Nikon Imaging Cloud Recipe of the Month: July

Eugenia Hanganu, Portugal, Travel

Nikon: What were your first impressions of ‘Call It Love’?

Eugenia Hanganu: Warm and generous, in the way a good summer photo should feel. It lifts the greens and pushes the magentas without making the image look filtered, which is usually where these things go wrong. I think it works very well for July because summer in Portugal is exactly that: strong light, layered greenery, flowers spilling over walls. It would not work the same way in January. The recipe needs the season to meet it halfway.

What subjects, scenes and genres does it work best with?

Anything outdoors with real colours in the frame. Gardens, markets, southern European streets, coastal towns, family holidays, children playing outside. I would also use it for candid portraits where the background is doing some of the work – people walking through a flower market, for example, or a couple sitting in a garden. For street and documentary work in summer, it sits very naturally, as shown in this image. The recipe is built for vibrant summer colours, and this scene already has it: the pink bougainvillea, the orange trumpet flowers, the white walls, the cobblestones. It felt like the right pairing because the recipe rewards anything with strong, natural colour.

Do you like what the recipe did to your image?

I do. The greens and the magenta of the bougainvillea came alive, and the cobblestones got a little warmth that the original was missing because of the overcast sky. What the recipe did, more than anything, is give the photo the feeling I had when I took it, which the flat light had taken away. The edited version is closer to the memory. I will definitely use it again this summer, especially on the days when the light is not cooperating.

Do you have any advice for using it?

This recipe can be used as a fast and easy fix, but feel free to also use it just as a starting point, not a finish line. Look at your own light before you apply it. If you are photographing in flat or overcast conditions, a small contrast adjustment afterwards helps. If you are in harsh midday sun, you may want to ease off the saturation a little. The recipe gives you the summer feeling, but the photo still has to be yours.

How would you challenge our readers to use this recipe?

Photograph someone you love doing something ordinary as a candid image and use this recipe to bring out the colour around them. The challenge is to make the everyday feel like something worth remembering, because that is usually what love actually looks like.

Eeva Mäkinen, Finland, Wildlife

Nikon: What were your first impressions of ‘Call It Love’?

Eeva Mäkinen: The name says it all! And it’s perfect for conveying a fun and vibrant vibe. The tones are ideal for a fresh early summer and encapsulate that feeling of excitement for the summer ahead.

What subjects, scenes and genres does it work best with?

For wildlife and nature images, this recipe works especially well where there are fresh green tones, colourful flowers and a sense of warmth in the light. It is a lovely fit for wildlife encounters surrounded by seasonal colour, from animals in meadows to birds or insects nestled among flowers and foliage.

Do you like what the recipe did to your image?

I really like it. It is a little more vibrant than my usual editing style, so it was fun to try something that brought out the colour and warmth in the image. I can definitely see myself using it again, especially with colourful wildflowers or lush greenery.

Do you have any advice for using it?

Because I still want my wildlife images to feel realistic, I’d suggest taking the green saturation down slightly in leafy scenes. I also brought the brightness down a little, which worked really well.

How would you challenge our readers to use this recipe?

Use the recipe to photograph a white flower surrounded by colour and see how it balances delicate whites with the brighter natural tones around it.

Agnes Colombo, France, Portraits

Nikon: What were your first impressions of ‘Call It Love’?

Agnes Colombo: Summer light can be harsh, especially around midday, with strong contrasts that are not always easy to manage. This recipe helps soften that intensity, bringing a calmer, gentler mood to images that might otherwise feel too punchy.

What subjects, scenes and genres does it work best with?

If you want to bring softness, warmth and emotion into your images, ‘Call It Love’ is a lovely fit. It works beautifully for maternity sessions, newborn photography, couple portraits or any intimate moment where tenderness is at the heart of the story. I chose this image because it felt full of softness and love. Photographing it backlit helped create a gentle, dreamy atmosphere, with a natural halo of light around the subject.

Do you like what the recipe did to your image?

I think the result is clean and beautifully balanced, although it is softer than my usual photographic style. I tend to prefer more contrast. And because I already used backlighting to create softness in camera, the recipe pushed the image a little further than I would normally take it. That said, I can see it working beautifully for photographers who love a lighter, more ethereal style.

Do you have any advice for using it?

Use the recipe in full sun, where harsh light and strong contrasts can be tricky to manage, as it helps soften that intensity, making it a great tool for summer photography. Personally, in editing I would add a little more contrast for depth and dimension, then increase the warmth slightly for a more golden, sun-kissed feel, keeping the softness of the recipe while bringing it closer to my own style.

How would you challenge our readers to use this recipe?

Use the recipe to photograph a golden-hour portrait using only backlighting. Capture as much softness in camera as possible. Photograph the same image without the recipe and compare to see how light, colour and editing can transform the emotion of the image.

Feeling inspired?

Now it’s your turn! Use this month’s recipe, ‘Call It Love, to create your own image, then share the result on Instagram using #nikoneurecipechallenge. We’ll be looking out for your entries and will showcase a selection of our favourites in next month’s article.