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About Ole Henrik Skjelstad

Ole Henrik Skjelstad is a Norwegian math teacher and landscape photographer who fell in love with photography after receiving his first camera as a birthday present in 2013. You can follow his work on 500px, IG and Flickr.

First hands on review with the NiSi close-up lens

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I was on thin ice again when I received the Nisi close-up Lens a few days ago. It meant that I had to immerse myself in macro photography, something which takes years of practice to master.

The close-up lens works as a magnifying glass that you can attach to a telelens. In practice, this means that you can get much closer to your subject and that you can shoot macro without having to invest in a more expensive dedicated macro lens.

In these corona times, macro photography is a great past time activity, and you can just walk into your garden to find interesting subjects and compositions.

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First impressions from Tamron’s affordable 70-180 F/2.8 lens

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I have been using the new Tamron 70-180 for almost a week now, and I have fallen in love with the lens. It took a few days of trial and error for me to feel confident with a long lens and autofocus, but it was worth the effort. I almost exclusively shoot landscape with a wide angle so this experience was like stepping into a new and foreign world.

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Here are the first real-world samples from the Tamron 70-180 f/2.8 Di III VXD

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A few days ago, we shared that Tamron is about to release a 70-180 f/2.8 Sony lens. I received a pre-production sample of the Tamron 70-180 a few days ago, and here are some real-world sample photos that are taken with this lens. All photos are shot with the Sony a7riii.

Even though this is a pre-production unit I am very impressed by its performance. The 70-180 is light, sharp and colors are nice. It’s actually trending as a top seller right now at B&H, and I can see why.

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How to shoot and stitch a Milky Way panorama in Lightroom

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In this article, I will share how I shot a Milky Way panorama, and how I later stitched the images in Lightroom. But, first some background.

Last summer we spent our vacation in Tuscany, Italy. Spending almost a week on a wine farm in Italy didn’t create any standing ovations initially. Then it struck me that the Milky Way season had just started in southern Europe. Once this was established, I started envisioning how cool it would be to shoot the Milky Way core, and perhaps even a few panoramas. My only concern was light pollution. Would it be possible to capture what I envisioned at the location we stayed at, or would I have to spend hours in a car to find a decent spot?

It turned out that this small wine farm where we stayed, just outside Castellina in Chianti, was perfect. On our second evening, I headed out when it was dark enough for night photography.

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Nisi unveils the cutest filter system for the Fuji X100 system

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Chinese filter manufacturer Nisi just unveiled a UV-filter and filter system for the Fuji X100V. The filter system is compatible with Fuji X100V/X100F/X100T/X100S/X100.

The UV filter protects against ultraviolet light, and it is a screw-on system produced in silver or black connecting with the camera’s color theme.

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The fun of shooting 11mm on a full frame camera

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I didn’t buy the Irix Blackstone 11mm f/4 because of its optical qualities even though they are more than satisfactory. Truth be told, I wanted to experience what it would be like to shoot ultra wide-angle (UWA) for the sheer fun of it.

There are plenty of reviews for this lens, so this article has a different aim. I will share some images and a few words on how it feels to use the lens. In addition, I will mention a few ideas on how to take advantage of the wide-angle distortion.

Even though this is a rectilinear lens there will be distortions. An UWA lens will stretch the edges, and it will diminish objects in the middle of the frame.

The Irix’ maximum angle of view is a whopping 126 degrees, so you have to be careful how you place both your and your tripod’s feet.

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This is why shooting in RAW is closer to what we see with our eyes

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When I received my first camera I only shot jpegs. That was all I knew. A few months later a friend of our daughter came for a visit. She told me that it would be an idea if I started to shoot in RAW. I was like: “Say it again….what?” My ignorance was almost tangible. However, I took the challenge and have never looked back. Little did I know that my yes would start a life long learning and cost me a small fortune in editing software.

I soon discovered why RAW files are superior to jpegs, and in this brief article, we will have a closer look at one of the advantages of switching to RAW format. For landscape photography in particular switching to RAW has huge advantages.

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Photographer captures ethereal photos of cormorants in the Antarctic

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Ole Jørgen Liodden* is one of Norway’s most renowned wildlife photographers. His work is recognized internationally, and he has written several books about wildlife and nature photography. It was during a photo expedition to the Antarctic in 2017 that he captured some stunning images of cormorants.

Before the trip, Ole Jørgen had developed a pole cam system to photograph underwater and water-splits (over/under water) from a zodiac boat. He constructed the system in such a fashion that he could use live-view to compose the shots. All images are shot with the Nikon D5, and for the majority of the split photos, he used the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4. When Ole Jørgen needed a wider perspective he used the Nikkor 20mm f/1.8.

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Photographer shoots five cheetahs crossing a river packed with crocodiles

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Arnfinn Johansen is a Norwegian nature photographer whose wildlife images have earned him international awards and recognition. When he and his group were exploring the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya they discovered a cheetah family along the river banks. It consisted of five brothers.

The cheetahs seemed determined to cross the river which at this time of the year carried a lot of water. The current was strong.

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Singer captures gorgeous images of the northern lights

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Frøydis Dahlheim is a trained singer and teaches singing in an arts school. In addition, she sells images and works part time as a photo guide. It was actually by accident she became a photographer back in 2014. She had signed up for three painting classes, but picked up a camera instead when the organizers cancelled the courses. Later, she was introduced to Instagram and she intuitively understood that this was a media where she could express herself creatively.

She tells DIYP, “I have always been fascinated by the northern lights, and the desire to capture this phenomena moved me to purchase my first real camera.”

She now uses the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Canon 16-35mm for night photography. The aurora season lasts from the end of August to the beginning of April in the northern parts of Norway, she informs us.

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