Blog
Since 2013, I’ve published hundreds of blog posts on all aspects of photography. Some are aimed at helping photographers with camera gear, settings and technique while others describe my workshops, exhibitions 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, I charge £50 + £10 per dofollow link. 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.)
How to Teach Wildlife Photography
Being a wildlife photographer doesn’t pay much, so most of us have to turn our hands to any related activities that might pay the bills! One of those is teaching. There are many ways to teach wildlife photography, including blogs, books, talks, workshops, private lessons and safaris. Let’s have a look at each in turn, followed by a few hints and tips…
How to Upscale Low-Resolution Wildlife Photos with AI
Every wildlife photographer has a shot like this one sitting somewhere on a hard drive: a leopard whose face fills maybe a fifth of the frame, because the cat never came closer than eighty metres, and by the time you've cropped in tight at the editing stage, what's left is a grainy sliver of the file you started with. The old fix was to accept the loss, or pay someone to rebuild the missing detail by hand, which took time nobody really had.
Why Fewer Locations Can Make a Stronger Highland Photography Portfolio
Most photographers, when going to the Scottish Highlands, naturally make themselves a long list of famous places to capture. That may include Glencoe at sunrise, Glenfinnan after a quick lunch and the Isle of Skye as the final destination at sunset. Now all of these destinations surely sound exciting from a tourist standpoint, but in practice it becomes a constant race against time.
Photography Slideshow Mistakes That Distract From Strong Images
You can spot a bad crop in a print. On a slide, you may have only four seconds to notice it before the next photograph arrives. That makes a slideshow surprisingly easy to get wrong—even when the individual pictures are excellent.
How to Photograph Interiors: 10 Tips for Better Interior Photos
Interior photos may look easy because the room stays still. Yet small faults can spoil a good shot. Walls may lean, windows may turn white and dark areas may lose detail. A very wide lens may also make the room look false.
A Photographer's Guide to the Himalayas
The Himalayas stretch for around 2,400 kilometres across five countries, from the Karakoram in Pakistan through India, Nepal and Bhutan to the eastern ranges of Tibet. For photographers, they offer a combination of conditions found almost nowhere else on Earth: extreme altitude, exceptionally clear air, violent contrast, deep cold and subjects ranging from 8,000-metre peaks to some of the most photogenic mountain cultures anywhere.
Photography Portfolio, Website Builder or Instagram: Which do you Actually Need?
A set of photographs can be published in several ways. It can become the central feature of a website, a group of posts on a social account or a series of galleries in a dedicated portfolio. The photographs may be identical, but the viewing experience will not be.
Paris Proposal Photographer: Why Night Sessions Beat Sunset Every Time
The image of a golden sunset behind the Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most enduring cliché of the French capital. For many people planning a life-changing moment with their partner, the "Golden Hour" seems like the ultimate requirement. However, seasoned experts in the field suggest a different reality. Choosing a specialised Paris proposal photographer often reveals that the city's true romantic potential awakens only after the sun has vanished.
Best Scenic Drives Near Dubai for Landscape Photography
Dubai's skyline is among the most photographed metropolitan landscapes in the world. Any photographer who spends time here soon arrives at the same conclusion: the desert, the mountains and the coastline outside the city are just as interesting and far less crowded.
What to Do If Your Camera Says "Card Needs to Be Formatted"
You've just switched on your camera when, out of nowhere, a message pops up: "SD card needs to be formatted". Now you're stuck with the question: Why does my SD card need to be formatted? Especially if there are photos on the card that you simply can't lose. Don’t worry. You’re in good hands – we’re here to help you.
My Favourite Places: Brooks Falls
I first heard about Brooks Falls just after I left university. I was visiting my best friend in London, but his mother told me he wasn’t home, so I had to make polite conversation while I waited. I asked her if she’d been anywhere nice on holiday, and she said, “Well, I’ve actually just come back from watching bears catch salmon in Alaska…”
My Top 10 Blog Posts
My website runs on the Squarespace platform, which conveniently provides me with an Analytics page that tells me all my traffic stats. If you’re interested in reading about photography but don’t fancy trawling through every single one of my blog posts, here’s a list of my most popular articles…
Travel Photography Mistakes to Avoid When Exploring Remote Areas
Every great travel photo begins before the shutter clicks. It starts in the way you read a place, in the patience you carry into unfamiliar streets, and in the small decisions that most photographers rush right past.
Fine Art Photography: Portraits, Travel and Visual Storytelling
It’s not just a pretty picture. Fine art photography expresses an artist’s vision, not merely a record of reality. Think of it as painting with light, but your canvas is a sensor. Every click carries intention, emotion, and a story waiting to be told.
The Mindset Shift That Separates Amateur Wildlife Photographers from Consistent Ones
Most amateur wildlife photographers believe the gap between themselves and the consistently excellent ones comes down to gear, luck or access to rare animals. The camera body, the lens reach and the safari vehicle with the best positioning — these feel like the decisive variables when starting out.
How to Denoise Images: Four Pro Methods to Save High ISO Photos
You want to set up the ideal wildlife image, but you have little time to make adjustments because of the low light and quick movement. To get the shot, it's a good idea to increase your ISO. Grain, loss of fine detail and colour speckles are what you see when you examine the picture later.
Why Photographic Evidence Is Crucial In Personal Injury Cases In Columbia
Getting into an accident near the South Carolina State House or along the busy lanes of Harbison Boulevard can turn a normal afternoon into a confusing situation. While physical healing is the main priority, protecting your legal rights in South Carolina starts with documenting exactly what happened.
Capturing the Decisive Moment: How Wedding Photographers Train Their Eye for Unrepeatable Shots
There is a photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson of a man leaping over a puddle behind the Gare Saint-Lazare. The man is suspended mid-air, his reflection caught perfectly in the water below. Cartier-Bresson did not ask him to jump again. He did not adjust his settings and wait for the next person. He saw the moment forming, raised his camera, and pressed the shutter at precisely the right instant. He called this le moment décisif — the decisive moment.
Hurry up and Wait!
How long do you think you could go without all the things that are most important to you? I’ve just come back from three weeks at Paatli Fort Estate Resort in the far north of India, where there was no Western food, no pretty girls, and I had to wait 10 days for a photography permit. In the end, I only saw two tigers for about 10 seconds—and I didn’t even manage to take any decent photos!
Top 5 Aspects of Photography Every Student Should Master
Most people who pick up a camera for the first time assume the hard part is choosing the right equipment. It is not. The hard part is unlearning the impulse to point and shoot without thinking, a habit smartphones have made almost universal. Photography, as a discipline, demands something different: deliberate attention. And for students stepping into it seriously, that shift in mindset is where everything begins.