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.

Lake Kerkini

I’ve just come back from a five-day visit to Lake Kerkini in Greece to photograph the Dalmatian pelicans. I usually prefer the Big Five to birds, so it wasn’t my normal sort of trip, but it was good fun, and I was happy with my pictures—and that’s the main thing!

First Impressions of Luminar Neo

I recently became an affiliate for Skylum’s Luminar Neo. This is post-processing software similar to Lightroom, and I thought I’d try it out to see what it was like.

What Should Wildlife Photographers do Between Trips?

Matt Kloskowski once said there was no such thing as a professional wildlife photographer. That’s not quite true, but it is very hard to make a full-time living from it. So what are you supposed to do when you’re not on a shoot?

A Lightroom Trick to Separate Subject from Background

Photographs are flat, 2D images, but how can you make them appear three-dimensional? Inspired by a couple of videos by Matt Kloskowski and Steve Perry, here are a few Lightroom tricks to create depth by separating your subject from the background.

Where Next in 2023...?

I had quite a quiet 2022 in terms of trips, but I’d like to go on a few more this year. Visiting Muchenje a couple of times was very enjoyable, but I’m looking for a bit more variety. I already have two trips planned, one to Kerkini in Greece to see the Dalmation pelicans and one to Bandhavgarh in India to see the tigers, and there might be more on the way. We shall see.

Update Your Metadata!

I’ve decided to use my first blog post of 2023 to be a nag! Apologies in advance, but I just thought it was worth reminding you to keep your metadata up-to-date. Not everyone is going to be as OCD as I am, but that’s as good a reason as any for this article…

Which Tripod Head Should I Buy?

I used to have a Benro GH5C gimbal head, but I swapped it for a Gitzo GHFG1. If you want to find out why, read on…

2022: I had a Lodge in Africa...

This is my last blog post of 2022, so I thought I'd give you a quick recap of what I got up to during the last 12 months.

How to Take Backlit Shots

Sometimes as a photographer, you need to make a difficult decision: do you want to take a good shot or a great shot? There’s a big difference, and it affects your whole approach. Backlighting is a good example.

What's the Best Canon Mirrorless Camera?

When it comes to the best mirrorless cameras on the market, the Sony a1 and the Nikon Z9 are neck-and-neck. A little way behind—but not too far!—are the Canon EOS R3, R5 and R5C. So which one’s the best?

Mirrorless Shootout!

One of the great frustrations of owning a camera is that the different mounts aren’t compatible. You can’t simply buy the best camera body and the best lenses because they might not fit together!

Sony a1 vs Nikon D850

If you’re a photographer thinking about switching to mirrorless, I just thought it might be useful to read about someone else’s experience doing the same thing. I used to have an extensive collection of Nikon camera bodies, lenses and accessories, including a D850. However, I switched to the Sony mirrorless system last year, and I now have two Sony a1 cameras.

Mirrorless Autofocus Settings

I’ve been using a Sony a1 for over a year now, so I feel like the time has come to talk about the autofocus settings. I used to have a series of Nikon DSLRs (the D800, D810 and D850), and I’d never used a mirrorless camera before. However, it was pretty easy to learn, and even now I’m still amazed by the sharpness of the images.

Nine Ways to Sex African Wildlife

I’m always keen to learn, but one thing I’m not very good at is working out whether safari animals are male or female. I know a few of the rules, but it’s easy to make a mistake—and that can be a bit embarrassing!

Here’s your cut-out-and-keep guide to a few of the major species. It’s not exhaustive, but it should prevent you having to refer to animals as ‘it’ all the time…

Four Ways to Photograph African Birds in Flight

Most people prefer wildlife action shots to portraits, and I’m no different. I also spend a lot of time on safari, so I end up taking quite a few pictures of African birds in flight. Even the most beautiful bird looks better on the wing than on a stick, so it’s worth the wait! Here are a few tips to help you get the best possible results—depending on the size of the bird.

Muchenje...again!

Elephants, leopards, wild dogs, roan and sable antelopes, lions attacking a baby elephant, boat rides, lovely people, another beef Wellington, but problems with my camera and not as many bee-eaters as I’d hoped. That was the story of my second trip to Muchenje Safari Lodge in Botswana—this time in the dry season.

Bulk Editing in Lightroom

Wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein thinks I take too many pictures, and he’s probably right. I once took over 38,000 shots of seabirds on a cruise ship one afternoon in Antarctica! Personally, I blame my Sony a1’s high frame rate—I mean, what’s a poor photographer to do…?!

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.