Welcome to issue 70
At first glance, it might not seem like this issue’s main feature (on taking your landscapes to the next level) and this issue’s interview (with battle-hardened photojournalist Ami Vitale) have that much in common. But they are linked by a definite theme: namely, that great photography takes time. When Ami gets to a new location, she doesn’t even take her camera out of her bag for the first day or two; instead, she takes time – that word again – to meet with local leaders, to talk with them and gain their trust. In a similar vein, landscape ace Jeremy Walker discusses taking one of his favourite images in our main feature (see page 24). He went back to the same location twice a year for 30 years – 30 years! – until he got the shot he wanted.
Obviously time is precious, and when we’re juggling work and family commitments we don’t always have days to spare for our photography, but even a few minutes can make the difference, as travel ace Michael Freeman makes clear with his latest Creative Path, on layering an image (page 78).
So the next time you bring your hard-earned Nikon D-SLR to your eye to rattle off the sort of shot you could take with a half-decent phone camera, take a minute – just one minute – to ask yourself the question “what could I do to make this picture better?” And once you’ve taken the shot, ask it again. Do that, and you’ll be halfway there.