We have made some pretty incredible advances in smart phone photography technology in the recent years! Smart phones can produce photographs that are just as incredible as pictures taken with a heavy-duty camera.
So, whether your only camera is an iPhone or your advanced camera unexpectedly dies midway on an African safari tour, you’ll be fully prepared to take some epic safari photographs with these tips:
Keep your phone from shaking: On any African safari tour in the bush, you’re going to get a bumpy ride. That’s why having a tripod that grips can be such a useful tool to help keep your phone steady and ready to take incredible wildlife photography. You can attach the tripod to the side of your game vehicle and snap away. Just remember that you should always check with your driver to ensure he / she is ok with you attaching the tripod to the side of the vehicle. Also, if that tripod falls off the vehicle, you’re likely out of luck and won’t get it back. So be sure to be very cautious when using the tripod on safari.
We like the JOBY GripTight GorillaPod Video Tripod and Mount for iPhone:
Image above of the JOBY GripTight GorillaPod Video Tripod and Mount for iPhone, from Apple.com
Make edits right from your phone: One of my all time favorite photo editing apps for the iPhone is VSCO. You can lighten, darken, sharpen, and crop photos, as well as adjust the color saturation, clarity, color temperature, and much more. It’s as if you’re using Photoshop software straight from your phone (and without the training!). You can also add different color filters – so play around and see what works!
Tap the area on your phone you want the focus on: Let’s say you want to take a picture of a dung beetle at work, and there is a lot of straw and grass around the dung beetle, so your phone can’t figure out where to focus. Just tap where the dung beetle is on your screen and your phone will adjust to focus on the dung beetle. Snap your shot and voila! A gorgeous photo for your mantle . . . 🙂
Take food pictures without the flash: You are going to love the food on safari! And, if you’re a big foodie, you might even want to take some pictures of your cuisine. Be sure to leave the flash OFF when taking pictures of food. A flash can create highlights that make food look . . . well . . . less than appetizing.
Upgrade your phone: For the best photographs from your iPhone, you’ll want to update it to the newest version. So, if you are still rocking the iPhone 4 or lower, consider purchasing the newest version for the very best camera quality.
