How do you capture the everyday athlete with the Nikon Z6III?

Dani K Monteiro

Sports and music photography

Style: fun, fast and colourful

@danikm

“I immediately wanted to photograph a parkour athlete or surfer. I love working with the athletes I’m photographing, and hearing their ideas or if there is a new trick they want to do, especially if I haven’t captured it yet. I wanted to get an athlete to do what they do best and do something creative with it.”

First impressions of the Nikon Z6III: “It’s very easy to hold and it’s great for run-and-gun photography and sports photography. It’s just as mighty as the Z9 but it’s smaller!”

Jan Vincent Kleine

Adventure and documentary photography

Style: unravelling the remote or challenging environments human live in or expose themselves to

@janvincentkleine

“My goal was to capture some of the essence of climbing: the act of exploring new places, to find structures that inspire you to interact with them and the grace of movement. In a way, these rock formations are a canvas. An invitation to explore. An invitation to interact with them. An invitation to be creative. To read the rock and to see challenges and opportunities – both for the climber as well as the photographer. My climber Naadirah Moola Te Water and I immediately bonded over a mutual interest of outdoor sports, and we understood the tight conditions and turnaround to deliver. I’m really happy with the results and they show the beauty of interreacting with nature and the athlete in a respectful way.” 

First impressions of the Nikon Z6III: “What struck me the most – and very immediately – was how nimble and fast the camera feels. What I like in a camera is when it disappears in my hands, when it feels as if I’m not looking through a technical object but it’s a natural extension of the eye and of my fingers. To me, it felt that there was no resistance.”

Rachel Bigsby

Wildlife photography

Style: natural artistry and unseen details in overlooked species

@rachelbigsby

“There’s no better athlete than a gannet! They dive 60 miles an hour, swim to 50 metres, fly 100 miles a day and I thought, ‘There’s my everyday athlete, hiding in plain sight.’ I knew the ecology and behaviour of my subject already, so then it was about applying the prompt immediately and figuring out what I could and couldn’t do. I wanted to apply the prompt to the personalities of the subjects I was working with.”

First impressions of the Nikon Z6III: “I’m excited to see a more accessible wildlife camera than the Z9 that doesn’t compromise on technology and quality. The tracking kept up with the flying birds against the distractions of the cliffs and as a wildlife photographer, having a camera that can keep up with the speed of your wildlife is crucial.”

Little Shao

Sports and action photography

Style: focus on body movement, geometry and motion

@littleshao

“The prompt was a nice reflection on how to become more creative photographing athletes and their lifestyle. For me, it was about bringing the athletes out of their comfort zone into a creative location or situation.”

First impressions of the Nikon Z6III: “When I’m filming and photographing, my camera becomes the extension of my hand. The Z6III fits great and there’s no change to what you see in real life and in the camera. It’s a lot more responsive and faster than the Z6II and the EVF is so much brighter. Quality wise, the colours, the dynamic range, everything in this camera is a little brother to the Z8.”

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