Innholdsfortegnelse for The Nikon Camera Book 7th Edition i The Nikon Camera Book

Photography is one of the most popular pastimes in the world, and with Nikon leading the way in terms of technology and innovation, it’s no wonder that its cameras are trusted by so many photographers. Although many other brands try to nibble at the market share, year on year Nikon remains a heavyweight contender, with a catalogue of cameras ranging from point-and-shoot compacts to professional DSLRs. The Nikon Camera Book is the ultimate guide to getting the most from your Nikon camera, whatever the model. From the newest cameras and lenses on the market, to the accessories that will make your life easier, you’ll discover which one suits your needs best. We will take you through advanced shooting techniques across a range of photographic genres, such as capturing coastal landscapes…

SRP: £1,670/$2,900 (body only) As the successor to the best selling D800 and D800E, the Nikon D810 is hyped on highend specs ideal for serious shooters, and the camera takes its place as the high resolution option in the Nikon DSLR lineup. It features a 36.3MP FXformat CMOS sensor without an Optical Low Pass Filter for particularly sharp and detailed still imaging. With the addition of the EXPEED 4 Image Processor, performance speed is increased compared to the EXPEED 3 and noise is effectively reduced. The D810’s ISO range starts at ISO 64 for cleaner, better-defined images. You can shoot at up to ISO 12800, or extend the range from 32 to 51200 ISO (equivalent). The level of detail and sharpness, the wide dynamic range and rich tonality in nearly…

SRP: £1,200/$1,480 (body only) The D750 brings dazzling image quality, cinematic video capabilities and pro-inspired handling with a tilting LCD and built-in Wi-Fi. Enthusiasts who are upgrading from a DX-format DSLR will marvel at the D750’s excellent full-frame performance. Likewise, pros seeking a secondary camera for fast-paced shoots will appreciate the D750’s familiar handling and speed, yet it comes at a lower price point to the D810. Other elements such as its small and lightweight design make this a versatile second camera, or a model really suitable for travel photographers. Nikon’s D750 provides prosumers with a magnificent level of image detail and the effect of removing the anti-aliasing filter is noticeable in the step up in sharpness. The D750’s FX-format 24.3MP sensor sits alongside an EXPEED 4 processor to produce…

SRP: £800 with 18-55mm lens (UK only) The Nikon D5600 is the company’s higher entry-level camera, sitting above the D3400. A modest upgrade of the D5500, it shares many of the same features as its beginner brethren, but offers users the opportunity to add on extras for its slightly higher cost. To start with it comes with a 1037k-dot touch screen that’s vari-angle, helping you shoot from unusual perspectives. As well as using touch controls to operate the camera, traditional buttons are still there; it is, however, a streamlined camera aimed at beginners, so the back isn’t too cluttered up by physical dials - most of the controls can be accessed by tapping the i button. It’s a small camera, so perfect for those not looking for anything too bulky;…

£800/$990 (with 10-30mm lens, viewfinder and grip) The Nikon 1 V3 is another CSC in the line-up that features high-end functions in a small body. It’s slightly bigger than the J5 but shares the same sized one-inch sensor, but at a slightly reduced 18.4MP. As with the J5, there’s no optical low pass filter to get sharper results and it uses an Advanced Hybrid AF which has 171 AF points with 105 phase detection AF points for quick focusing. Unlike the J5, however, it comes with a hotshoe so you can add on purchasable accessories such as an external flash or viewfinder. Of course there’s still a built-in flash and you can opt to use the LCD display for framing, but it’s nice to have the option. The screen can…

SRP: £500/$600 The Nikon Coolpix P900 has a huge 83x optical zoom, which at the time of its release was a world first. That’s a whopping 24-2000mm reach in 35mm terms, meaning that you can shoot sweeping wide landscapes or zoom in on intricate details. This can be digitally expanded to 166x using the Dynamic Fine Zoom, giving you a 4000mm reach in 35mm terms. When using the longer focal lengths, naturally camera shake is going to be an issue. Nikon has tried to combat this by featuring vibration reduction to help you when you’re shooting handheld, which is said to give you a five-stop shutter speed advantage. As well as a huge zoom, this camera offers a back-illuminated 16MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and manual controls. Weirdly for a camera…

Buying a Nikon camera is an investment, whether it’s a small compact camera for snapping holidays and events or a bigger DSLR model for professional purposes. When it comes to adding accessories to your camera, the choices are so vast and stretch from gizmos and gadgets that are fun play with to more serious pieces of kit such as tripods and cleaning equipment. Chances are if you’re passionate about photography your kit wish is never-ending. You’ll aim to build as many options as possible to help you shoot better images and use different techniques to create standout shots. We’ve compiled a list of essential accessories that marry perfectly with your Nikon camera and explain a little about how they’ll help you. We start by looking at bags and cases to…

A tripod’s legs are there to carry the weight of your gear, while the head is there to give you flexibility and movement while you shoot. Essentially, the head does all the work, as you twist and turn it into the right position to line your camera up with the shot. The price range of heads can range from the value-for-money midrange offers to purpose built but astronomically priced units. Heads will often match or even outprice tripod legs and that’s because they’re just as important in your gear list. When choosing a head take note of the panoramic rotation and lateral tilt. This is how far you can turn your camera while it is mounted and how far you can angle our lens up or down. Your choice of…

Getting a strap for your camera is just as essential to protecting it as the correct bag. Besides protection they are also vital to allowing you to shoot comfortably and take your camera around with you while having your hands free to perform other tasks such as changing lenses. There are hundreds of straps on the market that you can choose from, some built to be practical and others to make a statement. Before choosing a strap, decide what the most important factors are for you. If you own a compact, a small hand strap or neck strap will do the trick for keeping your camera handy and safe. For DSLR users there may be more to consider. Those operating a heavy camera may want extra padding to stay comfortable…

The Auto mode is the most noticeable icon on the mode dial and it’s also the most basic option. Designed for complete beginners, the Auto mode doesn’t require any input from the photographer when it comes to selecting your exposure settings, meaning your only role in the process of producing a picture is to point your Nikon at the scene and press the shutter. Many mistake the Auto mode for being the best option when it comes to taking a quick capture. Although it’s probably the most familiar, there are much better modes to select, including specific scene mode options and the Programmed Auto mode, which we’ll cover a little later on. If you’re working with a relatively new Nikon camera, you can discover more about them using the Guide…

Works best with Nikon D5 C omposition is the way you organise the different elements on the scene in front of the camera. It’s tempting to imagine that the world is just the way it is, and all you can do is just turn up, point the camera and take the picture, but there’s a lot more to it than that. In the real world it’s usually not possible to move objects around to fit your ideas – but you generally don’t need to. Just by changing your own viewpoint, and sometimes the focal length of the lens you’re using, you can completely change the appearance of the photo and the objects within it. Composition in photography is like the rules of grammar in writing. If you don’t put what…

W ith Nikon camera technology breaking boundaries as the digital revolution advances, photography is looking like a complicated ship to steer. Camera controls are becoming so sophisticated that as the manuals get thicker, the technological soup seems harder and harder to wade through. Camera metering, its modes, functions and subjectivity can be just as confusing, so just how do you learn to read the light? Everything we see contains varying levels of light intensity. From bright light streaming through a window to the dark shadow tones in a room corner, a good photograph renders the scene balanced, as it appears to the eye. All modern cameras, from an everyday mobile phone to a professional Nikon DSLR, have metering capabilities to assess these levels of light correctly for the ideal shot.…

For a long time, the general rule of thumb for many photographers – both amateur and professional – was that, unless you were talking about heavy-duty, professional flash units, artificial light was bad news. Magazines and books would routinely advise their readers that the best policy was to use natural light wherever possible and avoid using a hotshoe flash. So, what changed? The answer is twofold. Firstly, as the 20th Century became the 21st, the range of off-camera, wireless flash-triggering options available to photographers using a speedlight flash unit grew exponentially. Secondly, at around the same time, digital capture made itself available to consumers. Wireless radio triggers allowed photographers to position hotshoe flash units off camera, knowing that they could be reliably fired in perfect synchronisation. Even if this meant…

Look through any holiday brochure and a good deal of images will have been taken with the addition of a filter. Some purists believe that filters are a way of cheating, adding something to an image that wasn’t there. In landscape photography this is especially true and it’s a subject that requires honesty to record only what you see. There are filters that add colour and effects to an image, but nowadays filtration is a more sedate affair with the majority of photographers opting to simply control the light. We now have a massive amount of software at our fingertips to alter an image, add colour, morph multiple exposures together and even filter, but the old adage of getting it right in-camera still rings true. I still approach photography the…

Good photographs are usually the result of careful planning rather than chance. This is especially true of coastal photography, where there are so many variables, such as the weather and ocean tides. Preparation begins with packing the right kit. You will need lenses covering a range of focal lengths from wide angle to telephoto. Wide angles enable you to get in close to foreground interest and create dramatic perspective. Telephotos are useful for picking out details, such as waves breaking over rocks. Next in your bag should go a set of filters, including a polariser for reducing glare on the water, graduated filters for dealing with contrast and neutral density filters to let you extend exposure times for creative effect. A sturdy tripod is essential and you should make sure…

Although we usually think of the coast as a single entity, there are in fact three distinctly different types of landscape: the clifftop, the shore and coastal architecture. The shoreline can also be divided into sandy or pebbly beaches and rocky bays. A slightly different approach is needed for each one. Panoramic clifftop views can be breathtaking; above a drop, use a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the height of the cliff, with waves crashing down below and headlands stretching out into the distance. Wide angles are also useful for placing emphasis on the foreground, by getting in close to elements such as wild flowers or rocks. Telephotos can be used to compress perspective, reducing the apparent distance between headlands, or to focus attention on waves crashing over the rocks below.…

Although we live in a visual world that’s bursting with colour, it’s all too easy to take the element for granted. Most photographers understand the power colour has to convey mood and atmosphere, and that different shades can be used selectively to draw attention to parts of a composition. However, when you begin to add specific hues yourself, with props, lighting effects and filters, you’ll start to see your images take on new levels of impact. In this feature, you’ll find plenty of practical projects for you to explore in your own photography, whether you prefer to shoot outdoors, capture still life or work in a studio. You’ll discover how to add gels to studio lighting for portraits with a twist, add some colour to a night-scene for dynamic landscapes…

Commercial adverts are full of stunning examples of liquid explosions. Freeze-frames might look tricky, but they’re bursting with coloured potential once you’ve got the knowhow. While these projects do require extra kit, the results are well worth the added effort. To get started, you’ll need a couple of flashguns, as well as a way to trigger them off-camera. The speedlights you choose should be capable of a very low output but rapid flash duration to effectively freeze the movement of your medium. Choose a shooting location that’s fairly dark, spacious and able to withstand some mess. Always ensure that paints are safe for human skin contact and keep them away from the direction of your camera equipment. You’ll need to work methodically, tweaking both the timing of the shutter release…

Although many brands try to nibble at the camera market share, Nikon remains one of the biggest contenders. Nikon has strategically launched an impressive array of shooters that cover every portion of the market to fulfil the needs of every target demographic. Nikon’s D series DSLRs have become a popular choice for anyone from the enthusiastic novice to the seasoned photography professional. Consumers choose Nikon for its reputation for reliability, accessibility, high performance, superb functionality, impressive features and, ultimately, incredible image quality. The company has come a long way since it launched the first professional DSLR, the D1, in conjunction with NASA, but it has continued to build a tradition as a name photographers can trust. Today the company retails dozens of models, all exhibiting a variety of specifications perfectly…

SRP: £2,000/$3,575 (body only) The Nikon D810A takes everything that’s so great about the D810 and tailors it towards astrophotography, helping you to capture great shots of the cosmos easily. Featuring a redesigned infrared cut filter, the D810A is four times more sensitive to the deep red light from the H-alpha spectral line. This means that the true colours of nebula that emit a hydrogen-alpha wavelength can be recorded straight from the camera. This isn’t the only thing that helps out astrophotographers, as it also comes with a handy long-exposure manual mode too. Using this option you can set up to 900 second exposures to capture the night. You can also set a preview for shutter speeds over 30 seconds to help you focus and adjust the composition using live…

SRP: £875/$1,080 (body only) Within a few months of the D600’s launch, a number of users began reporting that marks appeared at the edges of their images. After investigation it became apparent that the D600’s shutter mechanism was faulty. As a result, the early D610 upgrade was announced. On the surface, it’s hard to distinguish the D610 from its predecessor and few changes were made. The D610’s new shutter does offer 6fps high-speed shooting, as opposed to 5.5fps, and there’s an all-new Quiet Continuous mode, capable of capturing up to 3fps. Nikon also made improvements to the Auto White Balance in the upgraded model, which means the D610 is more accurate when shooting under a range of lighting conditions. Some may be sad to see no Wi-Fihas been added, though.…

SRP: £490/$650 (with 18-55mm lens) The first thing that strikes you about the D3400 is how compact it is – it isn’t far off the size of some Micro Four Thirds cameras. Inside, however, it packs a 24.2MP DX sensor and EXPEED 4 processing engine, which delivers impressive image quality in addition to Full HD movie footage at up to 60fps. One of the biggest changes from the D3300, however, is the presence of the ability to share images via the SnapBridge connectivity feature that enables you to sync your photos as you capture them from a smartphone via Bluetooth. The 11-point Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module does a good job of picking fast and accurate focus in most lighting, only hunting slightly in much lower light situations. It comes…

£300/$400 (with 11-27.5mm lens) Fast, light and solid – this portable compact camera delivers quality performance and utterly effortless handling. It’s perfect if you want to make the jump from a basic compact camera and would like a little more flexibility in your shooting. Housing an 18.4MP CMOS sensor and rapid autofocus this little camera will enable you to capture even the most fleeting moment. ISO capabilities ranging from ISO 160–12800 mean that you can still get beautiful photos and movies, even when you shoot in low light. The 105 phase detection points lock onto moving subjects with remarkable speed and precision, and the J4 will enable you to capture sharp, fast-action photos up to an incredible 20fps, with continuous AF meaning that you will never miss a moment. The…

F or action and wildlife photography it is essential to be at the heart of the action. But this is not always physically possible, so a zoom or telephoto lens is the next best thing. Most photographers wanting to get up close to their subject will use a camera with a crop factor as it makes a difference to the length of the lens; for example, a 200mm lens on a 1.6x crop becomes 320mm. There are other aspects to be aware of with a longer lens, as the more you zoom in the more you will have to compensate with the shutter speed. A monopod can be a good accessory to have to hand as it provides the user with flexibility, yet it still adds that extra bit of…

Tripods are an essential piece of equipment to keep your images straight and let you play around with creative effects. Even the steadiest of hands can’t produce clear long exposures free from camera shake so if you want to add a professional edge to your work then get one. Weight and stability are the two major concerns when buying a tripod. You’ll probably have to carry your tripod a fair amount so you want it to be light, at the same time you want to be able to take the weight of your camera and not tip over from a gust of wind. When selecting a model check whether it comes with the right attachment for your camera and if it comes with a head. Professional tripods are often sold…

Using flash is about more than just shooting in low light and brightening up your image. It is an integral part of photography and learning how to use one effectively will increase your understanding of the photographic process and how light works. Most cameras – compacts and DSLRs – have built in flash that can be set to auto to fire when your camera thinks you need it or to use manually. Buying an additional flashgun, however, gives you greater flexibility in the way you use flash (for instance by tilting the head up to bounce it off a surface) and gives you extra power too, letting you hone the result you want. Most compacts don’t have an option to add an additional flash but Nikon’s 1 series cameras do.…

Most cameras work by saving images and video files to a storage device such as an SD or MicroSD card which slot into the camera. These memory cards come in different sizes – the bigger the card the more images you can shoot before you run out of space. It’s not always a great idea to use a huge memory card to store all of your images on, though, as if it corrupts you will have lost the entire shoot. Sometimes it’s better to split a shoot over a series of smaller cards. When you buy your camera the accompanying manual will tell you what type of card fits into the unit. Nikon releases a list of SD cards compatible with various makes of camera too. Check their website to…

Now it’s time to rotate the mode dial around to S to select the Shutter Priority mode. It works in the exact opposite way to the Aperture Priority mode, in that while you select your ideal shutter speed, the camera takes care of the aperture to ensure a balanced exposure. Using the Shutter Priority mode, you’ll be able to experiment with shorter or longer exposure times. Using this mode on your Nikon camera, you’ll be able to determine how much light reaches the sensor from the lens. Faster shutter speeds, that are only a fraction of a second, will let in the least amount of light, so to avoid underexposing your image, the camera will compensate by using wider aperture settings, to let in a larger volume of light. Fast…

Digital photography has a significant quota of science and technology in its DNA but, despite this, there’s so much about it that’s as subjective, unquantifiable and intangible as any other art form. All the clichés about one person’s art being another person’s trash hold completely true when it comes to photography. This, of course, means that it’s hard to definitively judge photography; what separates a great photo from one that’s merely good? It often comes down to consistent technical proficiency in key areas. When it comes to making an objective judgment of an image, few factors matter more than focusing and its impact on sharpness and clarity. Images that display good focusing technique appear professional and well executed. All too often, photographers assume that the sophisticated cameras and lenses that…

SWITCH TO MANUAL Putting your speedlight into manual mode is usually just a case of pressing a button on the back of the unit. You can then select the power output for the flash – in this example it’s set to 1/4 power REMOTE MODE There’s probably not a lot of point in using manual mode if you are going to photograph using your speedlight on-camera. Modern speedlights allow you to use them as remote off-camera units OFF-CAMERA FLASH CONTROL If you’re going to use your speedlight remotely in manual mode, it makes perfect sense to be able to control and adjust it from the comfort of your camera…

Despite the myriad of different filters and effects available in software, there is still nothing as yet to match what the simple polarising filter can do. This is because the filter physically affects the light entering the camera. Yes, there are software effects that can replicate the filter’s effects and there are the Saturation and Vibrance sliders, but a polariser is the one filter that every photographer should have. There are three types of polariser available. The first is simply a sheet of polarising gel, which can be cut by hand and held in front of the lens or mounted in a handmade gel holder. You can also buy these from manufacturers, however they aren’t very durable and can cause flare problems. There is also the most common type, consisting…

Let’s not forget that photography is a creative process – not does it produce a true representation of a subject, but it’s also used to capture what we have in our minds, whatever the subject. With current software it’s all too easy to create montages and all kinds of creative imagery, but incamera it requires a practical knowledge and forethought. The landscape in particular is restrictive in terms of what you can add to it, unlike studio photography where lighting and effects can be created. With the landscape you get what you’re given, but with filtration you can bend the visual rules. One filter that can do this is the ND (neutral density) filter – a piece of grey resin or glass that holds back light from entering the lens.…

How many times have you taken a quick snapshot of a beautiful landscape scene, only to find you are left with a bleached-out scene with no detail or colour? Unlike our eyes, which can instantly adjust to around 24 stops in light difference, the camera cannot record anywhere near this amount of variation in one frame. This is where the simple graduated grey filter comes into play. It bridges the gap in exposure difference between a bright and dark subject, balancing exposure. Graduated filters come in two types: circular screwon filters and resin oblong filters that slide into a filter holder attached to the lens. Although screw-on grads are in principle the same as the system type, they are more restrictive – to move the graduation line means moving the…

Choosing to focus on details and abstractions of the human form is a far less overt way to photograph nudes while still celebrating the body. The aim here should be so that the nudity in the image is secondary to the composition and impact of the image. The viewer should be challenged and forced to explore the shapes, shadows and highlights instead of being confronted with the nudity. The body is a versatile tool that can be shaped, contorted, bent and lit in order to create beautiful abstract shapes. Your lighting should create an image that makes the viewer explore the tonality in the skin and all of the lines of the body, and by converting the final image to black and white you will emphasise the tonality of the…

Extreme contrast In very contrasty scenes such as this, it can be impossible to record the full tonal range, even when using graduated filters; you need to allow some highlights to clip. Clipped highlights Histograms show that highlights have been clipped, but not which ones. Activate the highlight alert in your camera’s menu so blown highlights flash on the review screen. You can then decide if they are important. If the Sun or bright reflective highlights are blown, ignore them – only severe underexposure of the rest of the scene would prevent them clipping.…

Using neutral density (ND) filters to extend shutter speeds and blur water movement is a popular technique. It can enhance the atmosphere of an image, but the right amount of movement also works as a compositional device – adding texture to the foreground and drawing the eye into the shot. 1 Too fast A shutter speed of around half a second is not enough to blur any movement in this image and the water doesn’t really add anything to the composition. 2 Too slow Thirty seconds is a little too much for this scene; the water is completely smooth and appears motionless, so fails to draw the eye. 3 About right An eight-second exposure as waves wash over the rocks creates a subtle texture on the water, which breaks up…

SRP: £4,000/$5,500 (body only) There’s always a lot of excitement with the arrival of a new high-end camera and the release of the Nikon D5 was no exception. The D5 takes over from the D4S as Nikon’s flagship camera. This new model is the highest resolution full-frame Nikon camera ever, and it has been built to meet the technological advancements and innovations in the full-frame market as well as meeting the many needs of professional shooters. There’s a brand-new 20.82MP full-frame sensor that operates across a wide native range of ISO 100 to 102400, which can be ramped up to an outstanding 3280000-equivalent, making image capture even in the poorest lighting conditions a possibility. The newly designed sensor improves autofocus, metering and image processing, which ensures that this camera is…

SRP: £1,300/$1,600 (body only Nikon’s flagship FX-format offering provides DX agility and outstanding power. The D500 is the D5’s more petite sibling, built to perform in even the most highoctane photography pursuits. From adventure to travel, the D500 will be able to keep up. Like the D5, the D500 houses Nikon’s nextgeneration 153-point AF system that will allow precision focusing even in extremely low light. The AF points cover almost the entire veiwfinder frame, meaning the user has the widest possible coverage. The improved AF tracking and veiwfinder visibility make it perfect for shooting motorsport and fashion shows where the subject is always moving. You’ll never miss a moment with the D500’s 10fps shooting ability. Its high-performance buffer enables up to 200 NEF RAW images to be captured during one…

SRP: £650/$800 (body only) Sitting at the top of the DX range, you’ll find the Nikon D7200. This came as an upgrade to the D7100, sharing many of the same features. Its sensor stepped up marginally from 24.1MP to a 24.2MP and still comes without an antialiasing filter for improved sharpness and finer details. Its body design remained the same too, but it’s a design that works well, with a lock button on the mode dial to stop settings being shifted and a useful separate dial for drive modes. The top and rear covers are made from tough magnesium alloy and its textured body is easy to grip, as well as being dust, weather and drop resistant. This tough body comes with a 3.2inch, 1,229kdot LCD screen, which is fixed…

£270/$330 (with 10- 30mm lens) If you’re after a good level of control in a truly portable body, the Nikon 1 J5 could well be for you. At just 231g (body only), this camera comes with many manual features to help photographers get the right result, while being small enough to fit into a handbag or large pocket. Nikon has opted for a very infashion retro design for this version, with a plastic construction that still looks the business. To give you quick access to manual settings, the manufacturer has gone with a mode dial on the top plate and dual dials for easy settings changes, giving DSLR users familiar controls. You can, of course, also control the camera through the threeinch touchsensitive screen. This is a 1037Kdot LCD screen…

SRP: £370/$400 The Nikon Coolpix A900 sits among the manufacturer’s top-of-the-range compacts, and it’s perfect for those wanting plenty of compositional scope without carrying a bulky kit bag. It’s ultra-portable at just 298g but its sleek exterior still manages to incorporate a grip to make handling convenient. The 35x optical zoom lens is designed to enable you to capture pretty much any subject that might present itself without the need to worry about changing lenses, so it’s pretty much ideal for anyone travelling. What’s more, this can be extended up to 70x via the Dynamic Fine Zoom function. In 35mm terms, the camera can shoot 24mm wide shots right up to an astonishing 840mm for distant subjects, with 1cm close focusing for macro, too. This breadth of capability is supported…

S electing the right lens for the correct subject matter is crucial. Your lens is the eye of your camera and records or captures what it sees. In terms of cost and performance, it usually comes down to the more you spend, the better your results; however, if you’ re just starting out there is no point in splashing out on lots of expensive equipment straight away as you first need to learn the basics of photography and find which genre you wish to pursue. A good lens is pricey; there’s no getting around that fact. The cheaper kit lenses will produce good enough results for beginners, but when you need to take your photography to the next step you will have to invest in a couple of decent lenses.…

If you’re the adventurous type, then you may find yourself on many big trips to some remote places and you’ll no doubt want to take your Nikon with you. If you’re a travelling photographer then the biggest thing to consider in your kit bag is the weight of your photographic equipment. You may have to compromise on image quality due to practical reasons, as if you’re travelling alone you will soon get annoyed with lugging around two or three heavy lenses. This weight issue will most likely affect photographers with heavy professional DSLR camera bodies such as the D4. For travellers, having the lightest but most versatile lens possible is important, so a large focal range is essential. The best option to consider to take on a trip is just…

C reative photography has become increasingly popular as the digital medium has developed. Effects such as fisheye and lenses like tilt-and-shifts are at the forefront of this advancement. It’s not only the high-street consumer that has become fascinated by the alternative effects, as industry professionals are using them for their advertising and editorial work to try to produce something unique and eye-catching for their clients. Tilt-and-shift lenses work by adjusting the lens’s optical axis and controlling the depth of field. They can be tricky to use, and even professionals have admitted they can have problems with them. Architecture and fine art photographers are the most likely to use this type of lens as it can help correct barrel distortion, which is a common problem with architectural images shot from the…

Keep your kit safe by investing in a suitable bag or case – a dedicated camera bag with protective padding really is a must if you’re spending a lot of money on kit. The range of bags on the market is astounding and you’ll find one to fit your needs whether it’s for adventuring with your camera or making a fashion statement. Quality is the most important factor when choosing a bag; this will be what protects your camera so you should be sure that the materials used are up to standard. Also keep in mind the other gear and accessories you have to carry along with you. If you’re a Nikon DSLR user and you have plenty of lenses and flash accessories then choose a bag that accommodate all…

Your Nikon’s mode dial has something for every photographer. There’s a plethora of modes available, which range from basic auto to full-blown manual control over exposure settings. Whether you’re working with a high-end Nikon compact, CSC or DSLR, most mode dials feature the same selection of options, which means you can follow along with us as we explore what’s on offer. Most mode dials are positioned on top of the camera, although some may be found in the camera’s menu. Your mode dial has an important role to play in the photo-taking process, and can essentially determine how well your shot turns out. To use your mode dial, simply rotate it around to a mode that you’re comfortable shooting in. If you are just starting out, you should select auto,…

Aperture Priority mode is marked simply as ‘A’ on your Nikon’s mode dial and is a manual-enabled mode. You can select a suitable aperture for your shot, while the camera is responsible for determining the ideal shutter speed for the best possible exposure. Aperture Priority is particularly useful for step-up users who are keen to explore the creative possibilities of manual control, without having to grasp the balancing act of exposure – which is something you need if you’re working in Manual mode. Most photographers use Aperture Priority to control depth of field in their photos. Depth of field determines how much of your frame is in focus. A shallow depth of field creates an artistically blurred background, which is popular in professional portrait photography and still life. The effect…

As the landscape is one of the most accessible subjects, you would think this would make it easy to capture. However, unlike studio photographers who can control their own lighting, for landscape photographers it’s a slightly different story. We work with natural light and in the UK this can be unpredictable at the best of times. We have to measure and cope with a changing light in all its various forms – side lighting, back lighting, sunsets, sunrises, into the light, harsh light, diffused light... the list goes on and the various techniques for capturing each first time around aren’t at all simple. Add to this other elements such as cloud cover, the seasons, the Sun’s position and you start to get an idea of what we’re faced with. We…

The poses that you choose are just as important as the lighting in your setup, as they help to emphasise the curves and shapes of the human form. Anton Belovodchenko (500px.com/belovodchenko) says, “The forms that the models take are designed to show the beauty of their bodies.” Creating an S-curve with the female form is a key pose to include in your shoot as it accentuates the feminine curve of the model’s hips, bust and slims the waist. It has been depicted in works of art for centuries; for example, it can be seen in the ancient Greek sculpture the Venus de Milo. The pose is characterised by an extended hip and tilted shoulder. When posing your model it is also essential to ensure that all of the poses remain…

People seem naturally drawn to water, and the coast in particular. We love spending our holidays there and for many people, there is nothing more relaxing than being by the sea, just watching the waves roll up onto the shore. Photographers are no different when it comes to this fascination with the ocean, and if you look at the portfolios of most landscape photographers, you’ll almost certainly find a substantial collection of coastal images. The appeal is easy to understand. There is often a real sense of drama at the coast – it’s one place where you can really appreciate the raw power of nature. With its ever-changing weather and tides, no place will ever look the same on different days and the long-term effects of coastal erosion mean that…

1 Meter the scene You will need the correct strength filter for the filtration to look natural. Take meter readings from the foreground and sky (excluding the extremes) to establish difference in brightness, and then select your filter. 2 Position the grad filter Decide whether you need a soft or hard grad and then put it in the filter holder – here the horizon was flat enough to use a hard grad. Place transition line on the horizon – moving the grad up and down can help you see the transition line. 3 Final image Review the image and histogram. Check that, as far as possible, you have managed to capture a full range of tones, but you may need to let extremely bright highlights, such as the Sun itself,…

Light painting is always a fun technique to have a go at and when you make colour your focus the imagery can develop into something even more unique and eye-grabbing. There are two methods for painting with light, both relying on an extended exposure and the movement of a light source across the frame while the camera’s shutter is open. Your first option is to use a large light source such as a powerful LED torch, to effectively wash objects with illumination and highlight them from an otherwise dark environment. The second approach is to draw across the frame, but of course you can also combine the two for impressive effect. It’s easy to adapt any normal torches into bolder versions by using coloured gels, cut to size and affixed…

Objects which might seem mundane to the naked eye can become visually fascinating when magnified in greater detail. Often, the simplest subjects work the best, enabling you to focus on their individual shapes, textures and of course colours, rather than the whole element itself. The added benefit of this is that you don’t usually need a large working space. Household items, such as coloured straws and paper, make particularly good starting points for this technique, especially when arranged in a repeating pattern. It’s not essential to have a large depth of field when shooting abstracts, but ensure that your main focal point is obvious to viewer’s eye, positioning it over a particular hue, defined edge or prominent curve in the image. As well as colourful still lifes, remember that brightly…