This issue’s special contributors…

Paul David Smith PAGE 6 From deep-sea divers

Welcome to issue 155

Capture your best-ever autumn images with landscape pro

A game of tones

Our apprentice meets a vintage diver and channels the House of the Dragon with pro Paul David Smith

FANTASY PORTRAITS

PRO PORTFOLIO

LIGHTBOX

INTERNATIONAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Autumn landscapes

Mark Bauer gives some expert advice to help you capture the vibrant colours of the landscape during the most photogenic season of the year

The perfect gift

My 30th birthday marks more than a decade as a pro – and all I want is a cracking moment with nature at a stunning location holding my camera

Take-off sequence

Nigel A Ball uses Pre-Release Capture mode and fast burst speeds to shoot butterflies on the wing

Capture a butterfly flight sequence

1 Know your subject Take the time to

Flutter speed

Mike Harris shows you how to capture beautiful butterfly close-ups without a tripod

Full of hot air

Mike Harris photographs Bristol Balloon Fiesta from Clifton Observatory so he can frame the city’s famed suspension bridge

Clone in a crowd

Make multiple clones and master essential layer masking skills in Affinity Photo with James Paterson

Heal the noise

Find out from James Paterson which are the best noise reduction tools in Photoshop

HDR versus Luminosity Masking

Exposure blending techniques can transform your landscapes but which is the better choice? James Paterson takes a look

Best practice for bracketing

HOW MANY FRAMES, HOW MANY STOPS AND WHICH EXPOSURE MODE SHOULD YOU USE?

Blending exposures

1 Try an HDR Highlight the set of

Top tips for enhancing sunsets

TRY THESE SIMPLE EDITING TRICKS TO BOOST THOSE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET TONES

The problem with HDR

TERRIBLE PRESETS AND HAVE GIVEN HDR A BAD NAME, BUT AS A TOOL IT CAN BE HUGELY USEFUL

Kim Grant

Scottish landscape photographer Kim Grant prefers chasing more intricate – even abstract – images and tells Keith Wilson why she eschews the large, wide views of well-known locations

Bangladesh or bust

Photographer Rupert Grey took an off-the beaten-track trip to Bangladesh armed with Nikon FM2s and fell in love with the country

Autofocus explained

We’re going to tell you everything you need to know about your Nikon’s autofocus system, from how it works to how to use it…

AF focus point options

Nikon DSLRs offer a variety of AF point selection modes. Here’s how they work on a D7500…

Autofocus activation options

Three ways to activate and control your Nikon’s autofocus system

How phase detection AF works

Unlike other types of digital camera, DSLRs use separate ‘phase-detection’ AF sensors

Hybrid autofocus The best of both worlds

Nikon’s mirrorless Z-series cameras combine the image sensor and AF module in one unit

Focus modes explained

What happens when you half-press the shutter button?

AF fine-tune explained

Phase-detection autofocus uses a separate sensor, so precise alignment can be crucial

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 bought my Nikon Z fc with

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 sports photography…

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

Quack shot

A rain-soaked Robert May proves you don’t have to head out searching for elusive birds of prey to capture stunning shots of birds in flight

GearZone

New gear, buying advice and the world’s toughest tests

New gear

Here’s what caught our eye this month

Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8

£1299/$1249 www.nikon.co.uk

Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0

From £TBA/$179.99 www.lumecube.com

Lume Cube RGB Tube Light Mini

From £TBA/$149.99 www.lumecube.com

Go mirrorless!

Nikon’s epic range of Z-system cameras has something for everyone, but which one is the best for you and your budget? We’re here to help...

The winner is… Nikon Z 6II

The Z 6II wins for stellar performance and superb value

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

Gone fishin’

A visit to Slimbridge begins with a disaster and ends in defeat, but Mike Harris reckons any day out with your Nikon is a good one