5 Tips for Taking photos on your phone while hiking

By: Jacalyn Meyvis from Jacalyn Meyvis Photography | May 2018

1. Straighten your horizons.

This can easily be done by turning on the grid in your camera settings. While taking your photo, align the horizon with the grid lines on your screen. You can also tweak this while editing. For example, sunset photos shouldn't be crooked. 

2. Use the Rule of Thirds.

This is where the grid comes in again. The Rule of Thirds is a general photography guideline where you place important elements on or near the intersecting lines of the grid. It is more pleasing to the eye to compose your photo this way. If this sounds confusing, give it a quick google search and it should make more sense! 

3. What is your focus?

What is the element your taking a photo of? Are there any distracting elements in your frame? Can you move your feet to remove it from the frame, or wait for the person to walk by before you take the photo? 

4. Don't over edit.

I like photos to look like reality, what your eyes see, or even slightly enhanced. Use those filters on the very low setting or none at all! Tweak the other elements instead of adding a filter such as exposure, contrast, and saturation etc. Less is more! 

5. Be conscious of the amount of time spent on your phone while in nature.

A few photos is cool but don't over do it! We all need to unplug more often and this is the perfect time to do so.