ABSTRACT
Just how important is good technique and craft to the worth of an image? Once you have the basics, it is not as central as you might think. The amount of skill necessary will vary from one image to the next. Some pictures are assembled simply and speak directly, while others are much more complex and demand a high level of effort to pull them together. When the image communicates without it, you won't need advanced technique; it is only lacking if it obscures the message. As long as the picture does what it was intended to do, the technique and tools involved in making it become irrelevant. Don't worry about your skill levels, but about what you want to say. Your skills will develop along with your work, but technical expertise cannot hide paucity of content. The process should not dictate the direction your work takes. Accept that you will always be learning. Your creativity will not be limited by lack of expertise, or, indeed, by lack of equipment—it doesn't reside in the camera, the software or the computer. Your camera phone will produce images every bit as interesting and useful as a Hasselblad. Be led by your heart and your creativity, be confident, listen to yourself, feed your imagination and always keep your mind open.
