N-Photo: the Nikon magazine Summer 2021

Josh Dury PAGE 6 The sky isn’t the limit for this issue’s Apprentice as he gets stunning shots of the Milky Way with Josh’s expert advice. Tom Mackie PAGE 26 Seasoned travel photographer Tom visits all four corners of the British Isles to bring you exotic images from our own shores. Laurie Campbell PAGE 62 Nature photographer Laurie tells how he became one of the foremost photographers of Scotland’s flora and fauna. Christy Lee Rogers PAGE 70 Pool time! Photographer-artist Christy tells how her Celestial Bodies series was inspired by the ancient Greeks and outer space. Neil Freeman PAGE 80 In Nikon Academy, Neil explains how to manipulate the variables that determine depth of field in your images for best results. Matthew Richards PAGE 104 This issue Matthew puts eight whopping great lenses suited to shooting sports through our rigorous testing procedures. SUBSCRIBE AND GET A FREE VANGUARD…

For many of us, uncertainty around travel will keep us firmly within our own shores this year. But our fair isles boast some of the world’s most stunning scenery, and travel and landscape pro Tom Mackie shares his top 20 favourite places to shoot in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – along with shooting tips to get the most from these locations. Our Apprentice, on the other hand, isn’t even limited to the confines of planet Earth, as he shoots the Milky Way – and beyond – with the help of astrophotographer extraordinaire Josh Dury. The Euros may be a fading (and painful) memory, but the Olympic Games are in full swing, and so we put a selection of monster sporty telephoto zooms and primes through their paces. We also give…

THE APPRENTICE NAME: Brian Johns CAMERA: Nikon D7500 Brian is an engineering designer from Gloucestershire and is so keen on astrophotography, he bought a van just so he has a place to kip when out visiting the UK’s dark skies. He’s hoping to upgrade his camera to a Nikon D750 in the near future and has just received his first star tracker. He’s hoping Josh can help him put the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer to good use and help further his understanding of the night sky. THE PRO NAME: Josh Dury CAMERA: Nikon D7500 Josh is an astrophotographer, filmmaker and night-sky conservationist. His interest in astronomy started at the tender age of seven and he’s since travelled far and wide to witness celestial events. He uses photography and filmmaking as a way to promote conservation and highlight the…

Josh says… This essential piece of kit keeps your hands free to operate camera equipment and rifle through your kitbag. Look for a head torch with a red light, as this will illuminate your surroundings while preserving your night vision. Head torches also alert other people to your presence so you don’t startle or bump into them. You’d be surprised how often you meet other people on a night shoot, and for that reason I always shoot with somebody else or as part of a group. If you insist on going it alone, ensure somebody else knows where you’re going and what time you intend to return.…

INCREASE THE ISO Josh says… You need full control of your camera so Manual mode is a must, and shooting wide open will allow you to get as much light into the body as possible. We started at ISO800 and topped out at ISO5000 as the night got darker. The shutter speed must be fast enough to prevent star trails. FOCUS ON THE STARS Josh says… Manual focus is the best way to focus on the stars. It doesn’t matter what star you focus on, but it’s best to zoom into Live View and find a bright example to work with. The infinity marker is a good starting point, but trial and error is often needed to find each lens’s sweet spot. REMOTE CONTROL Josh says… The slightest movement when shooting at long shutter speeds…

Josh says… When it comes to astrophotography, and capturing the Milky Way in particular, the two things to look for in a lens are a wide angle of view and a fast maximum aperture. The wider the lens, the larger a slice of the heavens you’ll be able to capture, and they don’t get any wider than this manual-focus, full-frame 10mm prime – it’s the widest non-fisheye lens available. You’ll get the most out of it on a full-frame camera, but even on Brian’s crop-sensor Nikon, it still offers a pretty expansive 15mm field of view. You also want to capture as much light as possible, and its f/3.5 aperture is reasonably fast too; and while you can get wide-angle lenses with f/2.8 apertures or faster, they aren’t as wide…