10. National Geographic "The Photographers" Questions

I have always, for some reason, admired Sam Abell's style of photography. I like that he..

• Approaches photography in many different ways. Sometimes he waits for the picture to come find him, sometimes he ventures out to find the picture.
• Doesn't change anything in his photographs, he is strong on keeping things real and documentary-like. 
• Critiques. He never seems to brag or show off his work, but he describes it, and thinks about parts of the composition that he likes.
• He isn't afraid to get up close, or get in a weird position, because a photograph is more interesting when not looked at head-on.
• He makes photography a goal for him, not just a hobby. He takes it very seriously, but also makes time for other things.

Still, my favorite photograph was not from Sam Abell. It was the photograph taken by Alexandra Avakian of the person holding the eagle:

I love how it covers half of their face, because just the eyes give you a ton of emotion already.

These photographs definitely reinforced things Mr. Garland has talked about countless times:

• Look at the elements in the background of the picture.
• Don't always center.
• The closer, the better.
• Lighting is important, but it doesn't always have to come from the front, like on point and shoot cameras.