Edible Reno-Tahoe
Photography That Keeps Us Close to the Work
Not every project MCBCreative takes on looks like brand work. Some of it reminds us why we do the work in the first place.
Since March 2023, Mary Claire Bouchér has contributed photography to Edible Reno-Tahoe across 26 editorial assignments, appearing in nearly every issue during that time. The publication tells the stories of Northern Nevada and the Tahoe region through food, agriculture, hospitality, and the people behind them—an editorial focus closely aligned with MCBCreative’s own commitment to supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, and the communities they help shape.
The assignments may sit outside the more traditional scope of MCBCreative’s work, but the connection is a natural one.
Commercial photography is part of the foundation of the business. Continuing to work editorially keeps that foundation active.
The Assignment
Editorial photography asks you to arrive curious.
Over the course of 26 stories, the subjects have ranged from hemp and earthworm farmers to sommeliers, bartenders, home chefs, organic growers, poultry farmers, hospital nutrition programs, cocktail lounges, historic saloons, an edible-flower grower, and nonprofits providing meals to people in need.
Every assignment is different. There is a new environment to understand, a new person to meet, and a limited amount of time to recognize what will tell the story best.
That variety is part of the appeal.
Unlike a carefully planned commercial shoot, editorial work often begins with what is already there. The job is to observe quickly, find the strongest visual moments, and create images that feel both considered and true to the subject.
Keeping Creative Instincts Sharp
Good photography depends on more than technical skill. It requires attention.
Light changes. People relax—or do not. A room that initially seems unremarkable may reveal the photograph once you understand what happens there.
Sometimes the challenge is even more literal.
For one summer issue, the assignment was to photograph a barbecue restaurant whose smokers were all outdoors. The photographs were being made months before publication, with nearly two feet of snow on the ground.
The story still needed to feel like summer.
Assignments like that are useful reminders that creative work rarely arrives under perfect conditions. You learn to adapt, solve what is in front of you, and keep the final story in mind.
That discipline carries directly into the work MCBCreative does for its clients.
A Different Kind of Storytelling
Brand photography often begins with intention: what should someone understand about this business, this person, or this place?
Editorial photography begins a little differently.
You are not there to manufacture the story. You are there to recognize it.
That makes curiosity especially important. The strongest photographs often come after listening, looking longer, or noticing something that was not part of the expected shot list.
One favorite assignment was the Odeon Saloon in Dayton. The historic building offered plenty to photograph on its own, but a well-timed sunset created the image that ultimately stood out. Places with that kind of history reward patience and attention; the Odeon dates to the 19th century and remains closely tied to Dayton’s past.
Supporting the People Behind the Region
There is also a deeper connection between this work and MCBCreative’s larger purpose.
Edible Reno-Tahoe exists to connect readers with local growers, chefs, retailers, artisans, and producers while giving regional writers, photographers, and artists a place to tell stories that might otherwise go unseen.
That matters to us.
Small businesses are rarely just businesses. They are built around people, persistence, knowledge, and a particular point of view. Editorial assignments offer an opportunity to spend time with those people and learn about work we might never otherwise encounter.
That may be the most rewarding part of the relationship.
The camera provides an introduction.
The Ongoing Practice
After more than three years and 26 assignments, this work has become less about individual shoots and more about maintaining a creative practice.
It reconnects MCBCreative to its photographic roots. It introduces us to people doing thoughtful and unusual work throughout the region. And it keeps the ability to observe, adapt, and tell a clear visual story in constant use.
Those skills never belong to only one kind of project.
They strengthen everything that comes after.
Creative Services Provided
Editorial Photography
Food & Beverage Photography
Product Photography
Lifestyle Portrait Photography
Client
Edible Reno-Tahoe
https://ediblerenotahoe.com/
Reno, Nevada