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Tips for Nature Shots on Your Phone

Date : 12 June 2024

Nature Photography Day was created in 2006 by The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). This day aims to encourage people to learn and enjoy capturing the beauty of nature through their cameras.

Photography can be quite intimidating for beginners, even more so with nature photography. So, we’ve gathered some tips from seasoned photographic artist, Jo Bradford, author of “Smart Phone, Smart Photography”.

SmartPhone Nature Photography Tips from Jo Bradford:

(adapted from Jo Bradford’s articleHow to Use a Smartphone for Nature Photography)

  1. Invert Your Camera 

“Nature and wildlife come in all shapes and sizes. Smaller flowers, insects, and animals are often missed as our eyes are drawn to the bigger, more attention-grabbing subjects around us.”

Bradford advises to rotate your phone 180 degrees so that the phone lens is at the bottom of the phone, rather than at the top. This technique makes your smaller subjects more prominent, without having to use a close zoom camera lens.

  1. Macro Lens Attachments 

“Using a macro lens attachment with your smartphone will allow you to achieve the shallow depth of field you might get with a DSLR. This works particularly well with flowers, where you might want to make a single flower stand out from its background.”

When taking nature photographs, don't forget to take advantage of the impressive macro settings available on newer phone models' native lenses. Bradford advises that using the macro lens setting works well for insects too. She further advises to be patient and persevere if you accidentally scare them off as they will settle close by, allowing you to try the shot again.

  1. Should I Zoom? 

“Although all smartphone cameras have optical zoom functionality of one kind or another, many fail to deliver in this area. This can feel really limiting when photographing wildlife at a distance.”

To overcome this challenge, consider using a telephoto lens or making use of the natural leading lines in your surroundings. Look for watercourses, lanes, paths, tree and fence lines, or changes in the landscape to creatively guide the viewer's eye to your background subject. Additionally, take full advantage of the freedom of being in nature by physically positioning yourself closer to your subject. Embrace the opportunity to explore and consider going for a hike!

  1. Multiple Images with Burst Mode 

“Your smartphone, like any other camera, has a burst mode. Use it to capture multiple images in quick succession. Through this, you can increase your chances of capturing the perfect image of a bird in full flight with its wings extended, or a bounding deer as it leaps, fully stretched, across your composition.”

  1. Time to Edit 

“The next logical step in using your smartphone for photographs is using your smartphone to edit the images. There are various apps available that let you do just this.”

These apps can improve your image composition with their crop tools, light-altering abilities, and improve contrast amongst many other editing capabilities. Bradford shares that her favourite app for photo editing is Snapseed, however, there are many others to choose from to suit your requirements.

One last tip from Jo Bradford 

“Remember to tap to focus!”

Charge Your Next Photographic Journey with Eveready 

The worst thing that could happen to a photographer, whether amateur or professional, is missing a perfect shot because their phone or camera has no battery power. Be sure to keep your Eveready chargers and batteries at the ready for moments that last forEveready.