The Eye of Heather Marcus
As far as I can tell there is nothing especially unusual about the eyes of Heather Marcus, Yankee‘s photo editor. They are hazel and bright and reflect a keen intelligence. What you can’t see when you look in her eyes is the sensibility that allows Heather to pore over hundreds of photographs and then choose […]
Heather with her favorite subject, her daughter Ella.
As far as I can tell there is nothing especially unusual about the eyes of Heather Marcus, Yankee‘s photo editor. They are hazel and bright and reflect a keen intelligence. What you can’t see when you look in her eyes is the sensibility that allows Heather to pore over hundreds of photographs and then choose the ones that you see in each issue of Yankee. Why is that important?
Writers talk about “voice,” a hard-to-define quality that elevates a piece of writing and makes it unique. It’s hard to pin down, but you know it when you read it, as if the writer is talking just to you. Photographers and photo editors need their own voice, and we call that having an “eye.” An eye for detail, clarity, light, emotion, and the way a great photograph tells a story about people, events, and places.
Each day Heather embarks on something akin to a treasure hunt. And she never knows what will turn up. A few days ago she sent me an e-mail about a young photographer’s work. I could sense her excitement behind the words. She might as well have yelled, “Eureka!” She had come across a photographer she had not known about before, who was creating spectacular images of a New England island. It was the same excitement when she found the photos of the Isles of Shoals that to me are the visual highlight of our January/February Yankee. You’ll see the results of Heather’s newest treasure hunt later this year.
We pride ourselves on our ability to bring New England’s seasons into your home. The photos that Heather uncovers and the photographers that she assigns are at the heart of that effort. Right now, Heather’s eye for detail is fixated on how to capture the essence of winter in a single image. A photographer stopped by last week with a unique idea for a winter project. He got the go-ahead and, in a few months, Heather will be at the light table looking for those bits of treasure.
No, there is nothing remarkable about the eyes of Heather Marcus — but her EYE, well, I think it’s special indeed.
Mel Allen is editor of Yankee Magazine and author ofA Coach’s Letter to His Son.
Mel Allen
Mel Allen is the fifth editor of Yankee Magazine since its beginning in 1935. His first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and in the summer of 2006 became editor. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long form story telling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel taught fourth grade in Maine for three years and believes that his education as a writer began when he had to hold the attention of 29 children through months of Maine winters. He learned you had to grab their attention and hold it. After 12 years teaching magazine writing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, he now teaches in the MFA creative nonfiction program at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Like all editors, his greatest joy is finding new talent and bringing their work to light.
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