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 the category heading above any post for specific content, such as Equipment, Trips or Hints and Tips.
If you’d like to write a guest post, please drop me a line at nick@nickdalephotography.com or on +44 7942 800921.
How to Photograph Cheetahs
I’ve taken more photos of cheetahs than any other animal, so I thought it was about time I wrote about how to do it! Whether you favour portraits or action shots, here’s an expert guide to improving your cheetah photography…
Mara River Crossing
Beautiful women, power cuts, cold water, wildebeest, rain, laughter, one business class seat and 78,000 photos. That’s what I got when I went to see the Mara river crossing in the Serengeti National Park!
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.
Cheetah facts
The cheetah is my favourite animal. It may not be the prettiest - most people prefer the leopard - but there’s nothing to beat the sight of a cheetah running at full speed. It never fails to make me smile…
And if you’re lucky enough to see a cheetah kill, that’s one of the most exciting moments you can ever get on safari!
Top 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.
How 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…
Kicheche 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!
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.
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...!