Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2017 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

For your free DxO software turn to page 49 There are a lot of things in this issue that have got me excited: the awe-inspiring images from the USA Landscape Photographer of the Year competition on page 8; turning my kids into Jedi Knights on page 42 (the Force is strong with those ones); the skill required to capture a young Icelandic gull on the wing on page 60; and the inspirational talent of our two featured readers on pages 64 and 66. Oh, and of course the infectious enthusiasm of the irrepressible Joe McNally on page 130. But perhaps the feature that has excited me most, and that I think will be of most benefit to any of us striving to improve our own photography, is the first instalment…

KIT LIST: STAR TRAIL PHOTOGRAPHY You will need... l Camera capable of a 30-second shutter speed in Manual mode l Remote release with a lock l Tripod Suggested settings l Shutter speed: 30 seconds l Aperture: f/5.6 l ISO: 400 Traditionally, shooting star trails with film-based cameras relied on shutter speeds of minutes or even hours to capture the movement of the stars across the night sky. But these exposure times will produce too much noise on digital cameras. As such, it’s better to shoot a sequence of images using a much shorter shutter speed and then combine them later. The other big advantage with this technique is that unlike many other creative options for shooting the stars, you can get great star trails images even when there is some…

The mission • To master still-life photography Time • One hour Skill level • Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced Kit needed • Nikon D-SLR • Standard lens • Two lights • Tripod • Shower curtain • Gold or silver card • Scissors Ever fancied yourself as a product photographer, shooting expensive still-life photos for magazine kit pages or high-end adverts? For product images that really sing, you have to nail the lighting. So here we’re going for the big daddy of problematic subjects to light: glass. Glass provides opportunities for reflections, whether you want them or not, so controlling the light is key. We used a bottle and a glass of whiskey to create a classic still-life shot that radiates timeless style. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that it’s…

The mission • To add a subtle vignette to a moody landscape Time • Five minutes Skill level • Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced Kit needed • Lightroom 5 or later F ollowing on from our ‘Add a subtle tone’ tutorial in issue 65 (November 2016), we’ll work from our split-toned image. If you didn’t follow that lesson, download the split-toned start file ‘Vignette start.jpg’. Our landscape looks quite interesting with the split-tone effect and contrast, but the sky lacks impact due to bland clouds. To help, we can add a vignette. Vignettes occur naturally as less light enters the edge of a lens and causes the corners of the photo to look a little darker. By deliberately darkening the edges in Lightroom we can give the sky’s flat white…

Nikon School photography workshops cater for every level of photographic ability, whether you are new to taking photographs, a keen amateur or a professional. Nikon School offers a wide range of workshops suited to individuals wanting to learn more about photography or expand their creative horizons. Courses will help you improve your skills, develop your eye for a photo and learn to take control of your camera. Workshops are a mix of easy-to-understand theory and practical assignments. They’re attended by small groups of up to 12 delegates to ensure that everyone can benefit from the expert knowledge of tutors. From understanding your Nikon D-SLR and lenses to image editing; from street shots to inspiring landscapes; the school’s workshops cover a variety of skills and subjects. Workshops take place at either…

Profile Nikon ambassador David, from Glasgow, Scotland, mixes fine art with wildlife • David began his photo career in the 1980s as a sport photographer. • He recently returned to photography full-time, focusing his camera on endangered wildlife, after a spell working in finance in the City of London. • David donates the proceeds of his fine art print sales to the conservation charity Tusk, whose patron, the Duke of Cambridge, wrote the foreword to his new book, Wild Encounters. Wednesday morning, and David Yarrow is in an airport departure lounge waiting to board a flight for the next leg of his Wild Encounters exhibition tour to the major cities of Europe. After that he will head to the US for more showings from coast to coast. Hopefully his flight…

BEST FILTER SYSTEM Lee Filters 100mm ■ £229/$320 (starter kit) ■ www.leefilters.com Lee Filters has always impressed us over the years. Its 100mm system is ideally suited to both DX and FX-format photography, with top-notch hardware and premium-quality, handmade filters. We’re particularly fond of Lee’s graduated neutral density filters, with the choice of soft, medium, hard and very hard transitions. Some other systems are a good substitute, if you’re on a tight budget, including Formatt-Hitech and Cokin Z-Pro, but Lee Filters wins out for durability and for the quality of the components. For compatibility with a growing range of ultra-wide angle lenses that lack a filter attachment thread, it’s worth checking out the Lee Filters SW150 Mark II system. Adaptors are available for the Nikon 14-24mm, Sigma 12-24mm II and…

Most of us start our Nikon D-SLR habit by buying a kit that includes a standard zoom lens, which stretches from fairly wide-angle to short telephoto in focal length. This is a very versatile combination, until you need a lens with real telephoto reach. A telephoto zoom is the first extra lens that many of us buy – something with a classic 70-300mm zoom range fits the bill nicely. Prices start low, and the 300mm focal length has plenty of pulling power for closing the gap to distant objects. Indeed, 70-300mm lenses originally found favour back in the days of 35mm film photography. Today’s DX format Nikons, with their APS-C image sensors, give this category of lens even greater reach. The 1.5x crop factor of DX cameras gives a 70-300mm…

 While there are specific skills and gear needed for the different subjects you can shoot at night – as we will explain over the coming pages – many of them rely on the same basic gear, techniques and planning. Here are four things you should consider before you set out on any night photography trip. 1 BE PREPARED FOR THE COLD The temperature at night can drop dramatically, even during the summer months. During a shoot, you’re also likely to find yourself standing in one location for quite some time, so always take along some warm clothes, even if it’s balmy and bright when you set out. Naturally a hat, gloves and an insulated coat are going to be essential, but also make sure that your shoes or boots are…

T he arc of the Milky Way is one of the most dramatic and striking sights visible in the night sky at any latitude. But if you live in a town, city, or anywhere affected by light pollution, the first challenge is finding a spot where the sky’s dark enough to see it clearly... 1 GO SOME WHE RE DA RK! This will mean getting at least an hour or so away from any major town or city. The more remote the location, the more clearly you’ll be able to see the stars. 2 Fr ame your shot Next you need the sky to be clear – and you also need to check the position of the Milky Way itself, as this varies depending on the date and the location.…

DxO OpticsPro 9 is unique as far as imaging-editing software goes: it analyses your images and applies adjustments automatically, based on the content of the pictures and the camera equipment that was used to capture it. The results can be dramatic, and are made possible by DxO’s background in benchmarking: DxO tests every new camera and lens released, so they know a thing or two about image quality. In fact, they’re the outfit behind the software that we use for our own camera reviews. OpticsPro’s presets are a big part of the program, and they’re a great place to get started when you’re enhancing your images. The preset styles are very good, but it’s only when you begin to adapt them and use your own settings that you get to…

Mission: To capture steel wool photography in unique locations Photographer: Dale Mears Age: 32 Location: Nottingham, England Kit: Nikon D7000, Nikon AF-S DX 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Website: www.facebook.com/dalemearsphotography www.flickr.com/dalemears An interesting article in N-Photo a few years back prompted me to have a go at spinning wire wool. I thought it looked really cool, so I instantly wanted to try it. After picking up a whisk and some steel wool from a local hardware shop, I was excited to try my first spin. Looking back I didn’t have much of an idea of just how involved wire wool spinning could be, but nevertheless I was hooked straight away. Steel wool spinning involves packing a stainless steel whisk with wire wool, tying a length of string onto the handle, and…

STUDIO LIGHT VS SPEEDLIGHT Interfit EX150 MKIII two-light kit MAX POWER: Gn 32m (ISO 100) FULL POWER RECYCLE TIME: 1.5 seconds VARIABLE POWER: Full to 1/8 COLOUR TEMPERATURE: 5600k READY INDICATOR: LED, optional beep TRIGGER VOLTAGE: 5V HEAD WEIGHT: 1600g PRICE: £230/$350 Type This is a complete studio flash kit based on two mains-powered flash heads (with push-button controls and rotary power dials), rated at 150Ws each, and accessories. The maximum light output from each individual head is rather more than from the SB-700. In the box As well as two flash heads, the kit includes a pair of 2.6m (8.5ft) lighting stands, a 60cm (24in) square softbox, a 90cm (36in) translucent umbrella, two reflectors, two modelling lamps, sync cable and power lead. Most kits throw in a radio trigger,…

CAMERAS From top-flight pro cameras to entry-level bodies for beginners, there’s something for everyone BEST FX CAMERA Nikon D5 ■ £5,200/$6,500 ■ www.nikon.com The D5 is an imposing hulk of a camera. While its 21.33MP resolution might seem modest, its burst speed of up to 14 frames per second is phenomenal. Moreover, it can keep firing at this rate for up to 200 shots, even in RAW mode. It’s not just a speed demon, though: the D5 also makes breakthroughs in other areas. Its next-generation AF system boasts an astonishing 153 AF points, no less than 99 of which are cross-type. Plus, major steps forward in sensor design enable superlative picture quality throughout the huge standard sensitivity range of ISO100-102,400, while also enabling ultra-high expanded settings, up to ISO3,280,000. The…

NIKON 1 COMPACT SYSTEM CAMERAS NIKON 1 J5, 10-30MM A CSC THAT D-SLR USERS WILL LOVE, the J5 has the highest resolution of any Nikon 1 camera to date (20.8Mp) and a decent sensitivity range. The top dial also gives access to semi-automatic and manual exposure modes, plus you can shoot in RAW, which is real bonus. Nikon 1 S2, 11-27.5mm SMALL IN SIZE BUT BIG ON QUALITY, the svelte Nikon 1 S2 is responsive and speedy. With a 14.2Mp image sensor, and the omission of built-in Wi-Fi or a touchscreen, it’s more basic than the J5, but still a highly capable camera that you can slip into your bag as a lightweight back-up. NIKON 1 AW1, 11-27.5MM VERY MUCH THE ACTION AD VENTURER, the Nikon 1 AW1 is shockproof,…

WWW.JOEMCNALLY.COM There’s something about an old garage, an even older truck, an oxyacetylene torch-wielding dude and a bunch of tarnished, beaten up junk that makes you want to pull out the camera. I don’t do landscapes very well. I go to sleep at the tripod. But put me in a garage like this and I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’ve been especially giddy lately, ’cause I’m tackling things that would have been impossible with line-of-sight Speedlight technology. The SB-5000 radio TTL system makes this shot, well, not exactly a no-brainer, but something that is fun and challenging to put together, instead of frustrating and painful. In other words, I’m able to freely place and hide flashes wherever I want, and not have to make compromises to accommodate…

USA Landscape Photographer of the Year was founded in 2013 by internationallyacclaimed landscape photographer Charlie Waite. This year’s contest comprised five categories and two Special Awards. Here’s our pick of the winning and commended images shot on Nikon overall adult winner Volcanic Autumn Alex Noriega, Washington Mount Rainier dominates the surrounding landscape. I’d been intrigued by the more glaciated side of it for some time, but hadn’t found a composition that put it in context. Eventually I found a spot, high above Upper Tipsoo Lake, where the trees seemed to cradle the mountain, while showcasing the autumn foliage and allowing for atmospherics between the mid-ground and the mountain. Nikon D600, Nikon 16-35mm f/4 VR, Shutter speed not known, f/11, ISO100 Winner, Black & White (Youth) Sunset Light Show John Morris,…

KIT LIST: MOON PHOTOGRAPHY You will need... l Telephoto lens l Sturdy tripod l Remote release Suggested settings l Shutter speed: 1/250 sec l Aperture: f/5.6 l ISO: 800 As the brightest and largest object in the night sky, the moon is a great subject to use as an introduction to astrophotography. It’s so large that you can easily shoot it with a normal telephoto lens, and it is bright enough that you can use a shutter speed fast enough to avoid needing a tracking mount. But even though the moon is relatively easy to shoot, you still need to use the right techniques to get a good shot. Here are our four suggestions… 1 FIND A DATE Start by finding out when and where the moon will be visible…

The Aurora Borealis (or the Northern Lights) and its southern hemisphere counterpart, the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) are night sky spectacles that rank high on the bucket lists of many landscape photographers. Happily, Nikon’s sensor technology is now so good that it’s possible for anyone to capture high-quality images of this incredible light show, as long as you put yourself in the right location at the right time (see tip opposite) and follow these simple guidelines… 1 work out the exposure The aim is to record the aurora’s intensity and shifting shape. The sky is obviously the star of the show, so base your exposure on this and don’t expect the foreground to be correctly exposed unless it is lit by artificial light or strong moonlight. As with starscapes, it…

The mission • To photograph studio portraits of pets Time • Two hours Skill level • Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced Kit needed • Nikon D-SLR • Two studio lights or flashguns (see page 88 for our studio lighting kit vs Speedlight head to head) • Two light stands • Paper backdrop When a cute cat casually walks into the room, it’s almost impossible to resist picking up your Nikon to start snapping. But often you might find that other people manage to get good shots on their smartphones, while you struggle to compose the right shot in the dark settings of the living room, with your legs curled around the coffee table. Don’t worry, with just a little planning and forethought you can dramatically improve your results. With a…

DxO OpticsPro is a photo-editing package aimed at photographers who want to get the best from their images quickly, without sacrificing the flexibility of precise control and accurate adjustment. This handy software is compatible with both JPEGs and RAW files and is all about getting the best print-ready pictures from your camera. The latest version, DxO OpticsPro 11 Elite, is a big step forward when it comes to image enhancement, though core features remain: as with OpticsPro 9, it intelligently tailors image adjustments based not only on the content of a picture, but also on the camera that was used to take it. OpticsPro’s noise reduction is one of its stand-out features. The latest version of DxO’s PRIME (Probabilistic Raw IMage Enhancement) noise reduction is perfectly suited to tackling noise…

Your projects critiqued An impending honeymoon in Australia and New Zealand in 2009 was the reason I finally became serious about photography. I wanted to make sure I would be returning home with memorable pictures. The more I travelled, the more my love for capturing these great moments grew. This sparked a passion, and soon I was looking for new ways to portray the beauty of my local landscapes. It wasn’t until 2013 that I first tried my hand at astrophotography. This allowed me to combine my love for landscapes with my love for the stars; I had always been fascinated with the night sky and would stargaze every time that I went camping. The challenge with this type of photography is that there’s little or no ambient light and…

Generally, buildings have vertical walls. However, if you shoot a tall building from a low angle, perhaps because you lack the space to move back far or there are too many people and distracting elements blocking the view if you do so, then its vertical walls will converge towards the top of the frame. This perspective distortion causes the walls to look as if they lean inwards at the top, rather than running parallel with the edge of the frame. Perspective distortion can also occur horizontally. In a long row of houses, the horizontal roofs and floors will appear to converge as the houses recede towards the edge of the photo. Perspective distortion isn’t necessarily a problem that must be fixed every time. Converging vertical lines can emphasise the height…

3 NOVEMBER 2012 • OXFORD, ENGLAND, UK • NIKON D3 Ross Harvey’s rise as one of the world’s leading wedding photographers has been meteoric. Just seven years ago, on Christmas Day 2009, he received a present from his father that was to change his life: “He gave me a single gift with a note: ‘Follow your dreams’. I opened the parcel to find a Nikon D700 inside. I can’t explain that moment actually, it was just pure joy. He then went upstairs and came back down with three presents, which were the absolutely brilliant 85mm f/1.4 D lens, along with a 70-200mm and 24-70mm. That day changed my life forever, and if it wasn’t for his generosity I wouldn’t be speaking to you now.” Up to that point Ross had…

BEST DX STANDARD ZOOM Nikon AF-S DX 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR ■ £860/$1,070 ■ www.nikon.com With Nikon’s latest DX D-SLRs pushing image resolution ever higher, and omitting anti-alias filters in order to retain superb levels of fine detail, you really need great glass to make the most of the opportunities these advances provide. The new 16-80mm VR is the perfect standard zoom, with all of the versatility you need for a wide range of shooting scenarios. It’s ‘faster’ than most competing lenses, with an f/2.8-4 aperture range; boasts four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements; and has an electromagnetically controlled diaphragm for accurate aperture control. As a DX lens for everyday shooting, it’s hard to beat. BUY if… You want the finest DX-format standard zoom lens available. BEST FX STANDARD ZOOM Nikon…

D-SLR • £800/$TBC (with AF-P 18-55mm VR) • www.nikon.com Nikon is taking wireless image sharing very seriously. Now that its Bluetooth-enabled SnapBridge transfer tech has made it into the D500 and D3400, it was only natural to include it in the D5500’s successor. This means the D5600 can automatically transfer images to your smart device as though it was wirelessly tethered, making it effortlessly easy to upload a D5600’s shots to social media. Unlike the D3400, though, the D5600 also features Wi-Fi connectivity, so can also be remotely controlled by your smart device. There is one minor drawback, however, and that’s the omission of the infrared remote sensors that were included on the D5500. This means that the D5600 can only be remotely controlled via SnapBridge, or Nikon’s MC-DC2 remote…