What Are You Using To Take Such Amazing Pictures?

I get asked this question a lot. And to be honest I almost feel like I’m cheating. I use two different cameras- I use my cell phone which is an iPhone12. My “real” camera, which I call my “fancy camera”, is a Sony A6000 mirrorless camera.

Because my Sony A6000 is mirrorless, it is a very lightweight camera. I’ve currently got 3 lenses that I use with my camera. The one that comes with the basic camera is a 16-50mm lens and is great for wide angle shots. The original package that I bought also included a 55-210mm lens. This lens is not very heavy and I can carry it hiking if I expect to see wildlife or will want to zoom in on something. Recently I purchased a Sigma 150-600 e-mount lens which is very heavy but has allowed me to zoom from quite a distance and get some great wildlife shots.

If you’re looking for a “fancy camera”, I’ve been very pleased with my Sony A6000.

Now let’s talk about the iPhone pics. We all know that our phones can take some phenomenal pictures. Here are my tips on how to make the most of your phone pics:

1. Try different heights. Take one from the ground level and one from your height- see what you like best.

2. Touch the screen to focus or change the lighting. Especially when photographing people.

3. Change your aperture setting. What??? An iPhone can do that? Yep. When it’s a little dark outside, you can adjust the amount of time the shutter is open to allow more light!

4. Try standing in a shadow versus standing in the sun. The sun tends to add a haze over the pictures and I tend to get much clearer ones when I’ve got some protection against the sun.

5. Use Pano mode vertically instead of horizontally. This gives you a more complete background!

And now- I’ve saved the best tip for last…

6. Use the Lightroom App! I currently only use the free version on my iphone. Under “effects” I use “dehaze”, “clarity” or “texture”. This basically “corrects” the photo and allows a more natural version of what I’m really seeing with my eyes.

I hope these tips are helpful to you and that you get some great shots on your next adventures!