Travel Photography on a Smart Phone
Let’s dispel a myth right away - you don’t need to be a professional to take great travel photos, you don’t even need a fancy camera.
Let’s dispel a myth right away - you don’t need to be a professional to take great travel photos, you don’t even need a fancy camera. All you need is to know the basics of photography, a smart phone with a camera and a few additional apps. Some of the best photos you'll take will be from being in the right place at the right time, and that happens often when you're travelling.
The difference between a Picture and a Photo
The good news is your smart phone has taken a lot of the old “problems” of a bad photo away, so chances are you will be able to take a good picture with your phone just by pointing and clicking. The trick is to elevate a “good pic” into a great photograph, that’s where the fun, creativity and the art lies!
Take a look at these two photos taken on the coast at Wyadup Rock in Margret River, WA. On the left is a pretty landscape picture that many of us would have taken. On the right is a photograph that is a wonderful example of photography as an art form. This photo was taken by Christian Horgan and won 1st place in the International iPhone photography awards.
Right Photo: Christian Horgan – Singing Rock
The Basics
To get started there a few simple tricks that will make a big difference to your images. A lighting, composition of a photo, angles and settings. There are some great video tutorials available online, I have listed a few of my favourites below to get you started. It is a matter of watching and learning, playing with your phone/ camera, critiquing your images and then repeating.
Video Tutorials
- 5 Top Tips for taking better photos
- Using your Phone for Better Photos
- Secret iPhone camera features
- Step it up - a more pro approach
TOP TIP: Golden Hour, the golden hour of photography is a period shortly after sunrise or before sunset during which daylight is redder and softer than when the Sun is higher in the sky.
Photo: Andrew Cooney – The beauty of dawn light
Editing
You can do a lot to your photo after you have taken them, not only to fix blemish and mistakes but also to really let your creative side out and turn a photo into a personal expression. These apps are the ones I use and find really helpful.
TOP TIP: I take photos on my phone and edit on my iPad, my more “mature” eyesight finds the iPad screen size more comfortable to work with!
Learning More
If you get the photography bug and want to extend your knowledge there are some good online courses available.
- Photo Class Udemy $15 (online general photography Course)
- Iphone Specific Cousre with persoanl critque $100 USD
Gadgets and Gear
A small compact tripod is good investment. Tripods are available starting from $10 up to $300+. A reasonable one that folds down small enough to fit in a backpack is about $50 - $100.
Final Words
There are no bad photos that can't be deleted! Don't be afraid to try, play and just see what works. Share you materpeices with us! We love to see your journies and share them with the rest of the Sunliner community.
Article by Candice Brittain - Sunliner RV.
