'No gimmicks and no Photoshop'

I'm often asked how much control picture editors have in the look and feel of a magazine, so I thought it would be interesting to get the view of Rebecca McClelland, who has just taken up a new post at the New Statesman magazine. She is the magazine's first photography editor and is responsible for delivering the photographic new look which launched last week.

Rebecca has worked in London for the past 11 years on titles including The Sunday Times Magazine, Evening Standard Magazine and Wallpaper as well as being the deputy director of the Ian Parry Scholarship, an annual international photojournalism competition.

It looks like she is being given room to show off good photography, which is not something at the top of everyone's agenda these days. She told me:

"A key element in delivering the new-look magazine has been the expanded editorial team. New Statesman has always had a reputation for high-quality, award-winning writing. Now we will match words with arresting, eye-catching photography and illustration. I have chosen every image in the first issue of the new look magazine with care in order to ensure the most effective marriage of editorial and visual content. Pictures will be larger and bolder."

The weekly interview, in which figures from the worlds of the arts and politics are questioned by staff writers will feature, as you'd expect, a strong portrait, but Rebecca tells me she is committed to a certain style:

"No gimmicks and no Photoshop. I will be working with a small group of select photographers, including Tom Craig, Mel Bles, Philip Sinden, Spencer Murphy, Jan Stradtmann, Vincent Fournier and Jaap Scheeren, all of whom have a fresh and innovative approach to portraiture."

You get a good feel for the new direction from the pictures shown here. Spencer Murphy's picture captured a relaxed-looking prime minister before the Labour Party conference and Joss McKinley photographed the actress Fiona Shaw. Rebecca added: "This was Joss's first portrait for the New Statesman and is a very good example of the new direction of portraiture I will be using."

Rebecca's aim is to create a coherent vision that will in time provide a recognisable style. Alongside planned photojournalism features like Tim Hetherington's Liberia photo-essay, many of which were sourced by Rebecca at the recent Visa Pour L'image festival in France, photos from the week's news and a regular archive image slot, it seems Rebecca is a picture editor with an opportunity to make a mark on the world of press photography.

Does she ever take a day off? Well, yes: but then she's concentrating on her Masters in Photography.

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