible magazines explore the cogs of the industry and show the human side of cuisine, with reference to culture.

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What is the overriding mission for the photography published in the Edible magazines? And what do you look for in the photographers you work with?
We try to show what’s true to life—a more “behind the scenes” look. I look for photographers that are not only passionate in their craft, but interested in their subjects. I hope that assignments grow into relationships in which the photographers can further their knowledge of certain foods and function, and hopefully help to support the greater good, as opposed to just thinking of the assignment as an autonomous entity. Many of our photographers volunteer in the field, have cooked, still cook, or are looking to gain new culinary skills.

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Do you use stock photos, and if so, how would you describe the ideal Edible stock photo? Also, what are your trusted resources for stock photos?
We do use stock photos, but not stock houses. Instead, I look to photographers who have contacted me  about shooting for Edible Brooklyn or Edible Manhattan. I review their portfolios and often ask if they’d like to be put on our “stock request list.” This list, in the same vein as the magazines’ mission statement, draws from a local, sustainable pool of artists that work within the community already.

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You work for Edible Manhattan, both the print edition and the website. Is the photography sourced and utilized differently based on the platform?
Many great images don’t make it into the print edition, so we’re trying to find new ways to present slide shows, outtakes, and give a forum where the photographs can live unbounded by the magazine.

We’ve had collective gallery shows, portfolio reviews, and meet & greets, so liked-minded photographers can gather and pair their personalities with their portfolios, as most photographers don’t get to interact with each other outside of work.

Both print and the Web are the same content, for the most part, but we hope to be expanding the visual outlets we have available through collaborating with like-minded business and institutions that might be willing to exhibit our works.

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You are also a photographer who has a lot of experience shooting food. How does that experience come to bear on your approach to working with photographers for Edible?

It is helpful, in both technical approach and understanding what an assignment will undertake. Knowing the strengths of photographers, in not only grasping their stylistic ability to shoot but how quickly they can work, with what personalities, on what deadlines, working solo, or needing assistants. I think this understanding comes from the experience of having been in similar situations myself. I know not only how the food will react, but the chefs, restaurant staff, and other subjects that might be involved in the piece.

We’re not your typical food magazine. I’m not looking for studio shooting, but rather a more portrait, environmental, reportage style. I’d rather show the frenetic nature of the story than have a drawn out still-life shoot that can lose the realism of real-time.
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How long have you been with Edible, and how has the photography changed since you started?
I started with Edible Brooklyn in 2006, I think on their third issue, and I’ve been working with them ever since. We are approaching our 20th issue of Edible Brooklyn. At first I was a work-for-hire and then eventually began to shoot the majority of assignments. I have a recurring series, “Back of the House,” that  profiles a day-in-the-life of a restaurant.

It wasn’t until the launch of Edible Manhattan in the summer of 2008 that I took on the role of photo editor. I still shoot my series but try to assign out the majority of the magazine in order to grow the photographic community and give a wider scope of artist visions.

We’ve been setting up more environmental portraits, finding more stylized photographers, and looking for more established talent to shoot certain features for our magazines. Not to say our photographers aren’t talented as is, but we want to show people that we’re not just a little local food magazine—we have important issues that demand exemplary photography.
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Can you give us a few examples of your favorite Edible photo stories and tell us why you think they worked?
It’s the early mornings, the late nights, showing our subjects that we’re there to capture it all with them. From 4AM rise-and-shine pastry kitchens, like at the now defunct Payard Patisserie, and arriving at a lively kitchen rushing to finish up the display cases upstairs prior to sunrise. A fishing-boat adventure with renowned chef Jacques Torres (mrchocolate.com) in which dinner was caught and cooked all in the same day.

We’re not scared to get up close and personal, as well as get our hands dirty. Our photographers participate in what they’re photographing, from hours of baking bread in 200 sq ft of space with Mark Fiorentino, the in-house boulanger at Daniel, to rooftop beekeeping near Union Sq., climbing up rickety ladders sans safety nets and/or protective gear. I feel it sometimes instills the tactility lost in the movement from analog film to digital.

The shoots that show involvement and understanding end up being some of the most successful work.  You can be an objective observer and conscientious contributor at the same time, allowing a photographer to both have a relationship with the story while keeping their distance with the shoot as not to make it meta.

My personal favorites are the “Back of the House” shoots, where I get to witness a restaurant’s energy from open to close. I aim to properly show all the hard work that goes into the constructs of a daily menu and a final plated dish.

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What can we look forward to in Edible Manhattan in the coming year?
Bigger, better photos spreads, with more dynamic layouts and a focus on iconic covers. Trying to garner respect and become considered a high-quality photo magazine. It’s sometimes an uphill battle with our paper stock—it’s heavy and soaks up ink, but at the same time, it produces a distinct archival-looking image. I’m also hoping to see a rise in photo pitches. I’d like to see more photo-driven stories—gallery-like pages of photo-only content that changes the perception of what is “food-porn” photography.

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For more on Edible Communities Publications, go here.

Related links:
• Carolyn Fong
• Ryan Dorsett
• Jacob Pritchard
• Alison Cartwright
• Micah Beree
• Michael Harlan Turkell

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