N Photo

100% NIKON 100% INDEPENDENT

My favourite quote of this issue? It has to be from this month’s interview with inspirational nature pro Paul Harcourt Davies. He talks with great eloquence about his amazing career, but the line that really did it for me was his answer to the question ‘has digital changed your macro work?’ “The magical factor is immediacy,” he says. “I can now see what I’ve done straight away, and act to correct it if needed.”

I can think of no better way to articulate just why digital photography is so exciting, and so rewarding. Amateur or pro, we all make mistakes: it took Paul ten years – ten years! – to master his technique for capturing reflections in insects’ eyes, and I’m sure there were a few false starts along the way.

This brings me neatly to this issue’s feature, which explores the most common mistakes we all make, and offers practical advice on how to stop making them – fast. But that’s not to say you should eliminate mistakes entirely; if you’re not making any, you’re probably not trying hard enough to take your photography to the next level – the risk being, of course, that all of your pictures are passable, but predictable.

So, the next time you get out your camera, do yourself a favour and try something new, or different. If you’re lucky, you might even make a mistake...