The Masterclasses by National Geographic Traveller (UK) returned this week with a series of one-hour writing and photography sessions.

The final photography session focused on putting a story together. Moderated by award-winning storyteller Lola Akinmade Åkerström, our expert photographers discussed their process from start to finish — from forming ideas to pulling together the final product.

Here are three tips shared during the session:

• Francesco Lastrucci, a freelance photographer specialising in editorial stories, suggested keeping a magazine layout in mind if you want to shoot for print. “Imagine if [a subject] was shot in the middle of the image,” he said. “It couldn’t be used in a double-page spread, because it would be right on the crease.”
  
• Photographers should understand the difference between having a story and having content, recommended award-winning photographer Yulia Denisyuk. “A lot of people are travelling and taking photos,” she said. “They have content, but they don’t necessarily have the narrative arc that you need for a story.”
  
• Yulia also advised newcomers to be patient and persistent. “Those of us who are still in the industry are here because we didn’t stop pitching — we didn’t stop pushing our stories and sharing our pictures,” she said. “You just need to be consistent. If this is your passion, you have to keep going.”

The Masterclasses by National Geographic Traveller (UK) will return in 2023.