Don't be fooled, National Geographic's new series Photographer isn't about analyzing images. Talk of lighting, depth of field, and good angles is minimal. Instead, it's an examination of what compels a person to do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot. They “work hard to the point of death,” says fashion photographer Campbell Addy, and Photographer aims to illustrate why.

The docuseries, which premieres this week on National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu, features six episodes, each one an hour-long journey into one photographer's process as they work on a particular project. Having been a WIRED photo editor for some 20 years, I've hired many photographers, and still there were secrets I didn't know about the deep strife of many shoots.

Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier capturing photos of big oil rigs in the Bahamas.Photograph: Brent Kunkle/National Geographic

Generally, when people think of NatGeo, they imagine documentary footage of wildlife in jungles and the Australian Outback. Photographer has some of that traditional NatGeo style, but instead of tigers or marsupials the camera is trained on the photographers themselves. It’s about watching the photographer hunt—as Krystle Wright does while chasing tornadoes—or avoid prey, like Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier do while capturing big oil rigs.

Krystle Wright, seen here watching the sky in Nebraska, often puts herself in harm's way while photographing tornadoes.Photograph: Michael Crommett/National Geographic