Say Cheese! Adventures in Outdoor Photography

One of the first digital pictures of our hiking trips, Mt. LeConte 2003

To anyone that knows me, it is very obvious that I am the lead planner/instigator in these outdoor shenanigans, but in addition I have also become the primary photographer for most of my trips. As soon as we get back, everyone wants to see the pictures. Especially in today's social media world, if you don't take pictures, what's the point? Joking aside, I really treasure my outdoor trip portfolio. Good pictures not only help you re-live the trip, but share it with others that were not there.  Even before social media and digital cameras, we always got "doubles" printed at Wal-Mart, and passed them around.

In reality, taking pictures in some of these conditions can be difficult. And typically the more difficult the situation is, the better the photo op. I am by no means an expert, but over many years of slinging off my pack or frantically digging through a cargo pocket for my camera when a good shot arose, I have developed a few ideas.

1) Your phone is the best and worst camera you have. Our phone cameras have become awesome. I remember when I first saw the first grainy pictures and video shot with a flip phone. I remember thinking, "The quality is so crappy. What is the point?" Today, we literally all walk around with the some of the best photography equipment in existence in our pocket. The only pieces that are missing are good optics. However; when it comes to outdoor photography, the main problem with a phone camera is that it is attached to your phone. Your phone costs about $800 to replace. I don't care what kind of LifeProof or OtterBox case you have, if you drop it in a river or off a mountain, it is gone, forever. Also, the money part aside, a working phone can very well save your life in an emergency. My usual rules with phones in the back country are to keep them fully charged, turned off, and well protected. It would be extremely unfortunate if you desperately needed rescuing and your phone GPS died early because you spent too much time Instagraming. And even a third negative for using a phone is that I have never really seen many good tripod attachments, which are usually necessary for group shots.

Now, sometimes I do take my phone only for shorter day hikes. But if it is going to involve a longer time, involve water, or bad weather, it is better to leave them in your pack.   

2) The worst pictures are the ones you don't take, so you need to be able to get to your camera. Most of the time, it really is a pain to dig out a camera, but it is always worth it when you can make it work. My main camera on most trips for almost 10 years or so has been a Canon Powershot Digital Elph. It's just a small digital camera with a really good optical zoom. The downside is that it is not water proof or resistant at all and I really have to keep it in a case and inside a plastic bag to protect it. That makes it quite a chore to dig it out. With my new found hobby of river trips, I decided that I had to get something that I could take pictures with and not worry about getting wet. There are a ton of Go-Pro clones out there, but I choose a Lightdow HD. For $29 off Amazon, it came with the case and all the attachments. I am still experimenting with it, but I like it so far. It fits right in the pocket of my life jacket. I will still carry the Canon for some shots on the "big mountain" trips, but I really think I am going to like the convenience of the little knock off Go-Pro.

Say hello to my little friend!

3) Scale is everything. Pictures of mountains or anything at a distance will never even get close to doing it justice unless you get something in the foreground for scale. It doesn't matter if it is a person, a rock, or a tree branch, you need something to give the main subject depth and scale. Even though you obviously can't control them, clouds make a big difference as well. A mountain overlook with low hanging clouds or even swirling fog banks will make a much better shot than a blue clear sky ever will.

I would like to take credit, but on this early November trip in 2008 near Chattanooga, it was impossible to take a bad picture.

4) Fall foliage is really hard. No matter how good we think our cameras are, they don't come close to capturing what our eyes can. There have been more fall trips than I can count where I thought, "The colors are great. I bet I get some great shots." Then when I got home and really looked at the pictures they almost looked like they were either shot in summer or winter. To get good fall pictures, you have to not only hit the absolute peak time of the color for the trees around you (example, if you are surrounded by oaks, October won't work. If you are surrounded in hickories and maples, November won't work), but you have to hit the perfect light conditions as well. A cloudy morning or afternoon are the best. The more direct sunlight, the less likely the pictures will turn out.

This is a good example of needing to be in the right place. The fall colors only show in the right trees in the right light (October, Appalachian Trail).

5) A person will never act natural if they see you.  I love good action shots. If you line it up right, you also get a good subject to bring scale to the environment as well as capture what you are actually doing vs. posed shots. But you pretty much have to take the picture when no one is looking. That is why good action shots are from behind or above.

This image of me on of Longs Peak only looks slightly more terrifying because there is something to scale the ridiculousness to.

Anyway, with digital photography you can experiment as much as you want, and the more you experiment, the more you learn. When the moment comes though, you want to be ready. There is the old story of how Sir Edmund Hillary explained why most of the shots on the summit of Everest were of Tenzing Norgay (the Sherpa that was with Hillary)...."I wasn't sure if Tenzing knew how to work a camera. And the summit of Everest was not a good place to learn."