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.

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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Dust, Air and Spume!
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

Dust, Air and Spume!

According to Paul Goldstein, dust, air and spume are the “Holy Trinity of wildlife photography”. The idea is to show energy and movement by showing the dust thrown up by galloping hooves, animals and birds ‘getting air’ and the spume created by action shots in water.

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Collective nouns quiz
Animals, Birds Nick Dale Animals, Birds Nick Dale

Collective nouns quiz

I know this doesn’t have much to do with photography, but I thought I’d do a quiz on collective nouns for the animals I’ve seen around the world.

It’s fun to find out the proper names (particularly for safari animals), and it can be a good way of passing the time on a game drive while you’re waiting for a couple of lions to wake up…!

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How to sharpen an image
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

How to sharpen an image

I use Adobe Lightroom for editing all my images, and it’s a very good program, so generally I have no complaints.

However, there’s one thing I never do in Lightroom, and that’s sharpening.

The problem is that ‘sharpening’ in Lightroom is not really sharpening at all. It’s contrast. And there’s a big difference.

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My top 10 birds
Other Nick Dale Other Nick Dale

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’.

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My top 10 animals
Other Nick Dale Other Nick Dale

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.

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The trip to Kenya
Trips Nick Dale Trips Nick Dale

The trip to Kenya

Five kills. Five kills! That’s what I saw on my safari to the Masai Mara - not to mention half a dozen other chases and one I missed when I needed to go to the toilet...!

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The ones that got away
Other Nick Dale Other Nick Dale

The ones that got away

I get nervous before I go on photography trips. Part of that is just worrying about travel arrangements, visas and packing everything I need, but another part of it is worrying that I won't get the shots I want. Here are a few examples of 'the ones that got away'.

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Safari bingo: animals
Hints and tips Nick Dale Hints and tips Nick Dale

Safari bingo: animals

Tired of always having to ask your safari guide what you're looking at on a game drive? Here's your cut-out-and-keep guide to the most common animals. Shout 'Bingo!' when you've crossed them all off...but not too loudly!

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Cabárceno
Trips Nick Dale Trips Nick Dale

Cabárceno

Photography is a lonely business, so I was delighted when a friend called Tammy from my old camera club asked me to go on a wildlife workshop in northern Spain.

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