Welcome to issue 156

From lighting to posing and pacifying, here’s how you get the perfect shot

10 things you can shoot, edit and create this month, from historic waterways to woodlands and squirrels

Here’s the long and the short of it: we’re testing the best-buy tripods, from compact travel models to full-sized sticks, all with beefy load ratings

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Even with so much information out there, taking perfect portraits can be hard work. Pro photographer Paul Wilkinson guides us through this huge genre with his pearls of wisdom