Nat Geo Photo Editor On Listening to Your Inner Voice and Putting the Photo First

If you’ve ever dreamed of being published in National Geographic — and let’s be honest, a good number of us have fantasized about that career path — then you’re going to want to pay special attention to the short video above.

At the request of Nat Geo photographer and burn magazine editor David Alan Harvey, Nat Geo photo editor Susan Welchman gives you some concise advice on what she’s looking for from her photographers.

This is just a short preview of a longer talk (which, by the way, we can’t wait to see) but there’s still some gems in there at the very end. The good stuff starts around 2:15 and goes for the last minute of the video.

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We won’t spoil it, but the overall gist is to just be yourself. Who knew, the Genie from Aladdin had it right. Don’t copy successful photographers, don’t try to BE them, because you’re not them. And it’s your own inner voice and vision that, once developed, the magazine will want to publish.

For the full spiel, check out the video at the top.

(via burn magazine)

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