You Don’t Need Fancy Camera Gear To Take A Good Photo - Isaac Yee ‘24

Outdoor and adventure photography can often seem like an activity reserved only for those that can afford it, however, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need expensive camera gear to take amazing photos in cool places. As an avid trail runner, I often find myself in the most amazing landscapes whilst out on long runs in the mountains without my camera gear. I’ve shot countless sunrises, sunsets, rainstorms, and snowstorms with my iPhone all of which have helped me capture visual memories of places I would have otherwise forgotten.

There are, however, several tricks that have helped me close the quality gap between iPhone and DSLR pictures. For the most part, I treat iPhone photography the same way I’d treat photography with my regular camera. I use leading lines to draw attention to the focus of my image and manually adjust exposure and shutter speed to create balanced images. I also use the Adobe Lightroom Camera and Editing app on my iPhone to capture and edit images. The app is free and allows users to manually adjust camera settings that most native camera apps don’t allow.  

Outdoor photography with your phone is as simple or complicated as you make it. Whenever I pull out my phone and take a shot of a cool landscape or animal, my goal is to capture a memory and not to win a Pulitzer. So next time you’re out adventuring just remember “The best camera, is the one with you!”

All photos below were taken on an iPhone. They were mostly taken and edited within the Lightroom App, though some were taken using the regular iPhone camera app.

All images were taken on the land of the Diné Bikéyah, Cheyenne, Pueblos, Ngāi Tahu, and Ute Peoples.