Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

Processing your Nikon NEF files isn’t the end, of course, because you’ll want to share, print, edit or publish the results of your experimentation. This is where Adobe Camera Raw, Lightroom and Capture NX-D begin to differ quite significantly. Adobe Camera Raw is designed to either send a processed picture to Photoshop for further editing or save a processed picture as a new file. As we’ve seen, Adobe Camera Raw’s editing tools are so powerful that you might have already done all the enhancement work that you feel you need to on your work. If so, you can simply hit the ‘Save’ button to generate a processed image – but you do need to make sure the settings are correct for the use the picture is designed for. Different export…

The mission • Learn how to shoot fantastic fencing portraits Time • One day Skill level • Beginner• Intermediate• Advanced Kit needed • Wide-angle lens• Continuous LED lights IN ASSOCIATION WITH We joined Nikon School UK on their Fencing Photography Experience day in London to learn how best to shoot a selection of fantastic fencing photos. Throughout the day we were shown, alongside a handful of other lucky people, how to shoot controlled action shots, static sports portraits, and how to utilize high shutter speeds when using continuous lighting on location. Shooting a sport that’s known for its explosive speed, it was necessary to set up our Nikon camera to freeze the movement; that meant engaging continuous drive mode and using back-button focusing to track the focus on our fencers.…

EXPOSURE 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO1600 LENS 70-200mm f/2.8 Don’t forget the drummer! Rachel warmed up shooting the support act. The singer may be the frontman, but you need to shoot the rest of the band too. Be sure to get a clean, in-focus shot of every band member, and that includes the drummer – who is always the most difficult to photograph as they’re tucked away at the back of the stage, where the lighting is at its dimmest. Try and get at least one wide shot of the entire group, too. Dual memory cards Tracey’s camera has dual memory card slots, and she sets the camera so that should one memory card become full, it starts writing to the other. But she switches cards around in the interval between…

YOUR PROJECTS CRITIQUED Photographing people is what I love – to show their personality and evoke an emotion from the viewer. There is no better feeling to me than seeing the smile spread across someone’s face who is viewing their family photographs for the first time. I shoot on location with only the available lighting. This usually means I’m shooting outdoors, so it posed a few issues for me when I was asked to take some engagement photos inside a local bar [1]. I handheld the camera and had to use a slower shutter speed because of the low light conditions. I enjoy the warmth of the shot but think, if I had to do it again, I would play more with the reflection on the bar top and bring…

Keeping company with last month’s Stranger Things is the kind of investigation that might not at first seem to have much to do with creativity, but it can make or break a shot. Many people treat creativity as mainly being about flashes of inspiration, even strokes of genius, and yes, it really does happen like that. Just not always. In every creative field, from painting to film-making, the background work not only prepares the method, it often actively creates it. Really famous places can be painful to photograph, because you start by knowing that, more or less, anything you try has been shot before. Every angle covered, in every light, so what’s the point of reproducing what countless other people have done before? It’s a peculiar and frustrating problem, because…

WHERE TO GET CAPTURE NX-D It’s made for Nikons, and it’s free! Capture NX-D is available as a free download from Nikon at http://nikonimglib.com/ncnxd As new Nikons are introduced, Capture NX-D should be the first software to support them. The edge of a photo may bulge (or barrel) slightly as it is distorted by the lens. This type of geometric distortion is especially noticeable when shooting with a wide-angle lens, but most lenses will produce some barrelling. Depending on the quality of the lens your shots may also suffer from chromatic aberration. This manifests itself as green or purple fringes of colour clinging to contrasting objects. You may also notice the edges of a photo are darker than the rest of the frame due to vignetting, caused by different light…

What is it like switching to a mirrorless camera? The DSLR is a legacy thing that’s designed around the SLR, which is nearly 80 years old. It was a mechanism to get a bit of film in front of a lens, which was then replaced by a CCD chip. In my opinion, mirrorless is the first step by professional camera companies to create a device digitally to capture photos – so it is the future. The lens mounts and the new possibilities of faster lenses and impossible focal lengths are interesting, but the key thing, in practical terms, with the Z7 is the face detection focusing. Being able to shoot and focus in video without hunting – I’ve had a Sony camera in my kitbag to do that – but…

Tracey Welch PAGE 54 Get into the pit with pro music photographer Tracey, as she teaches our Apprentice how to rock their next shoot Joe McNally PAGE 90 Joe uses a minimal lighting setup and the power of the Z7 to tame the low-light conditions of late-night New York City Tina Bark PAGE 66 Tina specializes in shooting pairs of people in her portrait portfolio that capture a sense of intimacy and comfort Rob Whitworth PAGE 92 World-renowned hyper-lapse king Rob details his career and how he got into shooting his hugely successful time-lapses Michael Freeman PAGE 78 Be aware! Michael explains how you can open up a new world of opportunities if you’re willing to do a little research… Hunter Barnes PAGE 102 Hunter takes to the streets of…

Working directly on your Raw files means you’re working on image data straight from the camera and not processed once already. At one time, the adjustments you could make were limited to brightness, colour and contrast, and in some programs that’s still the case. The version of Adobe Camera Raw that comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements, for example, is a very basic toolset. But the best Raw processing tools are now so powerful that you might not need a regular image-editing program like Photoshop at all. Our main annotation shows some of the enhancements you can apply in the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw, which comes with Photoshop CC. You get the same tools in Lightroom, the only difference is how they’re laid out on the screen for you…

The mission • Cast shadowed patterns on your subject Time • 30 minutes Skill level • Beginner• Intermediate• Advanced Kit needed • Blanket or gobo• Light source (flashgun, direct sunlight or torch) There are dedicated shapes called gobos (go between object) that are specifically designed to fit on your flashgun, and there are a plethora of designs out there, but you needn’t fork out cash for a pretty pattern. You can use many objects you may have around the house, like our crocheted blanket, for example. The trick to using any kind of modifier to create patterns like this is to keep it close to your subject. Hard light, from small, undiffused light sources, will produce the best results. If you’re shooting with window light, or doing this project outside,…

THE APPRENTICE… NAME Rachel Brown CAMERA Nikon D700 Rachel runs online music magazine Northern Exposure, where she interviews bands, reviews gigs and writes about the music scene in the north of England, with a focus on up-and-coming acts. She started photographing bands when one of her freelance photographers was unable to shoot a gig, but loaned her a D7000. She’s since upgraded to a full-frame D700, which she chose for its exceptional low-light capabilities. While Rachel is pleased with her shots, she sometimes struggles with the best settings for the dim light of gigs, so we hooked her up with Tracey to shoot rock legend Johnny Marr. Check out Northern Exposure at www.northern-exposure.co THE PRO… NAME Tracey Welch CAMERA Nikon D5, Nikon Df Tracey has loved shooting music since her…

After reading your recent macro lens reviews, I bought the latest Tamron 90mm Macro to use with my D810. No matter what aperture I use at the closest focus distance, I only seem to get a tiny depth of field. Why is this? Ian Carter JASON SAYS… At its shortest focus distance, any ‘full macro’ lens will give you a 1.0x or 1:1 magnification ratio, reproducing objects at full life-size on the image sensor. This enables extreme magnification when viewing the resulting images on screen or in print. However, even with a narrow aperture of around f/16, the depth of field will only be a few millimetres. To render three-dimensional objects like bugs sharply from front to back, you’ll need to use a technique called ‘focus stacking’. This requires taking…

WWW.JOEMCNALLY.COM One of the charges I had when Nikon loaned me a preproduction Z7 was to challenge the camera in as many ways as I could. How would the camera deal with a fluid shooting situation? How would it govern TTL Speedlights? How would focus behave in low light? How would the camera handle mixed ambient light? Seeking answers, we headed to New York City, gathering about 11pm for hair, makeup and styling, and hitting the streets of Chinatown at around 3am. It was hugely helpful to see the exposure through the EVF. I am also quickly getting addicted to the ‘i’ button, which transfers a grid of options, all changeable with a thumb click, right to the EVF screen you are seeing through. I’m also getting used to the…

When making a time-lapse video, how long does it take from commission to delivery? The longest part is the first phase of the initial discussions – that can go on for a very long time. Ideally, on a project you separate out the recon from the shoot, so then you can come up with a storyboard and get that all approved and everyone happy. Then you can (hopefully) easily arrange all the talent and locations for the shoot. For example, the Z7 project that I ended up doing for Nikon, that was a conversation that started back in January by email… Then I did the recon in April, (which was a week) then there was the shoot in July (which was two weeks), and then I did the post over…

You’d have thought monitors would come preset to display their best, and to be fair, an average user viewing holiday snaps will probably be happy with default settings. But what if you want more, or better? By using a colorimeter on your screen and firing a selection of colours at it, any colour discrepancies can be detected and your computer then programmed to compensate its colour output for the traits of your monitor. Sure, no amount of calibration can make a mediocre monitor into a dream display, but you’ll know what you have will be at its best. Deciding which calibration device is best can be a tricky, as we can only rely on the colorimeter’s eye to assess the colour accuracy of a calibrated monitor. We do quote Delta-E…

Monochrome Monday Your best monochrome photos from the past month Tutorial Tuesday This month we… Give you our top five tips to boost your creative and abstract photography bit.ly/5tipsforabstracts Worldly Wednesday Wednesday is your day to share your favourite images taken from anywhere around the world… Throwback Thursday Some of our readers’ favourite shots from the past Nikon Quiz Friday Question: Roughly how long has Nikon been a supplier of space-capable cameras to NASA? Congratulations to everyone who answered this correctly via Twitter and Facebook. Answer: Since 1971, that’s 48 years! Caturday Saturday Sharing Sunday Contact twitter.com@nphotomag facebook.com/nphotomag…

Adam Waring Editor I don’t want a lot for Christmas, Santa, but I’ll take anything from our Gear of the Year awards. It’s all top-rated Nikon-fit kit to suit every budget… adam.waring@futurenet.com Jason Parnell-Brookes Technique Editor All I want for Christmas is a Nikon SB-5000 Speedlight, so I can use the Creative Lighting System to take my shots to new heights. jason.parnell-brookes@futurenet.com Ben Andrews Lab Manager I’m hoping there’ll be a folding 4K drone on Santa’s sleigh. But I’ll probably have to settle for a folding paper plane and writing ‘DJI’ on its wings. ben.andrews@futurenet.com Matthew Richards Technique Writer I really fancy the mirrorless Nikon Z6 and the new 24-70mm kit lens. I just need to find out if Santa will take some of my old Nikon kit as a…

Many photographers head straight to Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom to process their NEF files without even giving Nikon’s own Raw conversion software a thought! The fact that it’s free to download doesn’t mean that it’s without value. On the contrary, Capture NX-D is designed specifically to mimic the settings and colour rendition of your Nikon camera, far more than Adobe Camera Raw or other software. For example, when you choose a Picture Control in NX-D, you get the exact rendition the camera would give with that setting. The same goes for white balance presets. Capture NX-D has now grown even more useful with the addition of Control Points for local adjustments, and our quick guide shows you how to do some useful adjustments. 01 Shadows and highlights You can…

Mission: Capture the recent SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from a unique location in the Eastern Sierra mountain range Photographer: Brandon Yoshizawa Location: Torrance, CA, USA Kit: Nikon D750, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 Website: www.bay-photography.com All of these photos were taken on the same night during the SpaceX rocket launch that carried an Argentine environmental satellite into space. I was able to capture these unique shots with a little planning and a lot of luck. I was up in the Eastern Sierras capturing autumn colours and shots of the Milky Way. I had two Nikon D750s set up with this composition; one with the Nikon 50mm lens and another with the Nikon 14-24mm lens. I had finished taking foreground exposures of the trees and mountains and adjusted my settings…

Our search for the world’s best Nikon photographer continues! Each issue the top 10 images for the monthly N-Photo POTY 2018 photo contest are selected by the N-Photo team – along with a guest judge! This issue’s competition theme is food and drink, and we’ve asked pro food photographer and Nikon expert Rachel Korinek to help. GUEST JUDGE: NIKON EXPERT RACHEL KORINEK RACHEL KORINEK TALKS ABOUT WHY THE VERSATILITY OF THE D850 HELPS HER CAPTURE DYNAMIC FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS Food photography entails still life scenes, fast-moving pouring shots and hurried restaurant environments. The D850 is Nikon’s most versatile full-frame camera and easily copes with the demands of food photography. A lot of freelance food photographers shoot in their home offices or studios where low-light conditions are common. The D850’s sensor design…

Due diligence also means not always accepting the local perceived wisdom – that is, not without finding out for yourself. In some of the less-developed parts of the world, there’s a surprising amount of official ignorance about what goes on in the back country. Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise, because there often aren’t the resources unless something important’s involved, like oil. As long as there are no urgent political issues, large areas are left to get on with things pretty much by themselves. As happened here, in northwestern Myanmar. For many years I’ve been involved in a series of books known loosely as ‘7 Days in…’ from Singapore-based publisher Editions Didier Millet. They’re big books in every sense: large-format coffee-table size and weight, and big productions, all about a…

What would you suggest as an upgrade to my D5200, for wedding photography with a Sigma 18-200mm lens? Christopher Cook OUR EXPERTS AT MPB RECOMM END… Ideally, we’d suggest upgrading to a full-frame camera like the D750 and FX format lenses. However, if that’s beyond your budget and you want to continue using your DX format Sigma 18-200mm lens, the D7200 would be an excellent upgrade. Nikon D7200 IT’S A HIGH-TECH, HIGH-SPEED CAMERA THAT’S GREAT FOR EVERYTHING RELEASED (YEAR): 2015 PRICE NEW: £899/$1099 BUY AT MPB.COM TODAY: EXCELLENT £559/$719 GOOD £489/$629 Launched three years ago, the D7200 is still available to buy new, even though it’s been superseded by the D7500. As well as being three years newer in design than your D5200, it’s a more enthusiast-level camera with advanced…

Profile • Rob Whitworth is a BAFTA-winning, EMMYnominated film-maker and photographer.• His stunning time-lapse photography was recently featured in the title sequence of the BBC’s World Cup 2018 coverage and for an episode of Blue Planet II.• Rob’s commercial clients include Samsung, Nike, Turkish Airlines, McDonald’s and Netflix.• His work has been selected for major international film festivals in Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, India and the United States. www.robwhitworth.co.uk Within the past two years, the high-speed imagery of Rob Whitworth has probably been seen by more people than the work of any other photographer on earth. If you tuned into the BBC’s World Cup coverage last summer, you would have seen hundreds of Rob’s pictures before kick-off – but he is not a sports photographer. If you watched Blue Planet…

The main challenge of this project was filtering out so much that wasn’t true to the Old Vegas style. Not much remains – but part of the spirit is still there My publisher’s nephew owns a cigar lounge, where some of the old timers of Vegas prefer to hang. He said I should fly out and see what I think of a project based around Old Vegas. Places like this, where you get just off the strip, is where you find the true characters that reside in Old Vegas. I knew, after sitting in the lounge for five minutes, that I needed to do this project. My favourite part of this project were the people I met and my experience in Vegas. It was a glimpse into a world that…