Capture the Moment!

Since 2013, I’ve published hundreds of blog posts on all aspects of photography. Some are aimed at helping photographers with their technique, settings, and equipment, but others describe my exhibitions, workshops, and adventures in Africa, Antarctica, and beyond.

If you click on any article, you can subscribe for just £4.99 a year, which also gives you access to my monthly newsletter! Feel free to browse chronologically or click on any category heading for specific content, such as Trips or Hints and Tips.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please drop me a line at nick@nickdalephotography.com or on +44 7942 800921.

What's in my Camera Bag?
Equipment, Trips Nick Dale Equipment, Trips Nick Dale

What's in my Camera Bag?

What equipment do you need to be a professional wildlife photographer? Well, I pack light, so all my camera gear fits in a Tenba Hybrid Roller 21—apart from my 400mm lens, which I carry in a separate dry bag. If I’m visiting a lodge in Africa, there’s usually a free laundry service, so I pack a change of clothes in my jacket to avoid checking any luggage. And that’s it…!

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How do you Judge a Wildlife Photo?
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

How do you Judge a Wildlife Photo?

People sometimes show me a wildlife photo and ask me what I think, but I always turn the question around. “What do you think of it yourself?” Aesthetics are subjective, so there’s no right or wrong answer, and my view is no more ‘valid’ just because I’m a professional wildlife photographer. However, if you ask me what makes a good photo, that requires a much longer answer…!

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What Accessories Do You Need For Wildlife Photography?
Equipment Nick Dale Equipment Nick Dale

What Accessories Do You Need For Wildlife Photography?

Wildlife photography can be an expensive hobby—and it gets even worse if you end up buying lots of accessories, including memory cards, spare batteries, filters, battery grips, flashguns, drones, tripods and camera bags. And what about a computer? Editing images and video on the go demands a top-of-the-range laptop that might set you back thousands…!

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My Wildlife Photography Bucket List
Travel, Trips Nick Dale Travel, Trips Nick Dale

My Wildlife Photography Bucket List

Most of us don’t have the time or the budget to go on many wildlife photography trips, so it’s worth making the most of what we have by going to the right place at the right time. In 2014, I wrote down all the destinations on my photographic bucket list. Here’s an updated version that only includes the best places for wildlife photography that I’ve never visited...

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I'd Rather be Lucky than Good!
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

I'd Rather be Lucky than Good!

In a sense, every wildlife photograph is a matter of luck. These are wild birds and animals we’re talking about, not fashion models working in a studio! You can’t tell wildlife subjects to pose, and bears and big cats are too dangerous to get close to.

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How to Organise your Photos
Hints and tips, Equipment Nick Dale Hints and tips, Equipment Nick Dale

How to Organise your Photos

Have you ever been desperately trying to find a photo that you took? Have you had to scroll endlessly through your Photos feed on your smartphone? Have you ever had to give up because it was just too hard to find? I’m sure the answer for most photographers is “Yes”, “Yes” and “Yes”! Keeping track of your photos is hard for everyone, but here are a few tips that might help.

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Addicted to AUTO...?
Hints and tips, Equipment Nick Dale Hints and tips, Equipment Nick Dale

Addicted to AUTO...?

Are you addicted to AUTO? Do you leave your camera in AUTO mode without ever trying aperture or shutter priority, let alone manual? If so, let me be your sponsor! I can help you improve your photography by encouraging you to use different cameras, lenses, settings and rules of composition—and you won’t even need to go cold turkey!

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Stills or Video?
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

Stills or Video?

If you’re a wildlife photographer who also shoots video, when should you take pictures and when should you film? Tricky one. I’m in the same boat, and I’m never sure of the answer. I see myself as a photographer first and foremost, so that’s my priority, but there are times when video is the right way to go.

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How to Become a Professional Wildlife Photographer
Photography Nick Dale Photography Nick Dale

How to Become a Professional Wildlife Photographer

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin…

Once upon a time, a boy bought a camera and decided to become a professional photographer. He took hundreds of pictures and told his mum he wanted to go to the London College of Printing.

“Well,” she said, “you can always take it up later as a hobby…”

And that was that for 30 years!

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Zooms vs Primes for Wildlife Photography
Equipment Nick Dale Equipment Nick Dale

Zooms vs Primes for Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photography is all about trade-offs, so there are never any easy answers. When it comes to the choice between zoom and prime lenses, my own experience tells me that primes work best at long focal lengths and zooms at wider angles. However, it’s a matter of personal taste, and new features like built-in teleconverters mean the picture is always changing…

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My Camera History
Nick Dale Nick Dale

My Camera History

The Sunday Times used to ask celebrities what cars they’d owned and what their dream car would be. In my case, it would’ve been the same answer: an E-Type Jaguar! When it comes to cameras, the list would be a bit longer.

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10 Classic Safari Shots
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

10 Classic Safari Shots

To my knowledge, not many photographers who go on safari put together a shot list in advance. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s worth considering so that you can make the most of your experience. The last thing you want to do is come home kicking yourself you didn’t get a shot of a leopard or a cheetah hunt.

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Wet and Wild!
Trips, Travel Nick Dale Trips, Travel Nick Dale

Wet and Wild!

I’ve just come back from a couple of weeks at Kicheche in the Masai Mara. There was so much rain that it sometimes felt like I was in a remake of Waterworld, starring Paul Goldstein!

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Types of Light for Wildlife Photography
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

Types of Light for Wildlife Photography

Light is light, right? Wrong! Light varies in colour, direction, brightness and softness throughout the day, and each type makes different demands on the photographer. You need to know how to guarantee good light and how to cope with bad light by using the right camera settings and editing techniques.

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