Credits for Chapter Opening Images

Chapter 1 – Jesse Martinez (jesse101) — Isabell and Her New Toys

Nikon D600 with a Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8 XR Di lens at 62mm, 1/100s at f/2.8, ISO 640 One-year-old Isabell Rose Martinez is playing with her new toys that she got during the holidays in 2012. From the cute expression on her face, you can tell that she was really fascinated with her new toy dog.

Chapter 2 – Marcel Carey (mcpianoca) — Bountiful Harvest

Nikon D600 with an AI Nikkor 35mm manual focus lens, 1/100s at f/11, ISO 1100

I really enjoyed this combination because the 35 AI Nikkor is small and light. As you can see, it’s also very sharp, and has a little glow quality to it. This is one of my favorite lenses. The picture was taken under a gazebo tent where producers were exhibiting their crops. There was a window to the left of the pumpkins and I really liked the light caressing them.

Chapter 3 – Philip Rice (pjr) — Rendezvous

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 24–120mm f/4G ED VRII lens at 40mm, 1/20s at f/6.3, ISO 800

I shot this image in what was an old train tunnel, now a passageway, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I was with several other photographers at a photo meet up when a couple of them wandered ahead of us. I spotted them, liked the scene, framed the picture, and took the shot! I later made a B&W conversion from the minimally-processed-in-Lightroom image.

Chapter 4 – Eric Bowles (ericbowles) — Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 24–70mm f/2.8 lens at 34mm, 1/40s at f/11, ISO 100 Death Valley is a fabulous place for landscape photography, and Mesquite Flat Dunes is one of the best locations. The strong wind of the previous day and night wiped away all the footprints on the dunes and provided us with clean, unblemished sand for sunrise images. Warm early morning light and a blue sky provided great color for the scene. By using a wide lens setting and emphasizing the foreground, the texture of the dunes made wonderful patterns and leading lines in the composition.

Chapter 5 – Jim Hammond (hamjam) — Twenty-Seven Cents Per Gallon

Nikon D600 with a Nikkor 28–300mm lens at 58mm, 1/200s at f/11, ISO 200

I took this image in early morning sunlight on our way back to Lincoln, CA from a trip to Reno, NV, USA. We drove down into Old Town Truckee, CA, to get a cup of coffee and to see if there might be an image waiting for us. Sure enough, we spotted this old Texaco Flying A Service Station, now a Sporting Goods Store. The old pumps brought back some nostalgic memories of when you could get a gallon of gas at 27 cents per gallon. That’s the price that is still shown on the pumps, which is why I titled the image Twenty-Seven Cents Per Gallon.

Chapter 6 – Donald Heldoorn (TakeTwo) — Spirit of Texas in Semi Finals

Nikon D600 with a Nikon 300mm lens, 1/250s at f/13, ISO 200

I took this shot, up close and personal, at the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series (LODBRS) on Sunday, November 4, 2012. The Boat is the “Spirit of Texas,” a Top fuel Hydro, 8000 horse power machine, which does 0–1000 feet in 3.4 seconds at a top speed of 250 mph.

Chapter 7 – Jackie Donaldson (bhpr) — Nature’s Beauty

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 28–300mm VR lens at 300mm, 1/500s at f/7.1, ISO 800

I took the butterfly photo under the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia, USA, on the railroad tracks. I was learning the D600 and it was proving to be an excellent camera. I was walking the tracks looking for a better shot of the bridge and I came across this beautiful butterfly. I had just bought my D600 a few days before my vacation so I was excited to come across this great subject. The original file was in landscape mode and I cropped it for better composition.

Chapter 8 – Anthony Do (gudnuf4u) — Baby Big Bear

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G lens, 1/250s at f/4, ISO 180

I took this picture of my baby girl in Big Bear Lake, California, USA. It was her first day in the snow and I wanted to capture the memory. I really love this picture of my baby, and now I have something to show her when she grows up.

Chapter 9 – Mike Goodman (mrginhop) — Mandarin Duck on Golden Pond

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 200–400mm f/4.0 lens at 400mm, 1/250s at f/8, ISO 1400

This Mandarin duck resides at a pond in the Albuquerque Zoo. I was in the area to shoot at the Bosque del Apache sanctuary in late November, which is about an hour away. It was late afternoon and the low light was creating wonderful golden reflections on the pond. The challenge was to get the duck in the sunlight facing me. It took many shots before it all came together.

Chapter 10 – Rocky Fletcher (rf10956) — Taking Prey

Nikon D600 with a Nikkor 300mm f/4.0 lens and TC-14E II teleconverter, 1/1250s at f/5.6, ISO 720

A friend of mine is an avid eagle photographer and stimulated my interest in giving it a try. This was actually my first go at it, hoping that I would get a couple of keepers. The D600 made it possible to get many nice captures. I took this picture at Lock and Dam 14 on the Mississippi River. It is a well-known spot for eagle photography in January and February. I had literally received the camera the previous week as a replacement for my D300, which had recently been stolen.

Chapter 11 – Susan Braunhut (wife of dhmiller) — Iguana Invasion

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 70–300mm f/4–5.6G VR lens at 300mm, 1/1250s at f/11, ISO 1100

I shot this image near Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, outside the Iguana Restaurant, where the grounds were covered with iguanas of all shapes and sizes.

Chapter 12 – Brenda Young (DigitalBrenda) — Bald River Falls

Nikon D600 with an AF-S Nikkor 24–85mm f/3.5–4.5G VR lens at 46mm, 1.3s at f/16, ISO 100 Darrell and I were on an autumn trip to explore Cherohala Skyway in Tennessee and North Carolina, USA. We always stop at Bald River Falls in Tellico Plains, TN, for a few shots. I was using my new Nikon D600, a gift from Darrell, and I shot this vertical using my Manfrotto tripod. This is one of the highest waterfalls in Tennessee, at over 100 feet, and it is quite beautiful year round, but especially in the fall.

Chapter 13 – Jesse Martinez (jesse101) — Lyndia’s Beautiful Smile

Nikon D600 with a Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8 XR Di lens at 72mm, 1/160s at f/2.8, ISO 100 The beautiful model’s name is Lyndia. I took this shot in Denver, Colorado, using Nikon CLS for lighting. I positioned the flash on a Manfrotto stand, set it to remote mode, and used the in-camera Commander mode to control the Speedlight. The flash was used as fill only, to remove shadows, thereby allowing ambient light to be the main light source.