When travelling, many people think that you can only achieve stunning photos using DSLR cameras and the like. However, you’ll be surprised that a lot of modern smartphones today are highly capable of taking high-quality photos. What’s more, smartphones are easier to handle and lighter to bring. Say goodbye to your heavy gear bag that can be a pain to carry around. By using smartphones to take travel photos, you’ll be able to bring your device without hassle even while exploring tight spaces or hiking up a mountain.
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Travel Photos Using Your Smartphone
If you’re preparing for your next travel adventure, read the tips below to find out how to take the best travel photos using your smartphone:
1. Know How Far You Can Zoom In and Out
There is a lot you can achieve using the built-in lenses of your smartphone. Most of the available devices have a single lens with a wide-angle focal length. You can capture travel photos using your smartphone with enough sharpness of details to make them look stunning. However, if you want to achieve more optimal photos, it is ideal to have a model packed with a dual-lens camera. This will give you more versatility in zooming in and out of your subject.
2. Explore How Your Phone’s Camera Adapts to Light
Unlike dedicated cameras, such as DSLRs, smartphones have less capacity to adapt to extreme light conditions. However, smartphone devices are still considered powerful enough to capture photos, even with low light. The quality can’t be assured, though, since smartphones have smaller camera sensors compared to DSLRs. To get more guaranteed results, find a way to get a good light while taking your shot. Once you reach your travel site, take note of where the sun rises in the morning and sets in the afternoon.
3. Install Camera Apps to Enjoy Advanced Features
If you’re not so confident about your smartphone’s built-in camera features, try to find a third-party app that can offer advanced features. Browse through the many available apps that can provide you with the flexibility to do post-editing of images and videos. Some apps are packed with manual settings and file management options. If you want your travel photos to look professional, installing an advanced camera app is a must for you.
4. Always Pack a Portable Charger
One thing to never forget for every trip is bringing a portable charger. No matter how advanced your phone is, battery life will always be limited. The more you use your phone for your photography and videography needs, the faster its battery will wear down.
Take note that temperature and low signal strength are also factors that contribute to low battery life. Before you hit the road, make sure that you pack a portable USB charger so that your phone is always ready to take the next best photo.
Conclusion
The secret to taking great photos using your smartphone is simply to master the ins and outs of your device’s features. Every phone is different, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. While some phones can take better photos of a nearby subject, others have the power to capture pictures from far away. It’s a matter of using your device’s strengths to your advantage to achieve that perfect travel photo.
We hope you enjoyed this travel photos using your smartphone article, if you’re looking to learn more about travel photography using your smartphone in London, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
Photography workshops UK or abroad?
Which is best? Well, that really depends on all of the questions above and your budget. You don’t need to attend a workshop in a foreign faraway country to improve your photography.
The British Isles offer some of the best landscape photography locations around. Check out our landscape photography workshops UK to find out more. Or even our photography workshop London page to see how you can improve your photography in one of the best capital cities in the world.
But it’s always nice to tick off places from your bucket list. What better way to do that than a photography workshop or tour.
Follow Us:
YouTube – Why not take this opportunity to check out our brand new YouTube channel for tips, advice and some inspiration.
Instagram – Check out our photos on Instagram
Facebook – Join our Facebook group and share your photos and chat with other beginner photographers.
Even though we may not be able to travel right now, we are already planning our trips for 2020 and 2021. Our UK workshops in the Yorkshire Dales, Cornwall, Glencoe, Dorset, Lake District, Cotswolds or London will be starting again soon.
Jordan Banks is a successful travel photographer and Lee Filters & Cruise America brand ambassador. With almost 20 years of experience shooting assignments and campaigns for some of the world’s leading brands, companies & tourist boards such as British Airways, Credit Suisse & Visit England. His editorial work has appear on the covers of National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Sunday Times travel and many more. If you would like to learn more from Jordan or join him in the field, why not join one of his travel photography marketing courses.