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 heading above any post for specific categories, such as Equipment, Trips or Hints and Tips.
If you’d like to write a guest post, please drop me a line on +44 7942 800921 or at nick@nickdalephotography.com.
(Please note that some posts contain affiliate links from which I can earn a small commission.)
The Birds
When people ask me if I photograph birds, I say, “Yes, of course—if there aren’t any animals around…!” Having said that, I almost always see more birds than animals on my trips, and they’re almost always more active and more colourful. In fact, they account for 27 of my Top 100 photos.
Birds, Dogs and Pukus
After Bilimungwe, I visited Kapamba in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, from 29 July to 1 August. According to the website, it was supposed to be ‘A remote and romantic camp situated in a prime location on the Kapamba River, and one of only two Bushcamps to be open from April to January’.
Getting Started on Bird Photography: 10 Essential Tips
Bird photography is a uniquely accessible pastime, particularly in the age of affordable high-performance cameras. However, it can be much more involved compared to other photography-related hobbies because of the technical know-how and personal discipline needed to capture human-shy bird species.
How to Photograph Birds Fishing from a Perch
We’ve all seen dramatic images of a kingfisher or bird of prey grabbing a fish while flying across a river or lake, but how do you get those shots? Bird in flight photography is hard enough without having to worry about the fish, too!
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!
How to Photograph Birds Fishing from the Hover
Normally, I like to post a ‘successful’ picture to illustrate these hints and tips posts, but I can’t today because I failed miserably! I was trying to photograph a common tern diving for fish, but I just couldn’t get a good shot of the moment when it hit the water.
Collective Nouns Quiz
I know this doesn’t have much to do with photography, but I thought I’d do a quiz on collective nouns for the animals I’ve seen around the world.
It’s fun to find out the proper names (particularly for safari animals), and it can be a good way of passing the time on a game drive while you’re waiting for a couple of lions to wake up…!
How I Photograph Birds
When people ask me if I take pictures of birds, I say, “Yes, I do – if there aren’t any animals around…!” I’m only joking (mostly!), but it’s true that there are a lot of birders out there, and getting good shots of birds – particularly birds in flight (BIF) – is not that easy. So where should you begin?
Every Picture Tells a Story: Fly Bee
I’m a wildlife photographer, and this is one in an occasional series of posts about my favourite photographs. I’ll tell you how I took them and break down the shot into the idea, the location, the equipment, the settings, the technique and any post-processing.
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’.
Safari Bingo: Birds
Confused by all the species of birds you're seeing on safari in Africa? Here's your cut-out-and-keep guide to the most common ones. Shout 'Bingo!' when you've crossed them all off...but not too loudly!
Every Picture Tells a Story: Close-up of Golden Eagle Head with Catchlight
I’m a photographer (among other things), and this is the first of a series of posts about my favourite photographs. I’ll tell you how I took them and break down the shot into the idea, the location, the equipment, the settings, the technique and any post-processing.