Photographer of the year 2022

3 min read

The search for the world’s best Nikon photographer of 2022 continues! Each issue the monthly N-Photo POTY 2021 photo contest’s top 10 images are selected by the N-Photo team. This issue’s competition has the theme of macro photography…

2

3

1. Rain Bonnets

BY TONYNORTH

This incredible fungi close-up is a blend of multiple exposures. A continuous LED panel was used to light the mushrooms from below, pulling them from the background. The image was sprayed with a mister to form the fine lashings of water and the scene was focus stacked to achieve front-to-back sharpness. The lighting, motion blur and subject combines to form this month’s deserved winner.

Camera: Nikon D500

Lens: 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: 1/160 sec, f/8, ISO1000

2. Millipede

BY GARYD03

Long and thin subjects are difficult to frame, but this photograph of a millipede has been cleverly balanced via the glassy reflection. You might assume that this tack-sharp subject was motionless, but the 1/250 sec shutter speed was necessary to freeze the moving critter. The arthropod is well lit, too, with the subtle glare highlighting the curvature of its cylindrical body.

Camera: Nikon D850

Lens: 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: 1/250 sec, f/16, ISO100

3. Peek-a-boo

BY JAZ72

We love the creative thinking on display here. This photograph of a ‘supposedly’ peeping mantis is just bursting with character, something that’s amplified by the Dutch tilt. The partially eaten leaf provides the scene with a strong narrative, while the hole in the vegetation also serves to draw the viewer’s gaze towards the subject by creating a makeshift frame within a frame.

Camera: Nikon D500

Lens: 150mm f/2.8

Exposure: 1/6 sec, f/13, ISO200

4

4. Zerynthia Cassandra Close-up

BY MICHELE MARINI

Part of the appeal of macro photography is getting to study subjects in a way that simply isn’t possible with the human eye. This image is a fine example of how tiny critters can be transformed into something incredible and unrecognizable when captured through the camera and lens. A whopping 68 focus-stacked shots were combined in post-production to form this butterfly close up, so that every single strand of hair is visible.

Camera: Nikon D750

Lens: 25mm f/2.8

Exposure: 1/15 sec, f/4, ISO100

5. Drop Shot

BY REGINA

This sci-fi-like macro abstract was inspired by the water droplet photography of YouTuber Lee Hall. A glue gun was used to create the thin transparent strands that house the water droplets and the purple-to-red gradient was formed by backlighting the subject with a cheap rotating coloured light.

Camera: Nikon Z 6

Lens: 105mm f/2.8

Exposure: 1/25 sec, f/10, ISO100

This article is from...

Related Articles

Related Articles