N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

this issue’s special contributors…

Nigel Forster PAGE 6 Our Apprentice had a mountain to climb for our landscape shoot in the Brecon Beacons National Park under Nigel’s expert eye. Steve Davey PAGE 28 Steve turns his attention to one of the trickiest aspects of travel photography – shooting the strangers you meet on the road. Paul Wilkinson PAGE 40 This issue, Paul argues that becoming a successful portrait photographer isn’t all about being good at taking portraits. Tom Mackie PAGE 64 Tom is all for discovering new places, but says the more you revisit a location, the more likely you’ll come back with a killer shot. Joe McNally PAGE 80 Joe extols the virtues of shooting through a really big diffuser to tame harsh sunlight – and throws in Speedlights for good measure. Michael Freeman PAGE 94 Michael explains how an image that shows someone standing out of a crowd results…

welcome to issue 100

100 th ISSUE! It’s a big milestone, reaching our 100th issue.N-Photo first hit the newsagents seven-and-a-half years ago in November 2011. Then the flagship pro Nikon was the 12-megapixel D3S – or D3X if you needed additional megapixels (this had 24 million), while the beginner’s choice was the D3100, and Nikon had just introduced a mirrorless camera – the Nikon 1 V1. Nowadays even the entry-level D3500 packs 24Mp, and the 1-series’ teeny mirrorless 13x9mm sensor has given way to the full-frame Z sensor, with up to 45.7 megapixels. Times have changed. What hasn’t changed is N-Photo’s mission to bring you a monthly round-up of the very best of all things Nikon. This issue, we broach the thorny subject of shooting strangers when on your travels, take our Apprentice on a mountain…

head for the hills

IN ASSOCIATION WITH cewe “Just checking that all is okay for tomorrow?” Nigel asked Ian the day before the shoot. “The forecast is looking okay but slightly uncertain, with the Met Office showing the conditions to be mainly dry with the chance of the odd shower and partly cloudy throughout; with the mountaintops likely to be clear of cloud. Besides, I’m off to Italy the day after, so it’s now or never!” The plan was a landscape shoot in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Being the height of summer, it would require shooting late into the evening and up again early next morning to capture dawn. Final arrangements made, the two met in the picturesque village of Talybont-on-Usk, Nigel’s base in the heart of the national park. THE PRO NAME: Nigel Forster CAMERAS: 2x Nikon…

pro kit nd & nd grad filters

Nigel says… Perhaps the most important kit to really elevate your landscape photography is a set of filters. I use a variety of LEE Filters: ND filters enable me to lengthen the exposure to exaggerate movement on clouds or moving water; while ND grads help balance brighter skies with the darker landscape below. In mountainous areas it’s best to use the ‘soft’ variety of ND grads. These have a much gentler transition from semi-opaque at the top to clear at the bottom, avoiding making mountain peaks look artificially dark.…

expert insight mono conversions

Nigel says… Monochrome really brings out the subtle tonal variations in overcast skies. Shooting against the light increases tonal contrast and often produces great results, creating dark and brooding skies with dramatic light effects. A telephoto lens compresses perspective and really draws out the layering effect of the landscape. A Black & White adjustment layer offers an incredible amount of control, enabling you to selectively darken or brighten different colour channels, for example the Yellows and Greens sliders can transform landscape tones.…

technique assessment

MANUAL MODE Nigel says… Ian was shooting in Manual mode to give him control over both aperture and shutter speed, but in conjunction with Auto ISO. I explained that this ultimately means your camera is still deciding on the exposure, rather than you, and can also result in very high ISOs and noisy shots. Turn this off! BACK BUTTON FOCUSING Nigel says… By default, your Nikon will attempt to autofocus every time you press the shutter button, but this can cause problems in low light. Instead, set AF Activation to AF-ON only; that way you lock in focus once with the AF-ON button, and your Nikon won’t try to refocus as you hit the shutter. 2-SEC SELF-TIMER Nigel says… If shooting long exposures, the act of pressing the shutter button can jog the camera, introducing…