Using Your Smartphone Camera For Difficult Photography

 Most smartphone users are familiar with the extraordinary capability of their native camera app. For the vast majority of everyday picture-taking—and even some professional photography as well—smartphones and their camera apps have completely eliminated the need for a separate camera. As smartphones have evolved, so too has the creativity and ingenuity of smartphone users in utilizing the camera app for an increasing variety of photography. Amateur and professional wildlife, extreme sports and travel photographers are increasingly using their smartphones to take pictures. Taking quality pictures at this higher difficulty level requires an increased skill-level and knowledge base on the part of the photographer. Here are a few tips for photographers seeking to use their smartphones to take these kinds of incredible pictures that require a little more know-how than telling a family member to move a little to the left.

Camera Accessories

The folks who design smartphone accessories have noticed the trend towards more extreme picture taking with smart phones. As is to be expected, they’ve responded to the trend with a variety of products that allow photographers to fulfill their artistic visions. Serious smartphone photographers should investigate the variety of cases on the market that protect their phone from extreme elements like heat, cold and water. Some of these cases are even designed specifically to complement and enhance a phone’s native camera app. Under water housings are even available that allow for photographers to take pictures with their smartphones to depths of up to a hundred meters. Extreme sports junkies, travel experts and nature buffs who already understand or want to learn about the possibilities available through smartphone photography may want to seek out the best under water housing for their phone.

Control Your Environment

There are many factors involved in the environment in which you’re taking a picture. In the cases of more extreme photography, there are only so many of these factors that are under your control: you won’t be able to move a lion or a lightning storm. But it’s important to control whatever environmental factors you can. One part of your environment you can often adjust which may not be so obvious at first is yourself. Generally, the closer you can get to a subject the better the photo is going to turn out. Less is more when it comes to what you can see in your camera’s viewfinder. It can be tempting to try and capture the entirety of a breathtaking landscape or all of the different experiences being had by a multitude of people. But remember that within the larger context that you are aware of there are an infinite number of interesting potential photographs. Getting as close as possible and filling the viewfinder with your subject is a great way to capture its essence. You can also manipulate where you position the camera to make sure the subject is off-centered and positioned according to the rule of thirds.

Photo Editing

You can take your photography skills to the next level by familiarizing yourself with the editing tools at your disposal. The native camera apps in your smartphone have built-in editing tools that allow you to crop shots, and change the lighting, coloring and shadowing of the picture, among other things. There are also a variety of apps available that you can import your photos to that provide nearly any editing feature available all from your smartphone. With all of these editing tools so easy to use and so easily accessible, it can be tempting to settle on a particular favorite filter, for example, and utilize it before taking a picture. It is a good general rule to remember to use these editing features after taking your picture. You may not know ahead of time which editing tool will give your picture a boost.

5 Things to Make Sure of Before Boating

Boating is an exciting adventure that is just waiting to happen. You just have to consider some safety rules, and a few other considerations before heading out on the boat. You want to be safe, as well as keeping all of your items safe, while you’re out on the boat. With the right protection and understanding of the safety precautions on the boat, you’re going to have a much better time while hanging out in the hot summer sun.

Does Everyone Have Their Life Jackets?

You want to ensure that everyone takes the proper safety precautions by putting their life jackets on while inside the boat. This is also a law in many areas, and on many bodies of water. You want to check your local regulations for boating safety and what needs to be done prior to heading out. If caught without life jackets, you could face a fine or jail time.

Bring The Necessary Safety Gear With You

This could be everything from alarms to flares, to first aid kits that might be needed while you’re on the boat. Having these items might save you if there is ever an issue. Don’t forget the blow up life boat!

Protect Your Valuables And Electronics

For whatever you’re not going to wear, keep it at home. If you’re bringing your phone with you then consider underwater smartphone cases that are able to protect against water and other items from getting inside your phone. Lock it in place, and you’re even able to take pictures in the water without harming it.

Give The Boat The Once-Over

Make sure that the boat you’re going out on is in the best working condition that it can possibly be in. You want to ensure that nothing is going to break down, that there are no leaks and that it is completely legal in every respect. You want to be prepared and not be stuck out in the open water.

Boats And Alcohol Don't Mix

Have capable drivers and people with you while in the boat. When people have too much to drink then accidents can happen. No one is ever allowed to drive the boat while drinking for this very reason. Make sure everyone is safe by not allowing heavy drinking to happen while on the boat.

When it comes to being on the boat, this should be a good time that you spend with others and make memories. You just don’t want the memories to be bad ones. Protect yourself, everyone going on the trip and of course, the items that you bring along with the proper precautions. Electronics and water tend to not mix very well and you want to be able to capture things on your iPhone, so protection is key. Do your research prior to heading to the boat, a beach or other water area. Protect the life of your phone, but still be able to use it to capture those moments you want to keep forever.

Have fun this summer! 

Phone Accessories For Travelers

Smartphone technology is more advanced than ever before. Our phones now are also our media hubs and financial centers. We can perform nearly all of our daily tasks from the comfort of our homes. Thanks to smartphones, routine travel has never been less necessary. And yet, traveling itself has never been more popular. Just as a record and ever-expanding number of people all over the world have access to the most advanced technology in their smartphone, the accessibility of travel has increased exponentially as well. And of course, folks are bringing their smartphones along for the ride. With the boon of technology at our fingertips, and the range of travel destinations only limited by our imagination (and perhaps outer space - for now!) it appears that smartphones and traveling are a perfect marriage. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most important phone accessories for travelers.

Chargers

When you’re traveling, it can be important to keep your phone charged at all times. Many travelers use the maps application to find their way around foreign and unfamiliar locales. Some travelers, to destinations where they speak another language, rely on translation applications to communicate with the locals; in these cases, having a charged phone is crucial in emergencies—or for things as simple as ordering food. One accessory to be sure to have in your inventory is an extra-long cable. Usually, as a traveler you won’t be familiar ahead of time with the exact spacial dimensions of your accommodations or other facilities where you might charge your phone. Having a long charging cable helps maximize your charging options. Having a 2-meter-long cable is ideal. Some companies even offer a 10-foot cable! If you rely on your smartphone when traveling, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Cases

Because smartphones are such an integral part of the traveling experience, any damage they suffer may have an impact on the entire trip. Beyond simply protecting your phone, many modern smartphone cases do more than just protect your phone. Some companies offer smartphone cases that help charge your phone—in case that idea of a 10-foot cable made you shake your head. These battery-boosting cases can have a Lightning dock connector on the inside and reliably improve your phone’s battery life by more than 50%. Other cases have taken this idea a step further by featuring a detachable battery pack. If your phone has enough juice, you can remove the battery portion (and the bulk that comes with it) leaving only the protective case. These battery attachments to the case usually include a plug that fits into your phone where the end of a charger normally would and they can also improve battery life by more than 50%.

Camera Accessories

Just like the previously discussed case that doubles as a charger, there are also camera accessories that double as cases, providing valuable versatility and room in the suitcase. Some of these cases are waterproof. And some can even allow you to use your smartphone underwater. An iPhone 6 under water housing allows travelers to take pictures while scuba diving, snorkeling, and sailing and can be submerged up to 100 meters, and obviously protects against damage from splashing water and extreme climates. These housings allow total use of the camera's settings, functions, and camera modes, protect the phone , and offer 2 different filters that enhance underwater photography. From boating and diving to surfing and spear fishing, any extreme water sports just got better by being able to capture those awesome underwater vacation moments and breath-taking views.

Not only has traveling never been easier, sharing your travel pictures with friends, family and your own memory bank is now simple, easy and instantaneous. Because of this, picture-taking is often the highlight of the trip for many travelers. And because the camera applications in smartphones have never been better, we see again why our phones and trips are so interconnected. There are camera accessories available that enhance the picture-taking capabilities of the already powerful camera app. There are lenses available, made to fit the iPhone and iPhone 6 Plus as well as other smartphones, that fit over the camera and let you take a wider variety of shots to improve the trip scrapbook: macro, wide-angle and fisheye. With cases that charge your phone, allow for real-life underwater photography, and lenses that improve the camera, smartphones have become a traveler's best friend. The possibilities made accessible to travelers by technology are expanding and it seems their smartphones and smartphone accessories are keeping pace!

How To Take Pictures In Extreme Conditions

Modern technology has made the world a much smaller place. The average person with the right motivation can travel seemingly anywhere in the world. Not only has technology made the most faraway and exotic places more accessible, its made documenting our traveling experiences and sharing them with the world possible almost instantaneously.

While it doesn’t take any special precautions for a traveler in France to take a picture of the Eifel Tower and upload it to their social media platforms, travelers to locales with more inclement weather may want to familiarize themselves with strategies to ensure their camera or smartphone not only isn’t damaged by the elements, but is able to take the highest quality photos and video possible.

Cold Weather

Perhaps the most important thing to be aware of as it relates to using your camera or smartphone in cold weather is the potential for condensation to accumulate. Condensation forms on your camera when you move it from cold weather conditions into a heated house or car. This condensation poses several problems. If it forms, you will need to open the compartments of the camera, take everything out and keep them open until everything is dried out. If it is your smartphone, you’ll simply need to make sure it dries out. If you attempt to bring your camera or phone back outside in freezing conditions, the condensation that may still be present on the equipment may freeze and damage or completely break the device.

One solution to this problem involves a simple plastic bag. Before transporting camera or phone from one temperature to another, place it in a plastic bag. This ensures that any condensation will form on the bag and not on your equipment.

Extreme Heat

Extreme cases of heat will impact the functioning of your phone or camera. High temperatures damage the internal components of the device which can cause data loss and can even in extreme cases cause batteries to explode. Most modern digital cameras and smartphones have a warning screen—that you may have seen if you’ve ever left your phone in a hot car—well before this happens to let you know to move your equipment to a cooler location.

If you’re a professional or amateur photographer, though, moving your equipment to a cooler location may risk losing the perfect shot or perfect footage. For these folks, several companies have begun to offer thermally-protective cases, some specifically for smartphones, that protect it from extreme heat. Some cases even provide dual protection against both extreme heat and extreme cold.

Water

Waterproof smartphone cases are certainly considered an important innovation by anyone who has ever had to cover their phone in rice. Waterproof cameras are also a necessity for any trip that may involve a pool or water activity.

But more extreme image-capturing capabilities are offered to travelers interested in the possibility of taking pictures and video underwater. Of course, professional photographers working for travel and nature magazines have been able to capture underwater photographs for years; but these days, many recreational photographers—and even those same professional photographers—are taking advantage of cases that allow users to capture underwater images with their smartphones. These cases, called underwater smartphone housings, fit around smartphones and allow travelers, photographers, divers and water sports enthusiasts to utilize all the advanced functionality of their smartphone cameras at water depths down to a hundred meters.

It seems to be only a matter of time before we’re scrolling through pictures of our friends’ freeze dried feasts as they vacation in orbit!