J.W. Anderson in his studio © Nikon

Nikon and acclaimed British fashion designer J.W. Anderson have joined forces to create a luxury leather camera bag made for the Nikon 1 camera system. Taking inspiration from classic 1940s camera cases and Jonathan’s signature androgynous style, the unisex bag has space for the camera plus more than one of the system’s interchangeable lenses. We spoke with the designer about his partnership with Nikon.

For more information on the JW Anderson limited edition bag for Nikon 1, go to the Nikon store.

Tell us about the bag you have designed for the Nikon 1.

I wanted to make a bag that was hugely functional and looks good. Yes, it needs to house the camera safely but it also needs to be something you want to wear – a bag that can really dress an outfit. So we are looking at something in high quality leather, a black and white version and with some block colouring. I love the finishes that Nikon have on the camera and wanted to reflect this in my design.

The J.W. Anderson bag for Nikon 1 © Nikon

What was the biggest challenge for you?

If you are designing a bag for something like a camera, it has to be as functional as the technology, but it also has to add something. For me that was the challenge, because ultimately the Nikon 1 has everything. But I think we have achieved it.

J.W. Anderson in his studio © Nikon

How do you use photography in your creative process?

A camera is part of my everyday life. We do fittings continuously, so have to record everything in incredible detail. I take thousands of pictures to enable me to recreate garments and designs from initial ideas. I have banks and banks of imagery and take pictures everywhere – whether it is a pair of shoes or something great I see that I can’t bring back to the studio with me. For me, photography is the best way to record and reflect back on something.

Is there a photograph that really inspires you?

One photo that I always find inspiring is a picture of my dad when he was captaining the Irish Rugby team against New Zealand in the early 1980s. He was the first player in history to challenge the Hakka. Pictures of your own life and family always hold sentimental value. They are more rare and more special as a result.

The J.W. Anderson bag for Nikon 1 © Nikon

Go to the Nikon store for more information on the J.W. Anderson limited edition bag for Nikon 1.

 D600, AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G, 1/1250 second, f/10, ISO 800, aperture priority, Matrix metering © Diane Berkenfeld

With warmer weather surely on the way, it will soon be a good time to get outside and share the sunshine with the little creatures that will be emerging. Why not make them the subject of your photography? There are more than one million known species of insects inhabiting our world, and many of these tiny creatures are right outside your door.

 D300S, AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G, 1/100 second, f/8, ISO 200, aperture priority, Matrix metering. © Lindsay Silverman

A few tips on shooting insects

• Insects are more mobile in warm weather, so photograph them in the early morning or evening when it is cooler, and they will be moving slower. The available light at those times of day will be more flattering too.

• Use a macro lens that will allow you to focus when you’re really up close. A macro lens (Nikon calls them Micro-NIKKOR lenses) will capture your subjects at near life size.

• Use a tripod and cable release to steady the camera, especially when you’re using a telephoto lens or long shutter speed. Some photographers will go the added step of locking up the mirror on their D-SLR prior to tripping the shutter. This further reduces the possibility of movement.

• Use a shallow depth of field to get your insect to stand out from the background. Low f/stops, like f/2.8 will give you a shallow depth of field, which pinpoints the focus on your subject, while the background goes out of focus.

• Position your camera so that your brightly lit subject is photographed against a dark background. Exposing for a well-lit subject, under full daylight or with a fill-flash, will cause a dark background to underexpose and approach black. This effect creates a dark, even background, making the subject stand out.

• If the subject and background are both brightly lit, the insect may be difficult to separate from its surroundings. Placing a household item like a piece of cloth or paper behind the subject can work as a portable studio backdrop, isolating the bug against a plain background and setting it apart from its surroundings.

• Keeping your close-up images simple can give you the most dramatic and beautiful results.

• Patience and persistence will pay off. Good luck!

Are there any tips you think are missing? Leave your suggestions in the comments box, we’d love to hear your ideas.

Have you ever uploaded a photo to one of your social media profiles and waited patiently for the likes, shares and comments to come flooding in, only to find that it’s not as popular as you thought it would be? Thanks to Nikon and some research we commissioned from the University of California, Berkeley, now you can take beautiful photographs that almost guarantee likes. Because it turns out that there’s a science to photos being popular on social media. And we’ve got the formula.

L + A + (I + H + C)

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CE (correct exposure) – B (blur)

According to the research from University of California, Berkeley, the science behind a good photo is a mixture of the right subject combined with excellent quality. The subject of the photograph is represented at the top of the equation, with the photographic features at the bottom of the equation. All of this combined creates the perfect ‘likeable’ Facebook photo.

Landscape + Animal + (Inspiration + Humour + Cute)

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CE (correct exposure) – B (blur)

Facebook photographers should consider including a landscape (L) or an animal subject (A) in their image, and should give equal thought to conveying something inspirational (I) – a sunset for example – something with humour (H) or something cute (C) in its setup. Meanwhile, capturing the light in the most true-to-life way, or in other words getting the correct exposure (CE) whilst minimising blur (B) is also crucial.

Image taken with COOLPIX S6500, 1/800 sec, f/6.2, ISO-125. © Nikon

Strong shots such as these, taken with the COOLPIX AW110, are perfect matches for ‘Formulike’ as the subjects are of the type most popular with the Facebook audience according to the study.

Image taken with COOLPIX S800c, 1/160 sec, f/3.5, ISO-125. © Nikon

Technical aspects are also important, with results showing that low-resolution or blurry pictures are less likely to get the thumbs up, and that a well-lit photo will always be better received than a dim or over-exposed image. Notably, the experiment also found that despite the popularity of creative filters altering colours or textures, these effects have little to no impact on the amount of likes given to an image.

Sometimes you’re lucky enough to take a picture so perfect you want to share it with your friend straight away, and with several of Nikon COOLPIX cameras you can. Models such as the COOLPIX S9500, the COOLPIX S6500 and the COOLPIX AW110 have built-in WiFi, allowing you to transfer your high-quality images and movies directly to your smart device* ready for uploading on to your favorite social media. You can also use your smart device as a remote control for the camera – handy for self-portraits.

If you love to take pictures to share on the go but don’t want to sacrifice the quality of an image, the COOLPIX S800c, with its built-in WiFi connectivity and the Android OS operating system, is the perfect choice to easily connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, upload photos and movies to social media and photo sites, or transfer images directly to your smartphone or tablet.

We’re sure you’ll be taking the most likeable pictures in no time – test them out by sharing them with our Facebook audience! *

Requires installation of the Nikon ‘Wireless Mobile Adaptor Utility’ application (iOS and Android™ compatible) on your smart device. Android, Google, Google Play, YouTube, and other marks are trademarks of Google Inc.

Contribution by Francesco Zizola

Francesco Zizola by Leo Carbotta

Many years ago, in 1989 (when I still used to shoot according to the requests and tastes of the magazines I worked for) I was taking a picture of a group of people in Pyongyang, North Korea. I had a Nikon FE, which mounted a 180mm/f2.8 lens, and I was using a Kodak film. I used that lens very often when on assignment for magazines, since the pictures I shot with it were very well received by newsrooms at the time.

The man who accompanied me, an officer of the government of Kim Il Sung, asked me to look through the viewfinder of my camera. Trusting there was no malice in that, I let him do as he pleased. To my great astonishment, the officer reacted very bluntly and ordered me to follow him to his office. After I was questioned by a number of his colleagues who all wanted to look into my camera, the officer asked me if I was going to shoot again with that lens and if I had any wide-angle lens with me. In a kind but straightforward way, he informed me that his office would forbid me to shoot again with a zoom. If I insisted, they would expel me from the country.

“We will not tolerate a vision of our country that puts a distinct individual at its centre. Our people must be seen collectively. We all move together under the guidance of our great leader,” he told me.

From that moment onwards, I used a 28mm, a lens that I was not overly familiar with at the time. Take after take, I learned to appreciate the possibilities that the wide-angle offered. As the tight control of the officer eased a bit, I realised that the 28mm was an ideal lens, since it enabled me to get closer to my subjects and to photograph them from a close distance. This approach meant establishing new and complex relationships with people and environments, something impossible in the superficial and flat images that I used to take with the zoom.

Sao Paulo, Brazil 1993. Six year old child on the Rua das lacrimas in the Heliopolis favela © Francesco Zizola | NOOR

I have used many cameras over the years. Back in the analogue days, I used Nikon F, F2, FE and FM. These days, now the file quality for digital is good enough to resemble the quality of 35mm films, I use the D700 and D800, which also have great exposure latitude.

As for lenses, 98% of my pictures are shot with a 28mm. I usually take with me two 28mm (f2.8 and f1.8), a fantastic 35mm/f1.4 and a 85mm/f1.4 for portraiture. I have also started to use this same gear for my underwater pictures!

This story has been adapted from an article in Days Japan.

After revealing the first two of our photography trends in 2013; 360° Panoramic Photography and Monochrome photography we’re going to take a closer look at our third trend….High-Speed photography.

To tell us more, we sat down with prize winning Nikon ambassador Morten Rygaard, an expert at high-speed photography. Morten has travelled the world taking stunning portraits of stars like 50 Cent, Justin Bieber and Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as concert photography such as U2, The Rolling Stones and Madonna.

Rygaard knows that anything can happen in a blink of an eye. Being able to freeze a moment and take an extraordinary photo at the same time is becoming even easier with the camera technology available today, which is why he expects big things for this type of “magical” photography in the future.

Image © Morten Rygaard taken with a Nikon D4 at focal length 62mm, ISO 100, aperture f/5, exposure time 1/125 sec

Can you tell us more about what makes high-speed photography so interesting?

High-speed photography is an intriguing way to capture images that the human eye would not normally see because it is moving too quickly for us. With high-speed photography you can capture the point of impact or explosion and freeze movements in time that are happening tremendously fast. In the past, it was most commonly used in physics, health research and sports, but it is starting to open up many more new and exciting  possibilities for creative expression.

Image © Morten Rygaard taken with a Nikon D4 at focal length 48mm, ISO 3200, aperture f/9, exposure time 1/250 sec

Why will we see more of it in 2013?

High-speed photography opens a door to aspects of our lives not normally visible to the human eye. What does it really look like at the exact moment a rain drop meets a surface, when water is poured into a glass or an egg hits the floor? Photography enthusiasts are starting to see that with a few simple tricks everyone can now find out for themselves – they can freeze reality.

Image © Morten Rygaard taken with a Nikon D4 at focal length 31mm, ISO 4000, aperture f/3.5, exposure time 1/250 sec

Morten’s top tips for creating high-impact, high-speed photography:

Flash is key – The flash is integral to freezing the motion, which is the essence of high-speed photography. The flash should stay lit between 1/800th and 1/2000th of a second, to create the desired effect.

Place your camera and flashes on tripods – This will make the whole process easier, especially if you experiment with using numerous flashes at the same time. Try taking your shot in a completely dark room too – you will create some beautiful images if you only expose the subject to the flash output.

Control the length of the flash rather than the shutter speed – Choose the flash manual program and adjust the power to 1/128 of the maximum output to achieve an extremely short flash of light down to the second 1/38.500. It sounds very technical, but is actually very easy to work with.

Use a sound trigger – If you are in total darkness, this box will trigger the flash at the same moment that it detects a sound. The sound sensors can be used to help capture events just milliseconds after they happen.

Remember there is no one ideal method – The photography methods range from using ultra short time flash exposures to producing lots of exposures in a split second. It depends on the subject being photographed, so be experimental.

What would you like to capture in high-speed photography? Which of our three trends was your favourite? What other photography trends do you think we’ll see in 2013? We’d love to hear your thoughts be commenting below!

Following our last blog on 360° Panoramic Photography – the first of the three photography trends we’re predicting in 2013, we’re excited to be revealing our next trend: Monochrome photography.

To talk us through this trend in more detail we caught up with Jeremy Walker, an award winning British photographer, specialising in high quality landscape and location photography from around the world.

Through his work he is exposed to a variety of photo trends, but with recent photography fashion relying on the application of filters and effects he believes we will respond by taking a back to basics approach – producing beautiful, classic and elegant black and white photography.

Can you talk us through what Monochrome photography is?

Black and white images take us back to where photography began. Creating monochrome images is photography in its simplest, raw form. They are uncluttered from the distractions of colour, focusing purely on the photo’s tone, texture, shape, drama, mood and crucially on its visual impact.

Image © Jeremy Walker taken with a Nikon D3X at focal length 35mm, ISO 100, aperture f/8, exposure time 30sec

Why will we see more of it in 2013?

We live in a world of colour, widescreen televisions, iPads and smartphones – we are bombarded with bright images from every angle, every day. Black and white photography is the antidote to the modern world. It is imaging at its creative best that will stand out from the crowd. When done right, it can be visionary, a novelty. It is still considered to be cool and it is definitely art.

Monochrome images suit a broad spectrum of subject matter, from people and architecture to travel and landscapes. They work well in all lighting conditions and ‘poor’ light can become moody and dramatic – a photographer’s best friend.

Above all black and white imagery has simplicity and depth – qualities that in a colour world will stand out from the crowd and have impact.

Image © Jeremy Walker taken with a Nikon D200 at 200 ISO with NIKKOR 70-200mm at focal length 200mm, shutter speed 1/250 secs, aperture f/2.8, hand held with vibration reduction on

Can you share with us any tips for getting the most out of beautiful black and white photography?

Give your image depth – Due to the lack of colour to lead the eye, look for foreground interest, middle distance subject matter and then ideally something in the background when framing your shot. If you choose to isolate one element instead, place it a third of the way into the frame – this is known as the ‘Rule of Thirds’, a technique photographers have been using successfully for years.

Consider all angles and viewpoints – Search for the quirky and different, avoid following the crowd. The lack of colour forces the viewer to concentrate much more on the composition, so be creative. The Nikon D5200’s vari-angle LCD monitor helps you take images from virtually any position.

Observe the natural direction of the light – Monitor how it changes during the day and with varying weather conditions. Identifying strong shadows, tones, textures and shapes will be integral to the monochrome image. Artificial light sources such as street lamps and torches can be useful as you will not have to worry about creating unwanted colour casts.

Experiment with different shutter speeds – Slower shutter speeds will introduce blur, motion and a new dynamic to an image. By mounting your camera on a tripod you can use slow shutter speeds of seconds or even minutes to produce ghostly, ethereal black and white images. This works at its best when one part of the subject moves during the exposure and goes blurry (such as waves) and one element is stationary and will remain sharp (cliffs and rocks) – a perfect technique for coastal scenes, rivers and waterfalls.

Try moving the camera during the exposure – Usually known as panning, choose a moving subject, such as a person running, a car or a train, point the camera at your subject and move in the same direction of travel. If you use a moderately slow shutter speed (such as a 15^th of a second) your subject will be sharp but the background blurred, giving a sense of motion and direction. However, you will need to experiment with different speeds before you find the ideal setting.

If you’re inspired by Jeremy’s tips, will you be giving black and white photograph a try? Let us if there’s any tips you’d like to share with fans by commenting below!