As it does once every two years, our editorial focus this issue returns to studio photography. As we researched stories focusing on individuals and the industry, it became clear that these photographers, regardless of their specialty, have one thing in common: They make photos rather than just take them.

The photographers we present in these pages are masters of premeditation with an obsession for detail. From concepts to completion, they use time-tested skills as a foundation for cutting-edge lighting, exposure and post-production techniques. Without exception, they inventively capture their clients' desires on film, and often deliver much, much more.

Our thanks to all the featured photographers (and their staffs) who cheerfully cooperated in presenting their work...

This is an issue I’ve been looking forward to since last summer. While on a nature photography road trip from Seattle to Grand Teton National Park, I stumbled on a photo gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyo. It was a Sunday night, so the gallery was closed, but I was transfixed by the photos displayed inside. I was heading back on the road early the next morning, so would not have a chance to enter the gallery, but I grabbed a courtesy catalog from a dispenser outside the door.

Continuing on my trip, the memory of those photos stayed with me. As I looked over the catalog along the way, I knew we had to share those photos—and this photographer—with our readers. One of the highlights of this issue on nature and wildlife photography has been getting to view more...

This issue started out with a focus on travel and location photography. As we began talking to location and travel photographers to research stories, we learned that many are focusing on portrait photography on location.

Technically, portraiture overlaps into several of our general themes, including location and studio photography. But more and more, portraiture offers location photographers a new source of income. And, more and more portrait photographers are facing new demands to photograph subjects out of the studio, on their subjects' home turf. To explore this trend, we've focused this issue on people and places. We hope you'll enjoy what's in store...

Since our spring issue, several events have drawn my attention to a phenomenon that has been intensifying dramatically for the last five years or so: the news media's tendency to sensationalize stories. Whether it be the downfall of a celebrity, a senseless shooting, or a natural disaster, all segments of the news industry seem to be embracing these stories with zeal.

We are living in the age of the big story, and each new story seems to get bigger than the last. Witness the Oklahoma City bombing, the O.J. Simpson murder trials, Princess Diana's passing, President Clinton's sexual transgressions and subsequent impeachment, the war in Kosovo, the Columbine shootings, JFK Jr.'s passing, and the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd. The subjects are put under a microscope while the public lives vicariously...

As we exit the 20th century, computers have become integral for processing virtually all aspects of human intellectual activity, from transacting business to conducting scientific research to facilitating communications and the arts. Little remains untouched by the computer's impact.

It has been intriguing to monitor the evolution of digital technologies within the photography industry, starting with the prototype systems for image capture and output to the current, fully conceived products. The move to digital has given us plenty to write about as photographers and photo users discover new opportunities...

Since our spring issue, several events have drawn my attention to a phenomenon that has been intensifying dramatically for the last five years or so: the news media’s tendency to sensationalize stories. Whether it be the downfall of a celebrity, a senseless shooting, or a natural disaster, all segments of the news industry seem to be embracing these stories with zeal.

We are living in the age of the big story, and each new story seems to get bigger than...