Take Photos like a Pro – Right from your Phone!

Take Photos like a Pro – Right from your Phone! on Where Rockies

Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

Advice on Where Rockies Onlin

The Canadian Rockies provide a stunning backdrop for any photographs, but capturing their beauty can be hard without the right equipment. Did you know you can capture stunning photos of this impressive landscape, right on your smartphone? Here are the best  mountain photography tips for your phone, from professional photographer Sanjay Chauhan.

1. Know your Light

In photography, good light is everything! Try facing your subject where the light is coming from and avoid harsh noon light. The light right before and after sunrise and sunset, soft and even light, or the light on cloudy days are great opportunities to get the best shots.

Light playing on the mountains in Lake Louise. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

Use the light and shadows to create dramatic shots. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

2. Focus on your Subject

You want to get your focus right to avoid your subject looking blurred. You can do this while in the camera app, tap on the screen where you want the focus to be and a yellow box will appear to show where the camera is focusing. You can also adjust the exposure (image brightness) by swiping up or down on the screen. Swipe up to make the image brighter. Or swipe down to make it darker.

Focus shot of a husky puppy from Snowy Owl Dogsledding taken with a phone by Sanjay Chauhan

Focus on your subject to get the best shot. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

3. Consider your Perspective

Don’t just point and shoot. There are many ways to make a scene look exciting. You can find leading lines that lead to the subject or include an interesting foreground to give your scene some depth.

Using a foreground, like the hockey players in this photo, is one of the great photography tips for your phone by Sanjay Chauhan

Use a foreground to add depth to a photo. The hockey players on the bench give perspective to the image. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

4. Embrace the Clouds

You can get some beautiful soft light on overcast days. The clouds act like a giant softbox, so don't be afraid to go out and photograph!

Sanjay Chauhan takes advantage of the soft light of the clouds over the pond hockey classic in his photography tips for your phone series

Use the clouds like a giant softbox. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

5. Experiment with Reflections 

Reflections are great to make a scene look interesting. You can either find a calm body of water, a small puddle, or a reflective surface to make it happen. If you find a small puddle of water, hold your phone upside down and almost touching the water to get perfect reflections! This also works if you find a glass railing or a reflective metal surface.

6. Daytime Long Exposures

One of the most underrated features of an iPhone is Live photos! You can take pictures of a moving car or a waterfall with Live photo on, swipe up on the image, pick long exposure and you can see the image turn into a long exposure!

7. Use Burst Mode for Action Shots

The best way to capture action shots is with Burst Mode because it allows you to capture multiple shots as your subject moves. Just keep your finger pressed down on the shutter button while the subject moves through the scene. Once you've taken a set of burst photos, you can then select the best shots from the action sequence

Hockey Players at the Pond Hockey Classic in Lake Louise captured using burst mode on a smartphone as part of Sanjay Chauhan's series on photography tips for your phone

Burst Mode allows you to get that puck in the perfect place! Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

Skater stopping and spraying snow to the camera in this shot by Sanjay Chauhan for the photography tips for your phone series

With Burst Mode, you can capture the action, and select the perfect shot. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

8. Use Grids to Take Straight Pictures

Turning on gridlines in your camera settings is a great way to make sure your horizon and any lines (buildings, trees, etc) are level.

Close up of a husky's blue eyes taken with a smartphone by Sanjay Chauhan

Take a level image with the gridlines on your phone. Photo by Sanjay Chauhan

 

You are now armed with the best photography tips for your phone. All of the photos in this piece were taken on an iPhone 11 Pro at the annual Lake Louise Pond Hockey Classic at the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and with Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours.

For more information on taking photos with your phone, check out this amazing resource by Apple, or stop by any of their stores. In the Canadian Rockies, you can get photography advice from these local sources.

To see more of Sanjay Chauhan's work, follow him on Instagram or check out his website.

Whererockies with tips and photographs from Sanjay Chauhan