Nikon skills

Core Photoshop skills and fresh creative ideas

Happy 100th birthday Nikon! Welcome to a very special edition of the big project this issue as Neil Freeman, from Nikon School, shows us how to get the best out of a three-light film-noir photo shoot.

What’s better than shooting on your old workhorse and getting great results? Playing with the new stuff, of course! And the Nikon School was the very place to come for all the latest Nikon gear: with three SB-5000 Speedlights, a D5 body and a snazzy Joe McNally-designed custom softbox, Neil pulled out all the stops to create a portrait that was both elegant and accessible.

We heard you gasp at that kit list, but don’t worry – it’s not an essential list, more of a dream team. In fact, you could easily shoot this with entry-level Nikon equipment.

As well as playing with all the latest kit, we’ve gone all creative by making our own light modifier in the shape of a ‘gobo’ to project and shape light, then went selective with our colour processing. Let’s raise our Nikons and toast to the past 100 years…