How do you take amazing outdoor photos with just your phone? 95% of the time the only camera I use to take photos of our family’s outdoor adventures is the one I already have with me – my phone! But how do you make them look great every time?
Well a reader reached out to me and lucky for us, she offered to share her photography knowledge. Enjoy this guest post from Katie at Testify Photography – a studio focused on helping families capture perfect outdoor moments.
Being outside is an important part of my family’s story. My husband and I have always enjoyed our time outdoors. We ski and snowboard. We hike. We camp. We play outside. Now that we have a couple of littles, we are trying to pass on our love of the outdoors to them.
I also love using photography to document our story, so while we are passing on the outdoor love, I am also usually taking pictures of it all happening. Our outdoor pictures show the people and the landscapes that I love. There is wind, motion, exploration, adventure, and interaction – and I don’t have to clean my house to get a great background.
I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error over the last few years, and have gotten a lot better at the balance that is taking pictures while adventuring with kiddos. Here are some of the things I’ve learned:
What kind of camera is best for outdoor pictures?
The one you will use – even if it’s a cell phone.
Pre-kid, for me this was a DSLR. I have discovered that my sweet DSLR camera can’t take great pictures from my backpack, and that is where it stays when I am schlepping gear and small humans and trying to keep everyone safe. My usual trail/snow camera now is a mirrorless version – but cell phone cameras have improved so much over the last several years, that they can be a good choice for a lot of outdoor pictures too — especially when you’re not willing to carry one.more.thing! (Been there.)
Cell phone cameras even have a lot of advantages over larger cameras –
- they fit anywhere,
- have a selfie camera angle,
- switch quickly and easily to panoramic or video,
- and make sharing photos incredibly easy!
- Also, anyone can pick one up and take a really good picture – which is
not necessarily the case if I hand my mirrorless or DSLR camera over to a stranger on the trail for us to get a full family picture.
How do I get the kids to stop for a picture when they want to play outside?
I don’t even try (except the occasional “summit” picture). Instead I just take pictures of everyone doing the outdoor activity, and move myself around to get what I want in the frame. It’s way more interesting to look at pictures of my kids jumping off rocks, watching caterpillars, skiing, or
pouting because we have to go 10 minutes between snacks, than standing and smiling at me.
Also, I have learned that even though I don’t stop my kids for pictures, when they are done with the camera – they are really done. When it is time to get in off the trail or mountain, it’s time. It’s time to put everything away and move it, even if the light is amazing and the kids happen to be in coordinating gear.
After all, our goal in getting outside is to have fun as a family – not for me to
have a photo shoot.
Take Amazing Outdoor Photos with Just Your Phone
Cell phone cameras do not (yet) have the range and adjustments of mirrorless or DSLR cameras. I have not (by any means) switched to a cell phone for all of my pictures outdoors, but my goal is to make it hard for anyone viewing pictures online or in an album to tell the difference
between cell phone pictures and pictures from my professional-level camera.
Cell phone cameras work best in daylight, with both bright and dark elements in the picture.
They also do a good job at keeping a lot of the image in focus (background and subject both sharp). Luckily, this fits the bill for a lot of outdoor family pictures – and I always have my cell phone with me! It is easy to pull it out and take pictures during our adventures.
Six Techniques for Taking Amazing Outdoor Photos Using a Cell Phone
1. Clean the lens with a soft cloth after the cell phone has been in a pocket, bag, or out on a dusty or damp trail.
2. Frame the image thoughtfully, and try different perspectives if it isn’t working. Most people’s tendency with a cell phone is to take a close up picture with their family member in the middle of the picture, holding the phone vertically. Some other options to try are:
- use the Rule of Thirds (put the subject off-center in the frame). Most cell phones have the option to turn on a grid guide for following the rule of thirds.
This photo uses the rule of thirds by placing the subject in the lower left of the frame. - Incorporate negative space (e.g., empty background or sky) in the picture to show how vast the surroundings are;
- Place the subject along one of the lines or at the intersection of 2 lines for visual interest;
Leading lines formed by the canyon walls draw attention to the subject. - Use trails, railings, or other elements as lines that point toward the subject (leading lines);
- Frame the subject naturally by using branches, trees, doorways, rocks to form a frame around the subject inside the picture;
Frame the subject using natural elements – like these canyon walls. - Landscape (horizontal) orientation show the wide spaces,
- Portrait (vertical) orientation is best when there is a strong vertical element (waterfalls, tall trees, ski run, etc.).
3. Avoid the “zoom” function on a cell phone. Cell phone zooms are digital, and cause the image to lose resolution (become blocky or grainy).
4. Select a focal point for the picture. Tap the screen to activate a focus box on the portion of the image that you want to draw attention to (your kids, eyes in a close-up, etc.), and that portion will be the most in-focus element of the picture.
5. Adjust the exposure (brightness) of the image. The internal light meter in a cell phone will try to average the brightness of the image to a middle brightness. This works for most scenes, but if it is very white and bright, like snow, the cell phone camera will make the white parts of the picture
look grey.
To fix, tap the screen to set the focal point, and then slide your finger upward next to the right side of the focus box to brighten the image. (If the scene in front of you is very dark, drag your finger downward to darken the camera’s image.)
6. Find extra light for dark images. Cell phone flashes are not very powerful, and usually don’t look flattering in pictures. When it is dark, try to find an extra light source (campfire, head lamp, flashlight, etc.) to help a cell phone camera focus and capture the image. If there is light behind the subject but the subject looks too dark (a person standing in front of a sunset), move
between the light source and the subject.
Hopefully this information will help you get outside and document your family’s adventures without carrying a lot of extra gear or treating every outing like a photo shoot instead of quality family time!
Katie Richards is a family photographer based in Fort Collins, Colorado. She adores mountains, photography, and coffee. She began her photography journey to tell her own family’s real, unvarnished story – wild hair, muddy knees, and all – and began a photography business to help other families do the same! You can usually find her IRL touring Colorado with her family – and online at www.testifyphotography.com, facebook and instagram.
