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It has been four years since my switch back to Nikon after 8 years with Canon. In mid-2008 I acquired a D300 and D700 to fulfill my DX (1.5x crop) and FX (full frame) shooting needs. In November of that year I added the Nikon D3x for my serious landscape photography. After acquiring the D3x, the D700 served as my low light camera due to its great noise performance up to ISO 3200. These three cameras have served me extremely well for about 4 years but in the world of digital cameras (computers with lenses attached), 4 years is an eternity. When Nikon announced the D4 in late 2011, I wasn't terribly interested since I was looking for a single camera type to fulfill both my DX and FX shooting needs. The D4 at 16 megapixels is a bit light on resolution for my landscape needs especially since I already have a 24.5 megapixel D3x and in DX crop mode it only provides a bit over 7 megapixels which is a huge step backwards from the 12 megapixels I have in the D300 or the 10 megapixels I have when shooting the D3x in DX crop mode. So I continued to truck on with my D300/D700/D3x combo but I continued hoping for simplification - one camera body type that provides adequate resolution in both FX and DX mode, a single battery type so that I don't need to carry two chargers, a single user interface, and lighter weight. Of course all of this needs to be packaged in a professional build body.

Senior technical editor and forum moderator E.J. Peiker has been with NatureScapes.Net from its inception. With more than 63,000 posts in the forums, and as the author of numerous NSN articles and leader of several NatureScapes Certified Workshops, E.J. has helped a countless number of photographers improve their skills. E.J. is a vital part of the NSN community and was an easy choice for our featured photographer this month.

This image of a Laysan Albatross was taken after sunset on Midway Atoll in the Central Pacific Ocean. The sky was lit up in gorgeous colors but the albatross was already very dark.

Ever since attending a one-day seminar by Barbara and John Gerlach in 1999, I have wanted to go to Midway Atoll in the subtropical region of the central North Pacific Ocean. During their program they showed pictures of what were then called Fairy Terns and Laysan Albatross. The Fairy Tern’s current and correct name is White Tern. For a while I did not think that I would ever be able to get to Midway since the company that was operating guest services there pulled out in 2003. Nobody, other than researchers and Fish and Wildlife Service employees were able to go to Midway between 2003 and 2009 when guest services were reestablished. Today, a series of permits is required to be able to go to Midway. Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris has all of the permits for photography groups visiting Midway during the peak chick-rearing season. I was fortunate to be able to go on one of the trips with Van Os. The group consisted of 14 photographers. The farthest travelers were from Belgium and Holland and I was the closest, being from the Phoenix area. Below you will find the daily diary of the whole trip. Past and present tense may be mixed throughout as I wrote some of this nearly real time while other parts were written at the end of each day.

Florida's Birding and Photo Fest just wrapped up its tenth year. The festival, held annually in St. Augustine, Florida at the end of April, has grown widely popular over the years, and it is a wonderful event for photographers to meet one another, take classes from top pros, and learn from the best while shooting in some of Florida's beautiful locations for nature and wildlife photography.

Do you want to create a fine art look with your photograph by simply applying a texture? A texture layer addition can increase the depth, dimension, and drama of a photograph. It is one of the easiest ways to create a more expressive image. A texture layer can be anything you wish, from painterly brushstrokes, coarsely textured canvas, and even old grunge that appears in the viewfinders of antique cameras. Texture can add more personality to an image. You can make a digital image look vintage, contemporary or impressionistic. Apply textures to a still life, landscape, or portrait for a totally unique look…anything goes!