N-Photo: the Nikon magazine May 2021

Chris McLennan PAGE 6 Globetrotting photographer Chris takes our Apprentice into the wilds of the Arctic for a oncein-a-lifetime photo expedition. Tom Mason PAGE 26 Regular N-Photo columnist Tom shows how to get amazing images of animals from your own back garden or local patch. Einar Gudmann PAGE 62 Icelandic nature photographer Einar shares the story behind his stunning shots of his homeland in the N-Photo interview. Adam Woodworth PAGE 70 Astrophotographer Adam recounts his road trips across North America to capture the Milky Way above epic landscapes. Neil Freeman PAGE 80 Nikon School’s head honcho tells you everything you need to know about your Nikon’s pop-up flash and on-camera Speedlights… Matthew Richards PAGE 104 Your pictures are no good sitting on your hard drive – turn them into wall art with these eight photo-printing options. SUBSCRIBE AND GET A FREE LOWEPRO TAHOE 150 BAG! Subscribe from just £54…

You don’t have to travel halfway around the globe to get stunning images of wildlife. From back-garden birds to fauna in local fields, Tom Mason shows you how to capture fabulous shots of furry and feathered friends within a stone’s throw of where you reside. But travelling halfway around the world is exactly what this issue’s Apprentice did when she met pro photographer Chris McLennan on an expedition to photograph polar bears and the epic wilderness of the Arctic (for full disclosure, before the limits of lockdown) and came back with truly jaw-dropping shots. In our Gear section, we take a look at eight photo-quality printers for producing wall-hanging artworks of A4, A3 or even A2 in size, to really show off your photos at their very best. We also try five…

THE PRO NAME: Chris McLennan CAMERAS: D850 & Z 7II New Zealander Chris is a professional travel photographer with 33 years’ experience whose work has seen him shooting for commercial clients in 60 countries and counting. He’s a Nikon New Zealand Ambassador, as well as a global ambassador for industry-leading brands Lowepro and Lexar. Chris heads photo expeditions to many exciting locations around the world, including Alaska, Svalbard, Papua New Guinea, USA, Tahiti, Solomon Islands, Mongolia, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Uganda. See his work and expeditions at www.chrismclennanphotography.com Instagram: @chris_mclennan1 THE APPRENTICE NAME: Aurora Lampson CAMERAS: D850 & D810 Aurora is from California, USA, and works as a marketing and social media content producer for several global companies, including Lowepro. She has been studying photography for 10 years, starting out as a portrait photographer, and working…

GO-TO SETTINGS Chris says… I suggested Aurora set Aperture Priority mode and, instead of shooting wide open, she closed the aperture a little to ensure enough depth of field should she slightly miss focus. Upping the ISO to 400 or so ensures a fast shutter speed to avoid the risk of motion blur. SHOOTING SUN-STARS Chris says… With the sun so low on the horizon, it’s the ideal opportunity to include it in your landscape shots. For this, I suggested Aurora close down her aperture to f/16 as bright points of light take on the shape of the closeddown aperture blades, which makes for the most beautiful sun-stars! CONTINUOUS HIGH & AF Chris says… Always be ready to shoot in bursts to capture the unpredictable nature of wildlife. Set Continuous High-speed shooting in combination with…

Chris says… The polar regions in summer are blessed with 24 hours of daylight and a golden sun that is low on the horizon all day long, effectively stretching the coveted ‘golden hour’ for several hours. On the beautiful calm nights, many hours can be spent out on the bow of the ship photographing birds under the low sun; these images were shot at 1am. I used Continuous AF and Continuous Highspeed shooting in Aperture Priority mode as the birds can quickly fly across various lighting scenarios. I expanded to 25 focus points to make it easier to track the guillemots against the silky water.…

Chris says… The Arctic Circle is defined as the area within which the sun remains visible over a 24-hour period and so I encouraged Aurora to capture this image of the ‘almostsetting-sun’. Taken at 10:30pm, I had Aurora shoot on her D850 with a Nikon 20mm f/1.8 lens. The aim was to capture both the sun and its reflection on the water. Setting the aperture at f/16 helps to create a nice clean sun-star as the narrower aperture causes the area of high-contrast light to refract off the aperture blades within the lens. The 20mm prime is my favourite for this effect.…