Ron Ranson does not advocate copying directly from photographs, and emphasizes that the camera's role should be that of servant rather than master. In this book he explains how to use reference photographs of favourite landscapes and then shows how to distil the essence of the scene in your painting, without putting too much detail into the watercolour. He includes photographic examples of landscapes he has painted around the world and describes what he eliminated in his painting, what he changed in the composition and what techniques were needed to ensure a successful result.