Okay, so you鈥檝e been dabbling in outdoor photography. Maybe some of your shots are great, but some can be saved only with Photoshop? We鈥檙e here to help. The two easiest ways to step up your game are to (1) upgrade your camera and (2) heed聽the advice of the pros. With that in mind, we rang up two well-known outdoor photographers and Nikon Ambassadors, Kristi Odom and Lucas Gilman. Both have been using Nikon鈥檚 new 聽camera, the company鈥檚 first full-frame, mirrorless camera, and both had the same advice: you actually do have to sweat the small stuff.
1. Body Language Is Key
聽has made a name for herself by shooting nature and travel photos that are unlike anything you鈥檝e ever seen. Her secret? She鈥檚 not just watching for a clear, in-focus frame; she鈥檚 also attuned to the smallest details, including the body language of her subject, whether it鈥檚 a climber nervously contemplating her next move or a tiny insect about to take flight. 鈥淎 high percentage of how we communicate is through body language, and animals are the same way,鈥 she says. Viewers of photos react subconsciously鈥攁nd make snap judgements鈥攖o certain types of expression. 鈥淏eing able to understand body language helps me understand and connect with both people and nature.鈥
2. Travel Light
Many think more gear = more prepared = better photos. In fact, Odom says, gear can easily become a distraction, because you become more worried聽about organizing all your stuff than about what鈥檚 happening in front of your face. To keep her setup simple, she鈥檚 been relying on Nikon鈥檚 new Z 7 mirrorless camera. It鈥檚 small and light but still has a giant 45.7-megapixel, full-frame sensor and pro features like the ability to shoot nine frames per second. With this camera, she鈥檚 nimble enough to chase athletes or stalk animals, and she鈥檚 never distracted. 鈥淲hen things are simplified, your chances of capturing a real and meaningful moment drastically increase,鈥 she says.
3.聽Become an Expert in What You鈥檙e Photographing
Early in his career, 聽shot what he thought were a series of badass ski photos. But they weren鈥檛 great, a ski magazine photo editor told him, because the skier鈥檚 form was bad. Gilman vowed to never make that same mistake. He learned everything he could about extreme skiing, became a better skier himself, and started working with pro skiers who knew how to ski for the camera. This need for expertise has carried over and now informs every photo he shoots, whether it鈥檚 skiing, surfing, kayaking, or landscapes. 鈥淚 learned that nuance can really make or break an image,鈥 he says. 鈥淪o I pay attention to every little detail.鈥
4. Embrace the Blue Hour
Most photographers know that outdoor light is most dramatic just after sunrise and just before sunset. But if you know what you鈥檙e doing and have a camera like the Z 7, you can also capture stunning photos right before sunrise or just after sunset鈥攄uring what photographers refer to as the blue hour. The sky is much darker then, but it鈥檚 also more dramatic. Getting crisp shots in such low light requires a camera like the Z 7 that has in-camera vibration reduction (VR) and a giant dynamic range that can absorb fine details in the shadows while not overexposing the highlights.聽 鈥淚 love being able to capture sharp, accurate moments in a variety of situations and not having to worry about whether my camera can handle the light,鈥 Gilman says.
5. Watch for Emotion
Odom says a photo goes from good to great when she鈥檚 able to capture emotion. To nail it, she says, it鈥檚 crucial to be in the right spot鈥攁nd then wait. Whether you’re waiting for the聽right body language, emotional expression, or tension in the scene to elevate the photo, you’ll know it when you see it. To photograph the climber pictured above, she had to be on the rock with her Z 7 and the 聽in order to get the climber and his hand in the same photo. To capture insect shots, she shoots with her Z 7 plus a , which allows her to tap into Nikon鈥檚 giant assortment of 聽lenses, including its聽ultra-fast and sharp macros.
6.聽Get to Know Your Gear
Both Odom and Gilman say that, even with the easy-to-use Z 7, they still practice a lot so that the controls become second nature. It took Gilman some time to adapt to the Z 7鈥檚 electronic viewfinder, but he now loves that it shows him exactly what his photo exposure will look like even before he presses the shutter. 鈥淧racticing with the viewfinder has allowed me to not worry about the controls and just concentrate on the action,鈥 he says. Odom says autofocus鈥攚here she can dial in her focus on a tiny piece of her subject鈥攖ook a little getting used to but has drastically increased her ability to get crisp shots of insects. 鈥淚 can truly home in on the smallest detail, and sometimes it鈥檚 the smallest details that count!鈥 she says.
‘s vision has always been to create cameras and lenses that capture more light. More light means more detail. More speed. More possibilities. The 聽brings that vision to life (and then some). Combining the advantages of a lightweight mirrorless design, a revolutionary new full-frame Z Mount and matched Z聽NIKKOR lenses, a 45.7MP image sensor, and compatibility with more than 90 F-Mount聽NIKKOR lenses, the Z 7 is a camera unlike any before it. And yet, it鈥檚 unmistakably Nikon. This is mirrorless reinvented.