The art of seeing

OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, ELLE HAS CELEBRATED CREATIVITY OF ALL KINDS. HERE, A RANGE OF TODAY’S LEADING ARTISTS, WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND DIRECTORS SHARE THE RITUALS, ROUTINES AND REALITIES BEHIND THEIR GREATEST WORKS, FROM MIND-BLOWING EXCEL SHEETS TO THE MAGIC OF THE DARK ROOM

Documentary photographer Richard Cross rises above the shortbread tin romanticism that colours so much of our outdoor heritage, with the perspective provided by drone photography applied to land use issues of our day

From dilapidated cottages to the site of a notorious nuclear disaster, what is behind the longing to seek out abandoned places, asks Katie Scott

Clutter-free grandeur How the artist changed her untidy ways to create a stately studio workspace

This issue’s 10 Pictures comes from railfreight follower and photographer Paul Shannon. Having spent his early childhood in Gloucestershire, Paul lived on the outskirts of Manchester from 1963 until 1

Three images to get you thinking about how to shoot the streets