How To Take Amazing Landscape Photos Using Phone's Camera
Whether you use an iPhone or Android phone, we've got the top tips for taking better landscape photos.
The latest crop of phones like the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, OnePlus 7 Pro or Google Pixel 4 have cameras on board that can snag the sort of beautiful photographs you'd normally expect to see coming from pricey DSLRs. I've already put the iPhone 11 Pro to the test on a road trip around Scotland and was amazed by the results I could get.
In this guide, I'm going to take you through how to take landscape photos with your phone, whether you're heading into the rural countryside or deep into the heart of the mountains. While some of the tips apply to recent handsets with multiple lens options, many are relevant whether your phone is three months or three years old, Apple or Android.
Get your gear
While of course you can take great landscape photos with just your phone, there are some extra bits of kit that could help you snag something really special.
Clip-on phone lensesIf your phone doesn't have a built-in wide-angle mode (as you'll find on the iPhone 11 ($699 at Amazon) series or Galaxy S10 Plus), you should take a look at Moment's range of clip-on phone lenses, available for all recent iPhones, Galaxy phones, Pixels and OnePlus phones. They're made from high-quality glass, and the wide-angle lens lets you capture an amazing, sweeping vista in a way that's simply not possible with the standard view on your camera.
Filter adapters for your phone Moment also makes filter adapters for screw-in 62mm filters, such as polarizers, which can help reduce reflections on water or boost the blues in the sky. Filter adapters also let you use professional-quality square Lee Filters, which slide into a holder connected to the adapter via a 62mm adapter ring. They're something I normally use on my Canon 5D Mk4 and can make all the difference in turning an image from a simple snap into a professional-looking work of art. Of particular importance are the graduated neutral density filters, which selectively darken only the top half of the image -- making it perfect for bringing those bright skies under control when you're shooting wide landscapes.
Portable phone charger A portable phone charger is also a great idea if you're going out hiking into the wilderness and plan on shooting all day. I use the Anker PowerCore 20,100, which has enough juice to recharge my phone several times over -- perfect for a weekend in the hills when power points may be scarce.
Outdoor wear Finally, don't underestimate the importance of correct clothing. If you're hiking into the hills for your photographs, sturdy boots are essential to avoid a twisted ankle as you clamber over loose ground. I use the North Face Hedgehog Trek boots (now updated to the Hedgehog FastPack boots), which are sturdy enough to tackle any of the UK's hills and also have the benefit of being waterproof, meaning I don't return home with soaking wet, freezing cold feet. Speaking of which, a good waterproof coat is a must if you want to keep the elements at bay, and a lightweight, packable midlayer -- like the Arc'Teryx Cerium SL down jacket -- is great to keep stuffed in your bag in case the temperature starts to drop.
Sort your phone camera settings
Your phone is probably capable of taking a cracking landscape photo in its default auto mode, but let's take things a bit further.
If your phone has a "pro" mode that gives you manual control of settings, switch into that. If it doesn't, apps like Moment, Lightroom or MuseCam let you take control of settings like ISO, shutter speed and white balance.
Crucially, these apps also let you shoot in raw format. Raw images don't save many of the automatic camera settings that your phone would normally apply to a jpeg image, such as white balance or sharpening. The result is an image that lets you change the white balance, alter colour tones and rescue detail from the highlights and shadows much more easily -- and with less image degradation -- than you can do from a simple JPEG. I'll come back to this more in the editing section below.
In landscapes, altering white balance is often crucial. Being able to tone down some of the highlights from a bright sky or bring up the shadows in the foreground is important, and being able to alter your white balance after you've taken the shot gives you much more flexibility in your editing (particularly those occasions when you want to warm up the tones in a beautiful sunset, for example).
The downside to shooting in raw is that your images will need some work in an editing app like Lightroom or Snapseed before you can share them. Photographing landscapes is often a slower, more methodical process, and spending time in editing is all part of the experience of crafting a beautiful image.
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