I’m super into my travel photos. They’re not just the perfect souvenir, they’re an expression of my art that sends me on wild quests, hiking through the night to reach the perfect sunrise spot, or driving for hours just to get a shot of a waterfall I’ve been dying to see for years. Now not everyone is that dedicated, and that’s totally understandable, but most vacationers do still want awesome photos from their trip.
I noticed during a recent trip through the American Southwest that most people actually use a phone to take their travel photos rather than a camera, and it got me thinking that maybe I should do that more often. It’s so much more convenient!
It also makes a lot of sense, because unless you are particularly into photography or somehow make money with it, photo equipment can be really expensive, but pretty much every traveler these days at least has a smart phone.
After some experimentation and a little help with the Pixter travel pack, these are the tips and tricks of the trade for taking awesome photos without a fancy camera:
Get a little tripod
Most people are either repulsed by or absolutely in love with the selfie stick. Which camp are you in?
While I’m not a stick fan either, at least having a way to stabilize a camera does make a video a lot less shaky, makes taking photos of yourself much easier, and makes it possible to take cool time lapses. The best way to do this is to get a little tripod.
I used this one by Pixter to take a time lapse with my GoPro in the Grand Canyon, but you could do the same with your iPhone using the timelapse function in camera. It’s so much lighter weight than any tripod I have ever owned, and easily just perches or wraps around whatever you place it on. The adjustable clasp works for phones and cameras of different sizes as well.
Experiment with different lenses for your iPhone
There are plenty of phones out there with more megapixels than many of the cameras on the market right now. My iPhone 6+ has eight, so it can take some pretty good photos.
However one of the biggest limitations is that you lose quality if you zoom in too much or can’t capture the whole scene because the lens isn’t wide enough.
When I visited Antelope Canyon in Arizona, I put on a wide angle lens so that I could capture much more of the scenery for my Instagram stories. The photo below is one that I took with just my phone and a Pixter wide-angle pro lens, which only cost $54.90 in contrast to my $1200 wide angle for my Sony Camera:
Up your Instagram story game
My favorite thing about the wide-angle lens is it upgrades my Instagram stories. I can take even better photos than I could before, and the wide-angle makes for some pretty cool video shots as well.
I just clip the lens to my shirt or keep it in my purse. It weighs next to nothing and it’s so nice and inconspicuous too.
Use apps to make your pictures even better
There are tons of apps out there that you can use to make your photos look even more professional. Some of them are a few dollars and some of them are free. Once you have developed a style and your ‘eye’, most of what makes a photo great is in the editing.
The app that I use to edit my photos, Lightroom, and the popular editing app Photoshop are both available on the iPhone.
I am also a big fan of Snapseed in case I need to remove any spots from the photo or tweak it a bit before uploading. There are tons more that you can use to make your photos look professional and even to play around with the textures and edits. This article goes into the most popular and useful apps out there and which ones they recommend.
With the right apps and little gadgets, you can easily make your iPhone into the ultimate photo taking machine for well under $100. The travel pack by Pixter featured in this article is currently on sale for $69.90.
I love how simple and lightweight this combo is, and how easy it is to use! I see myself taking a lot more photos in situations where I previously wouldn’t have because I didn’t want to lug my big camera around but didn’t believe in the quality of phone photos.
What do you think. Can iPhone photos be just as good?
*This article was brought to you in collaboration with Pixter who inspired me to explore my iPhone as the ultimate photo companion. All opinions are my own.
Erin says
this is a great post because I have seen sooo many of these products and never bought one because I really didnt have a trusted source to recommend one. Now I do! 🙂
GG says
Thanks for providing some great tips on maximizing the capabilities of your iPhone for pictures, especially the pixter wide angle lens and mini-tripod. This is more up my alley. I am upgrading my phone and will look into this because capturing great moments and scenes with quality photographs is important (love to especially share these moments with others through photos), while keeping it within a budget. I feel that the iPhone with the extra accessories and some practice/skill with photography can get you the nice pics you need 99% of the time. As for what is better, I think a lot of it is about the photographer as much as the equipment; how much effort one takes to learn about the equipment one has, learning tricks of the trade (like from your great advice), how picky you are, and some natural talent. I guess for starters, people should take a little time to learn any skill, especially when there are so many ways to learn from others.
For what it is worth though, there is that 1% like those absolutely amazing photos you took at night, some of those time lapse videos etc. that you need to have the fancier equipment. It is great you showed the benefits of both, showing for those who are really into photography as an art what choices there that are the most affordable are versus those who want some great photos for more leisurely activities and less budget.
Speaking of pictures capturing amazing happenings, that 1%, have you considered taking a trip this summer to capture the eclipse that is coming Monday, August 21? We are going to try to travel to it, we are only 1 hour away from the path. Have you ever experienced an eclipse. It certainly would be a photographer’s challenge and dream! Should try it or have you already been there/done that? That is one thing to experience once in one’s lifetime!
GG
Ijana Loss says
Awesome tips, thank you for this!! Because I am likely too lazy to learn how to use a good camera anytime soon xD I need to get one of those wide angle lenses though, that sure would be convenient
Dan says
What you really need is the ability to attach zoom-capable external lenses so that you would have optical zoom capabilities. Unfortunately that’s not currently an option (as far as I know).
Kristin says
They have telephoto lenses if that’s what you mean
Stephanie Craig says
These tips are great too, because even if you love your DSLR, your friends might be taking great pics of you on their phones. With Lightroom and Snapseed, you can make their pictures better before you post them (with their permission, obviously).
Jessica Mercado says
Those tips are really helpful for me. I have no DSLR but I want to take the good quality picture. Now I Use your tips. First time I know about Pixter. I wish It’s work better. Thanks for sharing.
Jordan says
Who knew travel photos could look so good on an Iphone! I probably need to upgrade to do this – but if it means I dont have to care around my lunky DSLR then Im all for it! Thanks for sharing!
Leo Tat says
I bought a cannon for taking good photos but noticed I hesitate taking it out with me due to the bulk. We end up using our iPhones too. My wife’s iPhone 7 camera takes really nice photos, much better than my iPhone 5. The wide angle photo of the Antelope Canyon looks stunning. I’ll need to consider Pixter or something similar before we go on our next holiday.
Kristin says
I still lug mine around most of the time but I agree with you, it’s a lot of extra weight and it’s a lot more conspicuous