NME Picture Editor: Marian Paterson

Name: Marian Paterson
Magazine: NME
Potted Career: Before starting at NME in 2002, Paterson worked on EMAP’s Sky Magazine, and was picture editor on Sugar magazine. She has a degree in visual communications from Leeds College of Art.  www.nme.com/magazine

The Facts:

Commissioned? Yes, almost all photos are done through commissions: “We commission about three or four formal posed shoots, including a cover, per week. We also do around four live shoots and two news shoots, which adds up to about 40-50 different types of shoots in a month.”

Contract? Qualified rights contract. So although the photographer retains copyright, NME is able to reuse shots, and acts as syndication agent to third parties.

Criteria? NME expects all it’s photographers to be multi-skilled: “You can’t send somebody on the road with a band to do a feature if they can’t do live photography.” says Paterson. It’s difficult to break through, but “once you’re on board, you’re really on board, and then we go the distance”.

Crucial Information:

On hard work: Don’t expect to get the cover – NME photographers move up the ranks through hard work – to get in there you need to be as good or better than those already photographing.

On live photography: Photos from live performances have to be a cut above the ordinary – avoid anonymous or archetypal shots: “As long as the microphone isn’t right in somebody’s face; as long as it’s telling a story about what happened”

On web presence: Ensure you have decent web presence – email a link. “Then if I think you’re going to fit in here with the staff and with the way we work then I’ll get you to come in with your book.”

On post-processing: “If you’re going to be serious about this type of photography then you have to really learn about processing your own image, because we don’t have labs anymore to do it for you. You need to really get into Capture 1 Pro and PhotoShop to try and make your pictures look as good as if they were print.”

FULL INTERVIEW IN FEBRUARY/MARCH F2 FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER