photography guide nikon school

Photography Guide

Portraits

Night portrait

Landscapes

Night landscape

Flowing water

Freezing action

Wildlife & pets

Photography Guide

Shooting Portraits

Which Mode P or A are the best modes

What settings f/4 or f/5.6

What lens settings Higher end of the zoom ( e.g. 55mm if you are using 18 -55, or 105mm if you are using 18 – 105mm)

Tripod required Yes, if light is low, and camera selects shutter speed slower than 1/60 s

Best lens 50mm f/1.8 , 50mm f/1.4 , 85mm f/2.8 micro

Tips for great portraits :

• Keep background as far away from your subject as possible.

• Your background colour and shade should be as different as possible from your subject’s hair and clothing colour.

Photography Guide

Shooting Portraits

Photography Guide

Shooting Night Portraits

Which Mode P or S are the best modes

What settings f/4 or f/5.6 , or widest aperture available Slow shutter speeds like 1/30, 1/15 or slower may be required, Slow sync flash mode if flash is also used

What lens settings Higher end of the zoom ( e.g. 55mm if you are using 18 -55, or 105mm if you are using 18 – 105mm)

Tripod required Yes , if not available us e a stable surface

Best lens 50mm f/1.8 , 50mm f/1.4 , 85mm f/2.8 micro

Tips for great night portraits :

• Keep background as far away from your subject as possible.

• Asking the subject to pose and stay still will ensure image is not blurred due to slow shutter speed

Photography Guide

Shooting Night Portraits

Without flash

With slow sync flash

Low light shooting – keeping camera steady

Photography Guide

Shooting Landscapes

Which Mode ? P or A are the best modes

What settings ? f/11 or f/16

What lens settings ? Wider end of the zoom ( e.g. 18mm if you are using 18 -55, or 18 – 105mm) OR as per your composition

Tripod required ? Yes, if light is low, and camera selects shutter speed slower than 1/60 s

Best lens ? 10-24mm , 20mm , 18-300

Tips for great landscapes :

•Try to include foreground elements to guide the eyes through the frame •Under-expose your shots by 1 – 2 stops to get darker skies and correct textures

Photography Guide

Shooting Landscapes

Photography Guide

Shooting Night Landscapes

Which Mode ? P or A are the best modes

What settings ? f/8 or f/11

What lens settings ? Wider end of the zoom ( e.g. 18mm if you are using 18 -55, or 18 – 105mm) OR as per your composition

Tripod required ? Absolutely

Best lenses ? 28 f/1.8, 10-24, 24 f/1.4

Tips for great night landscapes :

• You may have to focus manually. Adjust focus while looking at a tree or a building in the landscape. Adjust till you get a sharp silhouette of this feature

Photography Guide

Shooting Night Landscapes

Photography Guide

Freezing actions

Which Mode ? S or M

What settings ? 250, 500, 1000

What lens settings ? Depends on composition and framing

Recommended lens ? Lens with wide aperture like f/2.8 or wider

ISO To support fast shutter speeds, higher ISOs like 800 or 1600 may be required

Tips for great action shots :

• Use continuous servo focus AF-C and continuous shooting mode

• set a manual pre-focus at the spot where you expect the action to occur

Photography Guide

Freezing action

Photography Guide

Shooting flowing water

Which Mode ? S or M

What settings ? 1” (to show flow) and faster to show drops

What lens settings ? Depends on composition and framing

Tripod required ? Absolutely

Tips for great waterfall shots :

• Try to include the surrounding foliage to compliment the beauty of the waterfall

• A slightly low angle will make the shot look dramatic

Photography Guide

Shooting flowing water

Photography Guide

Shooting wildlife and pets

Which Mode ? P or S

What settings ? 125 or faster , for posing pets use wide aperture like f/4 or f/2.8

What lens settings ? Preferably 200mm or higher

Metering ? Matrix or center weighted

Tips for great wildlife shots :

• Try to camp or wait instead of looking for animals. Let them come to you

• Doing some research on the wildlife of the region is very helpful

Photography Guide

Shooting wildlife and pets