Entry Level Camera - AWESOME Shots at the Shawnee National Forest!

I took a road trip to the Shawnee National Forest with my trusty Nikon D3400 to capture some awesome shots/memories. I invite you to come along for the ride and enjoy the images. Regardless of your equipment (Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc.) and location, you can capture some awesome shots as well!
Feel free to follow me on Instragram - realworldpicts
=== LINKS ===
FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO:
Nikon D3400 w/ 18-55 kit lens: amzn.to/2gjCOdW
Night Cat Tent: amzn.to/3azlzCz
OTHER LENSES TO CONSIDER:
Video review of the 18-140: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gafEgn9_epVnmtU
Video review of the 18-300: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmSciaWjg66jedk
Video review of the fixed 50: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2O3i4mrbN6Nn8k
Video review of the fixed 35: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHiTlo2QlrKgj6c
Video review of the fixed 40: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKm2Y2OvfbypedE
Macro video which includes the fixed 40: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqvHimaXr9Ctj8U
Nikon 50mm f/1.8: amzn.to/2kD7EkF
Nikon 35mm f/1.8: amzn.to/2J3qHmU
Nikon 40mm f/2.8 lens: amzn.to/30ocJBM
Canon 50mm f/1.8: amzn.to/2LQT1q6
LOOKING FOR A GOOD/AFFORDABLE TRIPOD?:
Video review on budget tripods: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3jJYWpmjrmeq9k
============
Music by:
- ARTIST: Yshwa
-- songs: I Think I Can /and/ Where the Sunshine Goes
- ARTIST: Dimitri Hutchison
-- song: Be Alright

[@SniperPhotography]

Welcome back That’s right.Its not about the gear. But try telling people that. Well done Thank you for bringing this to us.

[@RealWorld]

Appreciate your post/feedback!:) End results are virtually indistinguishable between cameras in this day and age.

[@richardrizzo_photography]

great shots of a beautiful place, good to see you back.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks Rich!:)

[@kamazenji9466]

What a great video as always... It's awesome that you always bring us with you on your adventure... Love it... Thank you so much for great videos like this...

[@RealWorld]

Glad to be of help/inspiration!:)

[@Ccteacakes]

Well done and welcome back!😘

[@rajmahi]

Wonderful work as always.. great composition and nice photos

[@SIKTASTIC7]

Love how you are still rocking that D3400, so are we :) Thanks for all you do

[@RealWorld]

glad to be of help - it is still kicking! :)

[@williamlowery9891]

Hey great to see you back. Awesome photos, I do enjoy your photos. Keep up the great work. Blessings to you and your family from Germany. God bless America.

[@RealWorld]

thanks for the post/feedback bill and welcome from the United States! :)

[@kamazenji9466]

Great to see you back Sir!!! Watching your video now haha

[@eponine1966]

Garden of the Gods! If you get a chance, the colors are amazing in the fall.You are right, the Shawnee National Forest covers a wide expanse, so many places to see. After being holed up for the last year, well thank you. Ready to finally get out again to capture shots of my own. Hope you enjoyed your time in Southern Illinois! 😍

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post Christy!:) I thought the same regarding the fall colors - I might take another trip in the fall:).

[@DjPorkchop73]

Awesome place to photograph. That's my back yard. About 20 minutes from my house give or take. I also agree about the photographer and not the gear. I did a shoot last weekend and when I left I wasn't satisfied. I left home with my 1.8 35mm and when we left to come home I told my wife I wished I had a do over and had my 18x55 with me. Awesome shots as always! The true stunner for me was the closing shot. That blue sky against the fresh white snow and that lake is a completely awesome shot. Take care, safe travels and as always I look forward to the next one.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback! Nice to have such a huge forest in your backyard!:) I really enjoyed the trip albeit the temps were coooooold:). Nonetheless, lots to explore and capture.

[@fjphoto23]

Great to see your D340O still kicking.

[@RealWorld]

so far, so good :)

[@JohnCollins-iy1pw]

I totally agree,and now with the new NX Studio from Nikon I can really get some fantastic post processing.

[@alannorthdevonuk763]

I'll look up NX studio.

[@abdelrahmanhesham9558]

Wellcome back 😊😊

[@steveboys5369]

Hi Mark, Great to see you again, telling us like it is to enjoy yourself and don' t be a hostage to the equipment. I'm a D3500 owner and so in gear terms I'm a real novice. When I see folk raving about 100 megapixel cameras costing about $10,000 I do have to wonder if it makes any sense at all. Fortunately for me on my salary, the choice is really easy, cheap and cheerful is my way. Watching your videos, the idiot behind my viewfinder learns so much. Funny I was thinking only today, Its about time Mark did another video, and boy was it worth waiting for. Thanks very much.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback Steve!:) Keep in mind that cheap gear does not equal inferior gear:). If we sent 100 photographers into the world with different gear and ask them to capture a few shots each, I suspect nobody could identify the gear used to capture given shots.

[@MoranGuyVideos]

Another great video!

[@TimoVee]

Looks like an awesome location! Thanks for sharing.

[@SamiKhan-im3er]

Awesome shots, as always...

[@ingtyst]

Awesome clicks sir. Expecting more videos sir.

[@ajh5124]

Awesome!!!😊 Your style of communicating is real and refreshing! Keep up the great work 👍🌞

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback!:)

[@mindbobler1]

Guru is back👍

[@yourproxymom]

Nice to see you back!! Also super cool to see someone shoot in a lesser known area, I’ve been to Shawnee several times and it’s beautiful!

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post and glad to be of back!:) Shawnee was nice and I am looking forward to going back one day.

[@rupeshshivdas2593]

Welcome back!!

[@SergioGVasco]

Really inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[@jeangideon]

Long time mate, great adventure-great video

[@Srijitupload]

Another Inspirational Video. Much thanks 😊

[@RealWorld]

Glad to inspire!:)

[@timw.9466]

Your video production is always well done! Great job with correlating music and beautiful photos. Great to see your still at it with the d3400. Plan on keeping mine.. Based on your findings... Indefinatly.

[@RealWorld]

Appreciate your feedback Tim!:) The D3400 has been a solid/capable camera over the years:).

[@sebandsheep]

Amazing....we have very similar sandstone mountains called ,, Gory Stolowe,, in Poland...love your videos!!!

[@chrisnewby2460]

Great video as usual, and like others have said, good to see you back. I bought my D3400 a few years ago because of you!! What a brilliant choice, I LOVE it! I have no desire whatever to 'upgrade', I agree that there are more photographers that need 'upgrading', than equipment! Stay safe.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback Chris!:) Most cameras are solid today and I like to say - shoot with what you have:). In fact I do not recall any recent camera unable to capture great shots ... hmmm - might make for a good video topic:).

[@SeshuTD]

Wow... Hey dude... Long time no see... Hope you are fine... Stay safe... Stay healthy...

[@RealWorld]

ty - all is well and hope the same for you and your family:).

[@joehenderson4444]

Welcome back. Hope all is well. Missed your vids.

[@coppeis]

Great video!!

[@hachewie]

Great video Mark. I love my D3400.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback!:) The D3400 has been a solid performer over the years!:)

[@creatorsjourney6286]

great as always. ;)

[@larryhaley3]

awesome shots brother! so i did get the 35 mm 1.8 and i got the 10-20 mm 4.5/5/6 vr.....im so excited to have a selection of lense including my kit 18-55 and the 70-300

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback Larry!:) Sounds like you have a good selection - always nice to have choices when shooting under various conditions:).

[@stanobert3475]

You have a great eye for composition and abstract images. Great work! I just looked this area up, in Southern Illinois. This is a beautiful spot!

[@RealWorld]

Appreciate your post/feedback Stan!:)

[@alhasanaboobaid]

Welcome back, amazing shots. cheers fro Syria 🍻🇸🇾🇸🇾

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback and welcome from the United States!:)

[@LotsOfTrade]

Hey good to see you back..hope all well

[@RealWorld]

thanks for the post!:)

[@alannorthdevonuk763]

Great video again, true what you say about the kit but there is a lot of pressure out there to push people needlessly to 'up grade' their equipment'. Those conditions are where the reliable, rugged, tried and tested DSLR comes into its own. You have a Christmas card for the 12.21 two tree lake shot with the snowy background. Good to see you back.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback and agree:). Advanced equipment can be nice but many believe more expensive gear will yield better results which is not always the case. I like the last image in the video as well and may use it down the road for a Christmas card as well:).

[@fayyazshahid6641]

Welcome back. Waiting for your video since long time. Love from Pakistan

[@RealWorld]

Glad to inspire and welcome from the United States!:)

[@fayyazshahid6641]

@@RealWorld thanks

[@Nam3Iess]

Love my D3500 but this weekend was the first time I felt held back by it and missing great moments of a White-tailed Eagle. The AF really struggled to get the Eagle in focus and I took a lot of pictures (2 or 3 were usable but was kind of disappointed the moments it missed).

[@RealWorld]

Ahhhhh yes, wildlife photography can be a challenge for any camera but definitely more challenging for cameras lacking a bunch of AF points. This is where Sony shines - various Sony cameras have a large number of AF points and do a great job at locking focus. You can still capture great moving wildlife shots with the D3500 but will be more challenged:).

[@anantbambawale9276]

After a long time

[@Dhurbamanchitrakar]

Welcome back sir. I hope, you'll upload more :)

[@RealWorld]

Thank you and glad to be back!:)

[@Archmage88ttv]

I've been using the d3400 for the last year, also have a small collection of lenses. I use onone raw for photo editing. Would be great to see what kind of processing you do in general. Like how you would set the contrast, blacks and whites. Ect

[@thebillygreen]

Welcome back, teacher! Lol

[@RealWorld]

Glad to be back! :)

[@oangst9900]

Could you please make a video about bracketing? Thanks for all the educational content. Take care

[@RealWorld]

thanks for the suggestion! :)

[@MonacoMike]

Nice to see another video from you. Hope all is well and you're being safe and staying healthy. My only comment is that some of your photos appear, to me anyway, to be a little over saturated from your post processing. Could that be from trying to pull out background detail in the photos with very harsh contrasting elements? I really struggled with that during our fall trip last year out to the Utah national parks where everything was really bright and sunny with extremely high contrasts. I even tried ND filtering but found myself having to either process for the shadow areas or the bright sunny areas. Perhaps you could make a video on how to deal with those situation ;-) ?

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback!:) Ahhhhh yes, this is where dynamic range plays a role:). I have faced similar situations as well on many occasions (photographing extreme exposures in the same scene). The following shot in this video is a great example - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWi3mn5qmdllZ7M ... I was in a small cave looking back to capture the opening. I shot in RAW, used full/matrix metering, and used Lightroom to adjust in specific areas as needed. Using RAW is nice as it allows me to leverage everything the sensor can capture ... amazing what can be recovered in post processing:). Regarding saturation ... I typically don't increase the saturation, however I like to slightly increase the vibrance depending on the scene. I like to see my shots pop to some extent ... not over pop, just pop (it's a fine line):).

[@MonacoMike]

@@RealWorld Yep, the very same scenario I experienced multiple occasions when we were out in Utah last fall. I don't have Lightroom, just Photo Shop Elements 14 so that's all I have to work with. That and my D7500 I bought last year.

[@jamiepenrose7444]

No offence the best d3400 shots were taken when you were lower to ground. The video camera caught better land scape shots because it was closer to the ground. I'm not a professional still learning just my opinion. I own a d3400 its a great camera to learn the basics. You did teach me a lot a few years ago about my first entry level DSLR camera when I had no idea what I was doing. Thank you!

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/feedback!:) Landscape shots are about perspective and I agree - I like some that are closer to the ground as well:).

[@chrisnewby2460]

Me again! On the D3400, Is there any way to show the histogram whilst shooting? It's available in replay mode, but I can't find if it's possible to consult the histogram whilst actually shooting. Many thanks for all your hints and tips on this great little camera.

[@RealWorld]

glad to be of help Chris:). unfortunately, no - there is not an option to view the histogram while shooting. :)

[@toybuns775]

Hey Mark, great video as always. I was just curious, how many clicks you have on that 3400 now?

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/question Tony!:) I was curious to know as well so I took a quick look - just under 5k ... really thought I had taken much more over the years, although I am a single shot person. :)

[@Archmage88ttv]

Any advice on teleconverters? The 55-300 on the d3400 is amazing. I recently borrowed a 150-500mm for some moon shots and love it.

[@RealWorld]

I like the Sigma 1.4 ( amzn.to/3e8u1uT ). Nikon makes a similar 1.4 but costs much more and the results are almost identical in my opinion. :)

[@Archmage88ttv]

@@RealWorld im assuming this works better then a x2 because it it gives a better picture quality since you've reccomended it. Its also super cheap with lots of good reviews. Can't wait to try it on my 55-300 nikkor assuming it will be compatable . As always you've been a huge help! Thank you.

[@adamplays6830]

Great video as always! Mark, can u please make a video about exposure compensation? How to use it etc? I know what exposure compensation is of course but I was wondering if there is any way to predict what exposure compensation I should set. For the moment I take photos using bracketing function “just in case” (+/-0.3) but it would be nice if I could predict (more or less) if I need to use exposure correction in advance. Do you have any technique for that? Or you always take photos, check it and re-take a photo if needed? Sometimes there is no chance to re-take a photo and also entry level cameras usually don’t have histogram option ;(. My D5300 does not have it.

[@RealWorld]

Thanks for the post/suggestion!:) I only use it if I feel the camera is off which might happen given various lighting situations. Although you are correct, sometimes you may not have the opportunity to take another shot. I shoot in raw can feel the camera nails the exposure 99% of the time. If not, I may adjust the compensation and shoot again and/or adjust as needed in post processing via lightroom. Nonetheless, this might make for a good video. :)

[@adamplays6830]

@@RealWorld you're right. In case of raws I guess exposure compensation feature is not so important as you can always improve an exposure in post processing. I personally shoot jpegs therefore I had an idea for this kind of a tutorial 🙂 I always try to avoid of editing in lightroom when shooting jpegs 🙂.

[@trigyratepilot1787]

Hey mark, what tripod do you use for your night time shots? Thank you in advance!

[@RealWorld]

thanks for the post/question:). i typically use the Zomei or K&F but almost always bring my Joby amzn.to/2muxoyO ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3jJYWpmjrmeq9k ... the Joby is great because it is so versatile and light.

[@abhroy]

First ?! 😁

[@avnerbenzvi8757]

hope you are ok

[@RealWorld]

Doing well and hope the same for you and your family!:)