Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

SHUTTER PRIORITY Geoff says… I trust Nikon’s metering system, so unless I’m shooting with flash I’ll use Shutter Priority and Matrix metering. If I want more control over my exposure I’ll dial in a little negative or positive exposure compensation to retain detail in the highlights or lift the shadows. And I always shoot Raw. SPEED TRAP Geoff says… Obviously this depends on what I’m shooting, but as a general rule of thumb I like to keep my shutter speed at 1/500 sec or faster. I’m interested in capturing a sharp shot and a little bit of noise doesn’t bother me (it’s a film grain thing), so I’m happy to shoot at higher ISOs if need be. BURST MODE Geoff says… In equestrian photography the position of the horse’s legs…

Stokksnes Aurora BY BEN BUSH The Stokksnes headland looks to the Vestrahorn mountain under the most powerful and beautiful night of aurora Ben had ever seen. The challenge was to capture the reflections in the water but not to overexpose the aurora. Ben ended up knee-deep in the North Atlantic in -6 ºC, but says he feels blessed to have captured this experience. Camera: Nikon Z 7 Lens: 14mm f/1.8 Exposure: Composite of 15 exposures Cold Night on the Yellowstone BY JAKE MOSHER In mid-March, after the core of our galaxy is visible above the horizon, it rises in the hours before dawn. Shooting this scene, Jake felt that he was able to capture a connectedness between this world and the one above. Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: 35mm f/4 Exposure:…

Photography trends come and go, but black-and-white images are always in vogue. It stands to reason then that you might want to immortalize a selection of your favourite monochrome photos as prints. And while you shouldn’t be intimidated by home printing your black-and-white masterpieces, there are a few things to consider if you’re serious about physically replicating exactly what’s on your computer screen. You might be surprised to learn that colour management is still hugely important when printing in black and white. There’s simply nowhere to hide if your printer is producing washed-out grey tones, so a good printing profile is a must. Fotospeed offers free custom ICC profiles with their own-brand papers, which we covered in the Summer issue (N-Photo 114), but if you’re itching to get started, the…

One of the things Affinity Photo does best is enable you to combine two or more photos in creative ways. Like its pricier forebear Photoshop, Affinity Photo utilizes layers for editing. This means you can cut out different parts of photos and layer them on top of one another, in order to create a composite image like this. In this tutorial we’ll explain how to make a simple but grand-looking composite. There are three key stages to making a natural-looking composite like the above. First we use selections to isolate the subject and a mask to remove the background. Next we copy in and position the subject against its new backdrop. Finally we use tonal tools and add shadows to match the two images, so that it looks like they…

My career was cut short in the US Army as a result of injuries sustained in Iraq. After spending the past few years struggling with depression and PTSD, I searched for ways to help me get through it. In May 2019 I picked up my first camera (a used Nikon D300S) and haven’t looked back. Never have I experienced anything so relaxing and gratifying as spending time in the forest, and photographing the amazing wildlife. I quickly outgrew my kit and moved onto a D500 and then a D850. I use my D850 and 600mm f/4 pretty much exclusively, but I still carry the D500 with a 70-200mm f/2.8 or 200-500mm f/5.6 for backup. These photographs were captured over a period of two weeks as I scouted a wildlife refuge…

Q Can you suggest a good budget used standard zoom lens for the D5500? Kim Roberts A Matthew recommends… High-end standard zooms tend to be bulky and pricey. I’d suggest the AF-P 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR, which is compact and light, in keeping with your D5500 body. Nikon AF-P 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR A SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT ZOOM WITH TOP IMAGE QUALITY AND GOOD PERFORMANCE RELEASED: 2016 PRICE NEW: £209/$247 SECONDHAND PRICE: ‘Excellent £65/$65 ‘Good’ £50/$45 This is the latest edition of Nikon’s 18-55mm VR ‘kit’ standard zoom lens, sold with entry-level and midrange DSLRs. It’s available to buy new, but is even better value pre-owned. It features a fast yet virtually silent ‘Pulse’ (stepping motor) AF system that makes it incompatible with the D3000, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100 and D7000, but…

Skylum Luminar AI £79/$79 www.skylum.com Luminar AI is being launched as a brand-new product that effectively replaces the current Luminar 4, which will no longer be on sale. Skylum does say, however, that Luminar 4 will continue to get support and regular updates for another year. But the company clearly thinks that its AI-driven approach to photo editing is the future. Skylum is presenting Luminar AI as completely new software, though some of the tools and features within may be familiar to existing Luminar users. It’s being pitched at ‘visual communicators, everyday people and professional photographers alike’, and continues Skylum’s development of its intelligent image enhancement tools. The software looks set to deliver the kind of ‘idealized’ reality favoured by a new generation of bloggers, vloggers and influencers. The AI…

Almost entirely the domain of ‘FX’ full-frame shooters, wide-angle primes have a lot to offer. For starters, they give you a lot of viewing angle, so you can squeeze more into the picture. That’s great news when you’re trying to capture a sweeping landscape or shoehorn an epic cityscape into the frame. They’re equally useful for shooting interiors of buildings, where your shooting space and perspective are governed by the walls around you. Some full-frame wide-angle primes go to great lengths, or rather widths. The Irix 11mm f/4 Firefly lens, for example, gives you a major viewing angle despite being a rectilinear optic. Fisheye or ‘curvilinear’ lenses go even further, either giving you a 180-degree viewing angle on the diagonal, or a full 180 degrees in both vertical and horizontal…

The ‘M’ setting on the mode dial strikes fear into the hearts of many photographers. In an auto age where clever tech can take care of pretty much everything, having to decide such settings for yourself may seem like an unnecessary complication. But we’ll explain how taking complete control of your exposure can take your photos to the next level. The verdict is in on the Nikon Z 5, Nikon’s entry-level full-frame mirrorless. But is the cost low enough to tempt you to make the leap to mirror-free photography? Read our six-page review to find out! Our Apprentice heads to the trails of a Bedfordshire woodland to shoot mountain bikers in action, under the instruction of Geoff Waugh, one of the UK’s leading pro bike sports photographers. In our Big…

TONAL ADJUSTMENTS Geoff says… I always think it’s best to nail your exposure as much as you can in-camera, so edits in Adobe Lightroom only need a light touch. I’ll typically decrease the Blacks slider to enhance the darkest tones and add contrast, and because shiny helmets tend to reflect and blow out a little, I’ll bring down the highlights a spell to compensate. GAIN SOME CLARITY Geoff says… I like to add some punch by increasing the Clarity slider – just make sure you don’t go too mad! Following that, I’ll boost the colour saturation. Once again, you only need to increase it a smidge to make the image look vibrant. Push the slider too far and you risk your image ending up looking a little bit naff. LOOKING…

Great reasons to subscribe now! Vanguard VEO Range 38 NV Shoulder Bag A contemporary bag for your DSLR or mirrorless with lens, plus 2-3 other lenses, flashgun, tripod, laptop and accessories! Great savings Subscribe for 12 months and get your issues delivered to your door, plus this great Vanguard camera bag worth £89.99 Free online videos Each issue, you’ll receive access to fantastic photo projects Option 1 Annual digital subscription (NO GIFT) £50 • 13 issues of N-Photo digital edition• Apple Newsstand edition for iOS devices• Pocketmags edition for Android users• Receive the same videos, project files and ebook editions that come with the print mag Option 2 Regular subscription £54* • 13 issues of N-Photo print edition delivered• 25% off entry to The Photography Show• Vanguard Shoulder Bag worth…

You might think outdoor flower photography is only relevant in spring and summer, but plenty of flowers including cyclamens, snowdrops and certain rudbeckias (pictured) make fitting subjects in the colder months. And besides, even if you don’t have access to a blossoming garden, you can always head outside with a flower from a shop-bought bouquet. You may have similar misconceptions about what lenses are suitable for close-up flower photographs. While a macro lens can certainly produce stunning results, you can still shoot beautiful flower portraits with a telephoto lens. It doesn’t have to be particularly fast either. We photographed our black-eyed Susan with Nikon’s brand-new Z 5 and Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens. The optic’s 0.7m minimum focus distance allowed us to get close enough to our subject so that…

Most of us normally work on our images in the RGB colour mode. In this mode, each pixel is given a certain value for red, green and blue. These combine to create millions of colours. As such, RGB mode is the principal mode for most edits. However, it does have a few drawbacks. In RGB mode the colour and brightness of your image is tied into one. Adjust the red, green or blue value of any pixel and, as well as changing the colour, you’ll also affect the brightness. This is where LAB mode comes in. Like RGB, LAB is also an acronym. It stands for Lightness, A and B channels. These represent an entirely different set of values for each pixel. The Lightness values determine how bright the pixels…

Dallian Macadam is still relatively new to the world of photography after only recently buying himself a Nikon D850 and embarking on his photographic journey. While his secondary education had no option for photography, that didn’t stop him from soaking up the information from a wealth of online tutorials. And, of course, it wasn’t long before he knew the camera like the back of his hand… Dallian is 26 and has a genetic illness known as cystic fibrosis, however, he refuses to let that stand in the way of his passion for photography and travel. He explains that he’s grown up with a fascination for beautiful, picturesque places, photography and the thought of travelling far and wide, and used this as inspiration to create the strong body of work that…

1. Sleepy Coyote DAN GETTIS This super-sharp photograph of a dozing coyote in the snow was taken with a pricey super-telephoto lens that Dan rented. He went on to say that if he had a spare $10,000 laying around he’d buy one in a heartbeat – and you can see why! 2. Miami Drift MIKE SHAHEEN This slick-looking photograph of downtown Miami demonstrates a clear ’80s aesthetic – bathed in glorious neon and eye-popping colours. Can anybody else hear the Knight Rider theme tune playing, or is it just us? 3. Andromeda TREVOR PEARCE Trevor tells us that his image is made up of 100 painstakingly stitched together 60 sec exposures. There are an estimated one trillion stars in the Andromeda galaxy, though we doubt you’ll be able to count…

1. Relay Blur BY HARRY OLIVER Sports photographers often only have a few fleeting moments to capture a showstopping shot, and that’s why this image takes the gold. The passing of the baton is the moment that needs to be captured if you’re photographing a relay race and this image doesn’t disappoint. Crucially, the slow 1/60 sec shutter speed has captured motion in the arms and legs of the runners, while freezing their faces. Camera: Nikon D3S Lens: 70-200mm f/2.8 Exposure: 1/60 sec, f/10, ISO1600 2. Rainy Descent BY MIKE STUCKEY Sports photography isn’t always about super-long lenses – this Tour de France image was taken using a humble 50mm f/1.8. The 1/250 sec shutter speed was just fast enough to freeze the subject, but slow enough to retain motion…

£1719/$1699 with kit lens $1399 body-only (not available in UK) For an ‘entry-level’ full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z 5 is surprisingly well specced. Fully weather sealed, featuring five-stop in-body image stabilization, a 24.3Mp sensor that goes up to ISO51,200 in native settings, and a classleading electronic viewfinder, it seemingly matches the more upmarket Z 6 feature for feature in all the important places. Indeed, the control layout is exactly the same, offering an absolutely identical handling experience, with a thumbstick, D-pad and array of buttons to access vital controls at the back along with a touchscreen rear LCD, finger- and thumboperated control dials in easy reach, and a pair of well-positioned programmable function buttons on the front. For those making the move from a DSLR, though, the lack of direct…

Your Nikon camera is more intelligent than ever these days, but despite all the technological advancements one fact is still true – to get the most out of your camera, you need to take full control. Your Nikon DSLR or mirrorless offers many ways to take manual control of settings, including manually setting the white balance and manually selecting an autofocus point in the viewfinder. But when a photographer says that they’re ‘shooting in Manual’ that usually means selecting the Manual exposure mode on the mode dial. In this extensive camera skills guide, we’re going to give you the confidence to step up and shoot in Manual mode, and help you to take your Nikon photography skills to the next level… These modes give you limited control, and can be a…

The human eye has the ability to see an extraordinary amount of colour and detail, but we are only able to see one part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just outside our visible light range is infrared, and while we can’t see these light waves, we can use them to create photos. If you’re serious about infrared photography you’d probably opt for a permanent camera conversion, but the method we’re going to show you is a much more affordable way of shooting infrared and doesn’t require you to tamper with your camera. It’s the perfect solution if you want to have a go at this niche genre of photography for the first time. All you need is a DSLR or mirrorless camera and an infrared filter that’s compatible with the filter…

Astrophotography can be one of the most daunting genres of photography for newcomers. If you’re into shooting star trails, one mistake can ruin hours of work, while deep space imaging requires specialist kit and, no matter your area of interest, it helps to have a good understanding of the night sky. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources out there to help budding astrophotographers conquer the latter, and SkyView is one of our favourites. It helps even astro newcomers familiarize themselves with celestial objects and identify constellations, and although it’s not specifically targeted at photographers, it’s a great companion when out in the field. It’s rated highly on the Apple App Store and Google Play, and it’s easy to see why. This ingenious little app uses augmented reality (AR) to display…

In December of 2019 I decided I’d had enough of the British winter and wanted to add some adventure… So I tasked myself to capture the essence of winter in a different country. With the promise of snow, I leapt at the chance to visit the Faroe Islands and I booked a next-day flight. I arrived to a beautiful dusting of snow on the mountain peaks, and I fell in love with the country at first sight. Despite the small size, there is still so much to explore! I set out on the short drive from the airport towards the classic Múlafossur Waterfall – magnificent falls framed by mountains and a tiny village above. On the way there I came across a beautiful family of Highland cows [4], so of…

I started my pet photography business three years ago. I love photographing all things dog-related. But my absolute favourite is being outside with dogs doing what they love: running around, having fun and playing. I guess that makes me an action dog photographer. I started with a simple point-and-shoot film camera when I was young, but it was hard to understand how camera settings impacted my images. It wasn’t until digital came along that I learned to produce good images, because I could see the impact of my choices immediately. My first DSLR was a Nikon D50, then a D80, D90, D800 and now a D850. I’m eyeing up the mirrorless cameras, but haven’t committed yet. I like to use fast f/2.8 lenses as they’re capable of capturing active/fast dogs,…

Q I’m after an ND filter on a tight budget, for shooting long exposures on sunny days. What would you recommend? Jim Hatton A Popular choices include 6-stop and 10-stop ND (Neutral Density) filters. Shooting on a sunny day with an ISO sensitivity setting of ISO100, you might typically get a base exposure setting of 1/30 sec at around f/20. Fitting a 6-stop or 10-stop filter will lengthen the exposure to 2 secs, or 30 secs, respectively. Especially if you’re shooting with a DSLR, square filters are preferable as you can easily compose the shot, focus manually and calculate the exposure, so everything’s ready before you slide the filter into place and the viewfinder image goes black. That said, the SRB Elite Bundle Kit (www.srb-photographic.co.uk) is every bit as convenient,…

Lab tests explained Sharpness A chart with multiple sharp boundaries is photographed, the extent of blur at the centre, mid and edges showing how many line widths per picture height the lens can resolve. Simply put, the bigger the numbers the sharper the lens. Fringing Chromatic aberration is visible as purple or green fringing around high-contrast boundaries, caused by different wavelengths being focused on different areas of the sensor. The larger the number, the worse the score. Distortion A lens that bulges towards the edges of the frame produces barrel distortion, shown as a negative score. Pincushion distortion produces a positive score. A score of zero indicates no distortion. Our awards in a nutshell The best performance, design and value A product that gives you more for your money The…

£419/$399 Every entry-level camera needs an accompanying kit lens, and the Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 is the Z 5’s. In fact, in some markets including the UK, the camera is only available as a bundle with the lens, while in other territories, such as the USA, it can be bought body-only. The lens is also available standalone, but is much better value when bought as one of the kit lens bundles. Key features The lens is pretty compact, at 73.5x51mm when in the stowed position, though not quite as compact as the pancake design of the Z 16-50mm that accompanies the APS-C sensor Z 50. Like many other Nikon Z zooms, it features a retractable design, unlocked by twisting the zoom ring, and so the lens is a fair bit longer…

Although many of us are free to head out with our cameras again, I’m willing to bet very few of us are racking up the same shutter actuations we were before lockdown. If you’re anything like me, you’re at your most confident when you’re taking plenty of photos and challenging yourself. So, as I sat on the sofa watching yet another motorsport event I’d once planned to photograph, I decided to quit wallowing, dust off my external hard drives and relive my journey as a photography enthusiast. Trip down memory lane Considering all the time I spend taking photographs, it’s very rare that I’ll revisit my work, so for that reason alone I found this an interesting experience. However, it soon dawned on me that I was completely blown away…