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Its Tower of Augustus, erected by the Roman Senate in 6 B. c. to celebrate the subjection of Alpine tribes, is a classic feature, but the distant view, revealing even the mountains of Corsica on the clearest days, is the chief feature that glory of this hill village. A branch road from the Grande-Corniche to the shrine of Notre Dame de Laghet may be followed on foot or by car or old-fashioned carriage. The sanctuary, once a Carmelite convent, is a place of pilgrimage to this day, for many Monegasques believe it to be a miracle-working shrine. Regardless of that feature, it makes an interesting goal for any holiday tripper.

That's one reason why the feature photography field remains comparatively uncrowded, despite its obvious advantages over spot news coverage. It's easier for the cameraman to come up to the standards of news photography than to those of feature photography. There are many photographers perfectly capable of doing features, and who would like to do them, who never get into the field for the simple reason that they don't ever see the opportunities all around them for feature pictures. They lack the knack, something akin to the "nose for news" mentioned in the previous chapter, to recognize feature picture material.

This knack, which is only partly observation and probably more a matter of imagination, is a talent which one may or may not be able to acquire. Most editors probably would tell you that if you don't have it you won't get it without working hard to develop it. The editors, you see, are constantly trying, despite discouraging results, to develop the feature sense in their own staff photographers. A good many editors post bonuses for their spot news men who bring in feature sets and I know of one editor who threatened to fire any photographer who didn't produce at least one feature every week. He couldn't stand by this threat, by the way, or he would have run out of photographers within a few weeks.