Sightseeing through alens

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

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

Spotlight on readers’ excellent images and how they captured them

Embrace urban shooting and you’ll never run out of ideas

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

For me, going on a summer holiday is about getting away from it all and possibly having someone to wait on me for a change. But most importantly, it is to really be stirred. At this time in my life, I