I don’t take any shots in black and white. And nor does anyone else, for that matter, because modern DSLR RAW files are always in colour. If you want to create black and white images, then you simply have to convert them in Lightroom.
Read MoreCapture the Moment!
Here are all my posts on photography, covering techniques, trips, research, exhibitions, talks and workshops. Watch out for my latest article every Saturday.
I’ve also written dozens of articles for Expert Photography and Camera Reviews.
If you’d like to contribute a guest post on any aspect of photography, please email me at nick@nickdalephotography.com. My standard fee is £50 plus £10 for each dofollow link.
Note: Some blog posts contain affiliate links to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to use exposure compensation
Whenever I teach people about exposure compensation, I always find myself using the example of a leopard in a tree: “The sky behind is bright, but the leopard is dark, so you have to use a stop or two of exposure compensation.”
The idea is to get the ‘right’ exposure for the subject when the camera is being ‘fooled’ by the bright background, but why does this happen?
Read MoreNine ways to make money from wildlife photography
The obvious question for a lot of amateur photographers is ‘How do I make money from wildlife photography?’ The answer is that I’m still trying to work it out! All I can do is tell you what I’ve done myself and give you a few ideas.
Read MoreGuest post: The work of a photographer
Photography is a field that is gaining more and more popularity every year. It's no wonder that almost anyone can take pictures today - all you need is a mobile phone with good optics.
Read MorePost-processing in Lightroom
There are two main steps I go through to edit my images:
1. Rating and adding metadata
2. Preparing for upload to stock agencies
Read MoreHow I Photograph Birds
When people ask me if I take pictures of birds, I say, “Yes, I do – if there aren’t any animals around…!”
I’m only joking (mostly!), but it’s true that there are a lot of ‘birders’ out there, and getting good shots of birds – particularly birds in flight (BIF) – is not that easy.
Read MoreTop five favourite moments
My first great moment came when I was staying at Kicheche Bush Camp. I was on an Exodus trip led by Paul Goldstein, and we went on a game drive into the Masai Mara National Reserve, looking for leopards in the trees by the river.
Read MoreHow to Shoot a Bear
Brooks Falls is a waterfall in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, and every July around a million salmon try to jump it in order to get back to their spawning grounds - and the brown bears are there to meet them!
Read MoreMicrostock upload procedure
I earn around 35% of my photography revenue from stock agencies and microstock sites. I started off submitting all my content at once to around 25 agencies, but I’ve gradually changed my workflow.
Read MoreWildlife photography kit recommendations
Camera and lens reviews are 10 a penny online, and most will have a throwaway comment like ‘good for wildlife photography and sport’, but what does that actually mean?
In this article, I’d like to go over the pros and cons of the most common types of camera, lens and other accessories and show you a few practical examples in order to help you make up your mind about which kit to buy.
Read MoreHow to Shoot a Lion
Shadows can either be your enemy or your friend - you just have to know how to use them. If you don’t shoot with the sun directly behind you, then there’s a risk that you’ll get more shadows on the animal and that they’ll be a distraction, making it harder to see its facial features and unnecessarily complicating the image.
Read MoreEvery picture tells a story: Fly Bee
I’m a wildlife photographer, and this is one in an occasional series of posts about my favourite photographs. I’ll tell you how I took them and break down the shot into the idea, the location, the equipment, the settings, the technique and any post-processing.
Read MorePacking List
This is my camera bag. It’s a Roadie II Hybrid, and it’s the only bag I take with me when I travel abroad. My camera gear is too valuable to put in the hold, so I take it on board with me as hand luggage.
Read MoreTravel Plans
As you may have noticed, there was a little bit of disruption to people’s travel plans in 2020! Here were all the trips I was supposed to go on but were either postponed or cancelled altogether.
Read MoreHow to Shoot an Elephant
First of all, I have to confess that the elephant is not my favourite animal. They don’t look very much like us, so anthropomorphic expressions are almost impossible to capture; they spend a lot of time feeding and very little time doing anything else; and they’re so…grey!
Read MoreHow to Shoot a Cheetah
I’ve taken more pictures of cheetahs than of any other animal, so here are a few things I’ve learned along the way…
Read MorePaul Goldstein interview
Paul Goldstein has been a wildlife photographer and expedition guide for over 20 years, leading trips for Exodus to Svalbard, Tadoba, Kicheche and many other locations around the world.
Read MoreKicheche Bush Camp
I’ve just come back from 10 days at Kicheche Bush Camp with Paul Goldstein. It was meant to be a week-long Exodus trip, but when that was cancelled due to the new Covid restrictions, I booked privately with Paul, and I’m so glad I did!
Read More2020: A Journal of the Plague Year
The year 2019 was a stand-out year for me when it comes to my photography career: being able to spend four months on safari in Tanzania and Kenya was a spectacular result - and all because I happened to read an online article about a photographer who’d managed to spend a whole year staying at lodges in Africa in exchange for taking pictures. Who knew it was even possible?!
Read MoreHow to Shoot a Tiger
If you want to shoot a tiger with a gun, I can’t help you - in fact, nobody can! - but if you want to use a camera, I may have an idea for you…
Read More