Welcome to issue 150

Our Lightbox gallery showcases the best travel images

This issue’s special contributors…

N-Photo

N-Photo APPRENTICE

THE PRO NAME: April Alexander CAMERA: Nikon Z

Camera couture

Our apprentice learns trendy tips from Nikon Europe Creator and portrait pro April Alexander

PRO PORTFOLIO APRIL ALEXANDER

ANTONIA AND HUO This image was featured in

LIGHTBOX

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Incredible landscapes!

Wherever you’re based, there’s a wealth of wonderful scenic locations to shoot. Nigel Forster takes us through the challenges

Mountainscapes

Wrap up warm to explore mountain landscapes whatever the weather, and be prepared to shoot stunning images at a moment’s notice with ever-changing skies

Coastal Landscapes

Enjoy wide-open views, big unobscured skies, great sunrises and sunsets, and fascinating details in your coastal photography, complete with streaky beaches and milky seas

Rural Scenes

A rural landscape offers surprisingly diverse photographic opportunities, including fields of patterns and texture, colourful seasonal crops and open spaces, but can raise challenges

Woodland & Waterfalls

Woods and waterfalls are a classic landscape double-act, and present the photographer with similar challenges, demanding careful management of light and shade

Lakes and Inland Water

Mirror-like reflections, morning mist, wildlife and seasonal colour – what more could you want? Throw in a gentle breeze for that extra ripple and it all comes to life…

Low tide reveal

Photographing coastlines at low tide offers a unique perspective with opportunities for capturing marine life, textures and patterns

Spring awakening

It’s that time of year, when Edyta Rice springs into action and captures vibrant floral landscapes

How to capture spring landscapes

1 Flower power Flowers are a great compositional

Glow the extra mile

Mike Harris captures sci-fi portraits and uses Adobe CC to boost futuristic lighting

Star tors

Josh Dury spins a tall trail to help you create celestial spirals in no time at all

Make your portraits glow

Create stunning shape and glowing effects with simple Affinity Photo skills courtesy of James Paterson

Top of the crops

James Paterson explores the powerful features that lurk within the invaluable Crop tool

Kick-ass sports shots

James Paterson combines long exposures with flash for an eyecatching slow-speed sync effect

Slow sync setup

LEARN HOW TO CAPTURE SHARP AND BLURRED ACTION WITH A COMBINATION OF CONSTANT AND FLASH LIGHTING

Bring down the curtain

1 The first curtain The default for flashes

Boost the blur

ENHANCE YOUR SLOW SYNC PHOTOS IN LIGHTROOM AND PHOTOSHOP WITH THESE SIMPLE EDITING TIPS

Take it further with panning blur

USE CAMERA MOVEMENTS WHILE SHUTTER DRAGGING TO CREATE AMAZING BLUR EFFECTS

Richard Shucksmith

Shetland is one of the wildest of the BBC’s Wild Isles, and Richard Shucksmith was the photographer who got the call to help with the shoot. So how does he film orcas hunting seals or gannets diving for fish, when he’s not hiding camera traps from Historic Scotland? Keith Wilson finds out...

Couples’ retreat

US-based Philippines-born photographer Abby Marasigan explains how she helps couples share their lifetime adventures

In-camera processing

From adjusting colour to converting Raw files, you can do a lot in-camera…

In-camera effects

Here are seven different ways to process the same NEF file in-camera

How to retouch a picture

Your camera can apply many interesting digital effects to your pictures after you’ve shot them

Exposure effects

Shortcuts to superior pictures or an unnecessary distraction?

How many in-camera edit options do I have?

It depends on what Nikon model you’ve got…

A portable darkroom!

Brilliant black-and-white shots in-camera

Discover Filter Forge 9 Professional

Find out how to apply effects in an instant using this month’s terrific free software download

Filter Forge 9 Professional

Download and register your FREE software by 11 July 2023

FILTER FORGE 9 EXPLORE THE INTERFACE

1 Textures You might not use Textures too

Ask Matthew...

Our resident Nikon expert Matthew Richards answers your questions and solves your problems. If you have a Nikon-related question, email it to mail@nphotomag.com

Secondhand superstar

Q I want to upgrade to a fullframe

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2023

The search for the world’s best Nikon photographer of 2023 continues! Each issue the monthly N-Photo POTY 2023 photo contest’s top 10 images are selected by the N-Photo team. This issue’s competition has the theme of flowers and plants…

WIN! A Nikon Z9

The overall winner of N-Photo’s Photographer of the Year 2023 will receive the grand prize of a Nikon Z 9!

Readers’ letters

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the mag and all things photographic! You can write to us, message us or share your images in the following ways: mail@nphotomag.com twitter.com/nphotomag facebook.com/nphotomag instagram.com/nphotomag

The best from our companion website

www.DigitalCameraWorld.com Image: Dave Hogan/Getty Images 1. Tamron

The Motor City

Paramedic Leslie Cieplechowicz wanders the streets of Detroit – on and off the job – in a bid to capture the Motor City in a new light

New gear

Here’s what caught our eye this month

Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8

£529/$499 www.nikon.co.uk

Get closer

Ready for your close-up? Fit a macro lens to your Nikon camera and you will reveal levels of detail invisible to the naked eye

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro

£359/$569 Sigma’s veteran macro lens is competitively priced

How we test

Real-world shooting is combined with our lab tests

Tokina atx-i 100mm f/2.8 FF Macro

£424/$429 Tokina brings its 17-year-old 100mm macro lens

Distortion

Levels of distortion are generally minimal Macro lenses

Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1

£449/$495 A high-quality manual-focus macro with builtin electronics

The X factor

Not all macro lenses are equal Most of

Nikon AF-S DX 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Micro

£459/$557 Nikon’s bigger and better DX format Micro,

Depth of field

Margins are tight with macro magnification…and a matchbox

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Ultra Macro APO

£519/$499 This Laowa lens doubles the usual maximum

Colour fringing

There’s not much to see here Levels of

Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO

£569/$499 Newer than the Laowa 100mm 2.0x macro

Shift your focus

Stretch your depth of field With such a

Nikon Z MC 50mm f/2.8

£679/$647 Nikon’s smaller, cheaper Z-mount macro arguably works

A secondhand gem for DSLRs

The Tamron 90mm is gone but not forgotten

Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S

£1049/$1047 Of all of the macro lenses on

The DX amplifies

Crop factor boost magnification The 1.5x crop factor

The winner is… Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S

Nikon’s Z-mount 105mm comes out on top I

Nikon cameras

The current range of Nikon DSLR, Coolpix & Z-series mirrorless cameras

Nikon-fit lenses

Your at-a-glance guide to the current crop of Nikon-fit lenses

The AIs have it

The SWPA is the latest comp to run into AI-related controversy, and Mike Harris reckons it’s time to draw a line in the sand