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.
Feel free to browse chronologically or click on any category heading for specific content, such as Equipment, 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.
Photographic Trips
I’ve been a professional wildlife photographer since 2013, so I often lose track of all my photographic trips! For my own reference and for yours, here’s a list of everywhere I’ve been with my favourite photos from each place.
Clash of the Continents
I’ve taken pictures in 36 countries on all seven continents, so I thought I should talk about the best one to visit for wildlife photography. Is it North America for grizzlies and polar bears, South America for jaguars and pumas, Antarctica for penguins and seals, Europe for bears and birds, Asia for tigers, Oceania for kangaroos and duck-billed platypuses or Africa for predators and prey?!
Coping with the Cold
When I went to Sweden, the cold broke my tripod. When I went to Canada, the cold broke my lens. When I went to Antarctica, the cold broke my camera. I could go on…!
Extremely low temperatures can wreak havoc with your photography gear, so here are a few lessons I’ve learned in the past few years to help you cope with the cold.
Blur the Foreground With 'Look-overs'
Wildlife photographer Andy Rouse is a big fan of doing ‘look-throughs’—pointing his camera through a hole in the foliage to create a blurred foreground.
In Africa and the polar regions, you don’t get many chances to do that, so I prefer the ‘look-over’. This involves filling the bottom third of the frame with a blurred foreground.
10 Best Places in the World for Wildlife Photography
I’ve been a wildlife photographer for 10 years now, and I’ve been on over 30 trips. I’ve set foot on all seven continents, but most of my expeditions have been to Africa. If you want to learn from my experience, here are my top 10 locations for wildlife photography. There are a few good places I haven’t been to, such as South Africa, but these are my favourites.
Pros and Cons of Using Auto ISO
Most of the amateur photographers I meet don’t use manual mode. They think it’s just too intimidating. However, you can make it a lot less scary by using auto ISO to control the exposure.
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.
Wildlife photography ideas
In these troubled times, I thought I’d give every wildlife photographer out there a chance to fantasise about a few dream destinations around the globe.
Whatever your passion, I’m sure there’s somewhere out there that would provide a great photographic getaway - once we’re all allowed out to play again…!
Travel 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.
My top 10 birds
I’ve taken pictures of well over 200 birds around the world, so it’s been very tricky narrowing down the list to just ten. In the end, I had to cheat by broadening the definition of ‘bird’ from species to something like ‘genus’ or ‘family’.
My top 10 animals
The hippo is not one of my favourite animals. I just want to get that out of the way right at the start. They spend most of their time submerged up to their snouts in water, and it’s very difficult to get a decent picture of any of them.
