N-Photo: the Nikon magazine

this issue’s special contributors…

Neil Burnell PAGE 6 Neil shows our Apprentice how to take things nice and slow on a long-exposure seascape shoot on the South Devon coast. Matthew Stadlen PAGE 26 Keen twitcher Matthew reveals how he takes his brilliant shots of birds – and how you can too! – in this issue’s lead feature. Johan Du Preez PAGE 64 South Africa-based Johan proves that you don’t have to capture the Big Five to showcase his country’s spectacular wildlife. Gareth Mon Jones PAGE 66 N-Photo reader and reining Weather Photographer of the Year Gareth tells of his stunning shots of natural wonders. Marilyn Stafford PAGE 80 From shooting Albert Einstein and Édith Piaf to her FotoReportage Award, nonagenarian Marilyn tells of her inspiring 70-year career. Margot Raggett PAGE 88 The photographer behind the Remembering Wildlife series tells of her latest collaboration to help safeguard magnificent lions. SUBSCRIBE AND GET A…

welcome to issue 105

Of all wildlife, birds are perhaps the most difficult to photograph. They’re twitchy and erratic, have an understandable distrust of humans, and move at breakneck speed through three dimensions, rather than the two that land-dwelling life forms are restricted to. But enthusiasm and perseverance goes an awfully long way, as Matthew Stadlen attests. Patience is also a virtue for capturing long exposures, and this issue our Apprentice heads to the South Devon coast to capture beautifully serene seascapes under the guidance of Neil Burnell. Samyang has launched not one, but two 14mm f/2.8 wide primes, one autofocus and one fully manual – even down to setting the aperture. Which is our winner? You might be surprised. Also in our Gear section, we compare portrait primes with 85mm and 105mm focal lengths and…

making waves

THE PRO NAME: Neil Burnell CAMERA: Nikon Z 7 Brixham-based Neil is a graphic designer by trade who runs regular photography workshops. He studied art and photography at college in the early 1990s, but only started taking photography seriously about five years ago. His various fine art projects have won him multiple awards, and this year his Mystical series of images, taken in Dartmoor’s Wistman’s Wood, went viral. To find out more about Neil and his workshops, visit his website: www.neilburnell.com THE APPRENTICE NAME: Sally Holmes CAMERA: Nikon Z 7 Sally is an accountant and finance director for a security firm. She lives on the edge of Exmoor in the picturesque Brendon Hills, which she frequently rides through on horseback. Her dad encouraged her to take photos from a young age, but she really started taking photography…

technique assessment

DON’T GO TOO NARROW Neil says… I try not to use apertures narrower than f/11. I use ND filters, so I’m not bothered about too much light getting in camera. I also want the cleanest images possible and the narrower the aperture the more chance you’ll get diffraction, which impacts the resolution of your image. PREMIUM QUALITY Neil says… To maximize quality, I’ll use the Z 7’s base ISO (64) and will carefully compose my shots to minimize cropping. I use the virtual horizon overlay to ensure my horizon is straight and set the single AF point about three quarters of the way into the frame (I use AF-S and back-button focusing). FOCUS PEAKING Neil says… Despite the fact that I focus using the AF system, I like to utilize focus peaking to double-check that…

how to: use nd filters

FRAME IT FIRST Neil says… Frame and focus your shot, and set your camera to its base ISO. Now input the desired aperture and set your shutter speed accordingly. I would then use focus peaking to double-check my area of focus before carefully attaching the filter. MATH CHEAT Neil says… If you’re a maths whizz, you can look up the formula for calculating the correct exposure time when using an ND filter. However, I use the Long Exposure Calculator app which does everything for you. Simply input the strength of ND filter used, your base shutter speed and voilà! PRECISE TIMING Neil says… After dialling in the shutter speed I’ll use my shutter release cable so that there’s no danger of jogging the camera when pressing the shutter button. I can also precisely time when…

pro portfolio neil burnell

STILTS Stilts was taken on a winter morning, while in London. It was shot using a long-exposure technique and is a two-shot pano, as I couldn’t frame the huts with my 21mm f/2.8. It won the Your View category in Landscape Photographer of the Year. EMPIRE This was taken just as it was getting dark, during blue hour, at Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor. I only had an hour on the evening I shot this, but I’m pleased I made the effort as this remains my favourite shot. DELICATE This was shot on my Z 7 during first light at Berry Head Nature Reserve. I’m not an early morning person (especially in the summer months, when sunrise is early) but I love shooting these beautiful butterflies as they sleep before the sun warms them up.…