Nature Photography With Smartphones

If you are like me, you are always trying to think of ways to improve your nature photography. And there are so many new and different techniques to use when shooting wildlife and nature. In addition to that, you can change the entire look of your images by learning new skills in post-processing or by purchasing a lens in a different focal length, or maybe even a camera body that has the capability of high-speed shooting, etc.

But just recently a situation presented itself that reminded me of a very important lesson about how to improve my photography skills and it didn't require that I spend a single dollar on additional equipment or training.

Here is what happened - I was shooting a sunset on Captiva island and thought I had gotten all the shots that I wanted. So I packed up my tripod and digital camera and headed back to the car. After packing my gear away, I looked back at the sky and as often happens, it had opened up and unexpectedly bold colors were shining through from the sunset. At the same time, a small group of people just happened to be taking a walk down the beach by the spot where my car was parked.

I could quickly see that a really nice shot was shaping up, but it would most likely be gone by the time that I unloaded all my gear and got set up again. So what to do? Well, I don't usually think of using my smartphone camera for nature shots, but it occurred to me that at this point it was my only option. Within just a few seconds it was in my hands and the image was taken.

What is the lesson to be learned here? Simply that even the most expensive and high quality gear won't help get the shot you want if you don't have them with you or can't get them set up and ready for the shot in time. But I usually carry my smartphone almost everywhere, and you probably do as well. And modern smartphones are capable of very good photographs too, much better than the quality of phone photos that we used to take. So get familiar with your smartphone camera and how to use it easily and quickly, because you never know when it may be the only way to get the image that you want.

Here is the shot I took with my smartphone that day:

Beachgoers taking a walk on the beach during sunset on Captiva island 

So don't be a camera snob! Keep your smartphone handy just in case.

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See my latest nature and wildlife images at:
www.duanelipham.com
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