Capture 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.

Goodwood Revival 2022

I don’t get out much these days, so when my friend Jason invited me to Goodwood Revival, I was delighted to accept. He sorted everything out, so all I needed to do was enjoy a slap-up breakfast at The Kennels, take pictures of all the classic cars and enjoy the sunshine!

How to Become a Resident Photographer

A few years ago, I asked Andy Skillen how to win clients as a wildlife photographer. He didn’t tell me, but he did tell me a story of the ‘dream scenario’. He had an enquiry from a group of managers who wanted to buy a retirement present for their departing chairman. They wanted it to be a picture of a row of five hippos in the water, all looking towards the camera.

Eight Steps to Becoming a Great Wildlife Photographer

I saw a post the other day on what makes a great wildlife photographer, and I didn’t like it. Not because it was badly written, but because there were an awful lot of generalisations that I’m sure don’t apply half the time. That’s why I decided to write this piece as a ‘how to’ guide instead. That makes a lot more sense to me.

Social Media for Photographers

Are you confused about how to use social media as a photographer? Do you have personal accounts but not business accounts? Do you struggle to understand the difference between all the platforms? Would you like to get started but don’t know how?

Update Your Firmware!

When did you last update your camera’s firmware? What version are you running? What’s the latest version? When did you last check the availability online?

Okay, enough difficult questions! The truth is that most of us don’t really care about the firmware, and we certainly don’t make sure we have the latest version running at all times. But perhaps we should…

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

It annoys me when signs at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition tell me that photographs should ‘tell a story’. How, exactly?! Even if it were possible to write a story based on one of my pictures, it would probably sound like it was written by a 10-year-old!

14 Reasons why Your Photos Might not be Sharp

Do you get frustrated when your shots turn out to be too soft? I certainly do, so I thought I’d put together this guide to help you improve sharpness.

How to Photograph Birds Fishing from the Hover

Normally, I like to post a ‘successful’ picture to illustrate these hints and tips posts, but I can’t today because I failed miserably! I was trying to photograph a common tern diving for fish, but I just couldn’t get a good shot of the moment when it hit the water.

Bushy Park

Photography can be a solitary business, but every now and then I manage to take pictures with a friend. Tammy Marlar is a fellow photographer, and she’s always on at me to go and take pictures in the local parks. Well, this time, she was successful!

Which Exposure Mode Should I Use?

Exposure modes (or ‘shooting modes’ or ‘camera modes’) are just different ways of controlling the three elements of the Exposure Triangle: aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

How to Use a Mirrorless Camera

Most people buying a mirrorless camera these days will be switching from a DSLR. Using a mirrorless is a little bit different, so here’s my guide to help you make the transition.

There are a few key differences, and I’ve divided them up into which camera to buy, how to customise it, which settings to use, plus sections on shooting mode, the EVF and custom buttons.

Wildlife Photography Workshop

I held my latest wildlife photography workshop at the London Wetland Centre this morning in association with Handmade Workshops.

We had five people, and it was very enjoyable—I hope for them as well as me!

20 Photography Mistakes to Avoid

There are lots of articles and books about how to take pictures, but there aren’t so many about how NOT to take pictures. This is a list of the silly mistakes we all make—and should all try to avoid. I’ve illustrated them with some of my own worst photos, so you can take heart from the fact that even I can be a bit of a muppet sometimes…!

Muchenje

Little bee-eaters, Portakabins, elephants, boat rides, more little bee-eaters, an FA Cup final, lovely people, a lunar eclipse, more elephants and a beef Wellington. That just about sums up my trip to Muchenje Safari Lodge in Botswana!

Ol Jogi

Ol Jogi is in rhino country, and I had a rhino sighting on every single game drive until the final day of my visit. There are around 120 mainly black rhinos there, and it was great to see them. I hadn’t had so many sightings since I went to Etosha and saw 17 in one weekend!

Open Letter to Corporate Clients

Have you ever wished you had more inspiring artwork on the walls of your offices? Have you ever struggled to find the right text and images for your website or social media accounts? Have you ever searched in vain for decent video content?

My New Mirrorless Equipment

Last week, I told you about my conversion from a Nikon DSLR user to a Sony mirrorless customer. Here’s a quick summary of my new kit.

DSLR vs Mirrorless

Until last year, I’d always been a Nikon man. Then it all changed, first gradually and then all of a sudden.

2021: The Great Escapes

Given the Covid pandemic, the year 2021 might’ve been a disaster. As it was, I managed to escape London to go on three photographic trips: to Kicheche Bush Camp, Arviat and Antarctica. They were all very enjoyable for different reasons, and it was also nice to get away from Africa for a change!

Antarctica

It might’ve gone wrong in so many ways.

I might’ve failed one of my 12 (!) Covid tests, too many other people might’ve caught Covid, I might’ve had the wrong documents, the ship might’ve been impounded, we might’ve been weathered out, I might’ve lost my luggage (again!), we might’ve struggled to see any wildlife…and so on, and so on.