The Power of Mobile Photography for Adventure Travel

Welcome to a thrilling new episode of Travel and Adventure Photography School! In this captivating installment, host Robert Massey takes you on an exhilarating journey into the fascinating world of mobile photography.

Unlock the potential of your smartphone as Robert shares invaluable tips, tricks, and must-have accessories to elevate your adventure photography game. Discover why mobile photography is a game-changer for capturing stunning moments on the go, and learn how to harness the power of your smartphone to tell compelling stories through your images.

From the advantages and disadvantages of mobile photography to essential apps and accessories, this episode covers it all. Get ready to explore the incredible possibilities of mobile photography and embark on unforgettable adventures with your trusty smartphone by your side.

Ready to take your photography to new heights? Tune in now and join the adventure!

**Featured Apps and Products:**

1. **Lightroom Mobile**: Enhance your photos with powerful editing tools and presets. 

3. **PlanIt!**: Plan your photo shoots with precision using augmented reality features and location scouting tools.

4. **Moment Mobile Photography Starter Kit**: Elevate your mobile photography with essential accessories including wide lenses, thin cases, ND filters, and lens pens. 

5. **Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger**: Keep your smartphone charged on the go with this compact and powerful portable charger.

6. **Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod**: Achieve stable shots and precise positioning with this versatile and compact tripod.

7. **Joby GorillaPod Mobile Rig**: Capture steady photos and videos in any environment with this flexible and lightweight tripod. 

8. **Waterproof Phone Case**: Protect your phone from water, dust, and shock while capturing stunning images in extreme conditions. 

Don't miss out on this exciting episode filled with actionable tips and inspiring insights. Subscribe to Travel and Adventure Photography School now and start your journey to becoming a master of mobile photography!

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Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
How's it going everybody.

(00:01):
Welcome back to the travel andadventure photography school
podcast.
As always I'm your host forRobert Massey.
And today we're embarking on anexhilarating journey into the
dynamic realm of mobilephotography for your adventures.
In this episode, we're digginginto how and why you should be
using your phone to capture youradventures and why you don't

(00:23):
always necessarily need to takethat big mirrorless or big DSLR
with you and how your mobilecamera can actually be one of
the most powerful tools in yourcreative kit.
So we're gonna explore thosemultifaceted aspects of mobile
photography.
Look at its advantages, theobvious disadvantages and those
accessories and ideas and toolsthat you can use to help make

(00:44):
your mobile photography happen.
All right.
I am absolutely thrilled to haveyou accompany me on this
immersive exploration of mobilephotography.
As passionate explorers andstorytellers.
We understand the intrinsicvalue of preserving our most
cherished memories, our mostcherished moments.
And.
Those moments that happen justwhile you're out there.

(01:06):
And while you don't necessarilyhave your big camera with you,
whether that's because you justwent out for a walk or because
you're doing something big andyou didn't want that extra
weight with you.
There's all sorts of times andmoments where you just will have
your smartphone on you.
And that doesn't mean you can'tcreate incredible art out of
your adventures.
Let's get going.
I'm not going to waste your timeby talking about why mobile

(01:27):
photography is a valid way tocreate your art and to capture
photographs in your videos.
That's a waste of everybody'stime.
But I'm going to talk just alittle bit about the different
types of phones and theirimportance.
So the typical adage is.
It's not about the gear.
It's not about the camera youhave the lens you have or
anything like that, which istrue to a point.
I think all of us who capturephotos for a living understand,

(01:49):
we can create great photos witha lot of.
Different types of equipment,but it sure gets a lot easier.
And those images get a lotprettier when you have better
gear.
And that's the same with mobilephotography.
Because honestly the type ofsmartphone you wheeled can
significantly impact.
What you are capturing.
Flagship models like the iPhone15 pro the Samsung galaxy ultra.

(02:11):
The Google pixel pretty much anyof those higher end phones.
Boost phenomenal camera systemswith multiple lenses, multiple
optical zoom options.
Computational photography.
Algorithms advanced low-lightperformance, all sorts of.
Amazing photographic features.
That you really need to be ableto capture adventures on the go.

(02:34):
And I'd say even more so thanthe difference between a low end
DSLR and a high end DSLR.
The difference between a low endmobile camera and a high-end
mobile camera.
Insane.
Absolutely insane.
That's partly because at leastwhen you buy a low end camera,
you're still buying a camerastills.
The sensor still has all thosekinds of fun pieces in it.

(02:54):
When you're buying a low endmobile phone.
One of the ways that they'recutting costs to keep that phone
down is by taking out all thosefun photography features, all
those advanced photographyfeatures that we really love
having a kind of need to havewhile we're on the go.
So that's one of the places thatyou can't really skip out on.
You can certainly create reallycool photos.

(03:15):
I just saw an entire galleryshow that someone wanted to show
this, that we don't need toalways be upgrading our
equipment and they shoteverything they had on an iPhone
4.
And it was all amazing.
And it was kind of just showingthat if you have the time and
the energy and the effort andthe intelligence and the
artistic skill, you can makeanything out of this, but they
were in a perfect setting.
They were shooting portraits ina studio.

(03:36):
With lights and everything elsethat you could possibly need.
Because we are travel andadventure, photographers and
videographers and creatives.
We are on the go.
We are flying through things.
We don't have the advantage ofsetting up light all the time of
being in perfect lightingconditions or anything like
that.
So, this is one of thoseinstances where.
Having one of those flagshipdevices really offers you that

(03:58):
plethora of creative tools andfunctionalities that you need to
unleash your artistic vision.
Elevate your photography.
That all being said, you reallydo need to understand your
mobile phones, inherentstrengths and limitations.
And what you can and can't dowith it, just like you would
your regular camera to reallyget the most out of it.

(04:19):
And as always, you can takereally cool photos in great
spots.
But without a story behind themand emotion behind them or a
meaning behind them, it's just apretty photo.
And when you're doing travel andadventure work, you really want
to elevate that.
So you can really do that withyour mobile phone.
All right.
There are a myriad of advantagesto mobile photography expecially

(04:40):
amongst us adventures.
At the forefront as always.
It's that unparalleledconvenience.
Our smartphones are a presencein our daily life.
I'm sure mine's just sitting onthe desk if I was to reach out
it's probably use within anarm's reach right now.
And I'm sure that's the same forpretty much all of us.
In fact, I think I have twophones sitting on my desk right

(05:01):
now.
And that's just, that's the waythey are.
They are a part of our every daylife.
They accompany us on pretty muchevery adventure, every bit of
travel everywhere we go.
And so they are really poised tocapture things at a moment's
notice.
But beyond convenience.
Honestly, modern smartphonesboast an array of sophisticated

(05:21):
camera technologies that canrival DSLRs, especially those
original models.
In their prowess.
There's really high resolutionsensors out there.
There's advanced auto focussystems.
With computational photographybeing added in there.
And there's some really amazingdynamic range that's being added
to some of those sensors.
So you can actually recoverquite a bit from the shadows and

(05:42):
the highlights.
Obviously not as much as youwould with high-end flagship,
Sonys and canons and Nikons, butyou can do a lot given it's a
little tiny sensor inside of aphone.
And beyond that your editing isbuilt right in.
Which is an amazing thing to beable to just pop, open an app on
your phone, like lightroommobile or whatever, and just

(06:05):
start editing and be done thatphoto and finish it entirely
from start to finish.
Right on the device thatcaptured it.
Which is such a huge advantagein my eyes, especially if you're
traveling and you've gone for anice long hike and you've got a
two hour drive back and someoneelse's driving, you can actually
sit in the back of the car.
Pull up on your phone, selectthe photos you shot, edit them
right then and there.

(06:25):
Turn them around and upload themstraight into wherever you want
to send them.
If it's to your friends, intotheir phones, if it's to
Instagram or if it's onto yourwebsite, whatever it is that
you're doing, you can turn thatall around without having to
upload a card, wait for them toprocess.
Decide on all the little tinypieces.
It's just right there in frontof you.
It's much more tactile too,which is one of my favorite

(06:45):
things about editing on a phoneor on an iPad.
Is that.
It's very tactile.
I don't really necessarily loveediting with a mouse or even
with one of the tablets that youcan draw on and see what's
happening on the screen, butit's not happening underneath
your fingers.
So I really love that when Iwant to brush a photo.
I can just brush it with mythumb.
I can just brush right acrossthe screen.

(07:06):
I can tap on what I want tochange.
I can move things aroundeverything.
Is done with my hands and thatis.
Such a brilliant way to buildthings artistically.
And it really helps me get intothose photos.
And I find being on my computer,not doing that as much, and I
don't dig around as much.
It's not as much fun to edit onthere.
So.
Phones have that huge advantagein my eyes of just being a more
fun device to edit on.

(07:29):
Now, all of that being said,there are also a ton of
disadvantages to our mobilephotography, and it's crucial
that we acknowledge these.
There are those inherentlimitations around sensor size.
That you just can't get the samekind of depth of field or even
the same dynamic range that youcan in full frame or micro four
thirds or crop sensor sensors.

(07:50):
Smaller sensors, inherentlycapture less light.
They can have a slightly lessimage quality, particularly in
low light environments.
They don't give us quite as muchflexibility for blowing up
images and making them bigger orgetting detail when you really
want to make a nice, big, hugeprint.
So it really limits us in thesize of images we can produce.
Algorithms and AI are reallyhelping us be able to blow those

(08:12):
images up better.
But.
There's still not quite thesame, those computational
algorithms still just, aren'tquite there to really get big,
beautiful images.
I also find that, well, you cango into manual on a lot of
smartphones, especially ifyou're downloading secondary
shooting apps.
That it's still really clunkyand really difficult to change

(08:32):
your settings on the fly.
I was a sports photographer foryears, and it was incredibly
helpful for me to be able tochange my settings.
As things were happening in thegame and to change what it was
that I was shooting.
And it was just a lot moreseamless of an experience using
a proper camera.
So those granular controls thatare offered on our DSLRs and our
mirrorless is.

(08:53):
They just aren't there on mobilephotography and that's okay.
We just have to adapt as we'reshooting and how we shoot.
For me, there's also a strugglein getting different looks and
different feels.
I really love shooting on reallylong lenses.
I like 200 and 300 and 400millimeter lenses.
And replicating that feeling andthat style on even flagship

(09:14):
phones just.
Isn't quite there yet.
Digital zoom still not evenclose in my eyes as there is to
like those big optical zooms andoptical zooms.
Good.
But I don't feel like they'renearly as good as the standard
lens on pretty much any mobilephone I've used.
So those limitations aroundzooming and around just the
quality of those lenses that areon there are definitely still

(09:37):
really prevalent.
And really the one other thingthat is a huge downfall to me to
mobile photography is actuallyone that's really easy to be
solved, but because it's meantto be capturing on the go and.
Capturing as we're runninggunning things is actually that
I have a tendency to forget, toclean my lenses.
I will do that really frequentlywhen I'm out with my proper

(09:57):
camera, but I was out for atrail run this morning was
running up tunnel mountain andgot to the top.
And there was this really coollooking snow storm that was
happening up there.
Actually the town was visible,but there was just snow blowing
everywhere and I just whipped mycamera and started shooting and
then realized that was in apocket that I was just running.
It was a little bit sweaty and alittle bit dirty.
And so I went and I cleaned thelenses and I went back in a shot

(10:19):
again.
And just inherently because ofwhere we put our smartphones in
our pockets and into runningvests and just anywhere
basically.
We tend to have a lot more dirton those lenses than we realize,
and we tend to just pull ourphones out and just start
shooting.
And if you don't think aboutcleaning those lenses off, when
you start shooting.
That can cause a huge problem.

(10:41):
You can look back and see thatyou've missed an entire section
of photos or an entireadventure.
Because of a speck of dust onthat lens.
So.
Cleaning them is one that'seasily solvable, but not one
that always processes through myhead.
So it was actually a bigdisadvantage to me.
All right.
Some meat and potatoes pieces todelving into mastering your
adventure, photography armedonly with your smartphone.

(11:02):
So imagine gearing up for yournext amazing expedition.
And not having to bring or nothaving the ability to bring
along another camera.
It is just your phone.
So take each step slowly here,so you can fully capture and
think about how you would takein each one of these steps and
how you apply on them for aphotography expedition.

(11:23):
I would fully suggest if you'rereally interested, you really
want to.
Ingrain this into you.
Start writing out pieces, startthinking about each of these
pieces as we go through theseseven steps.
Of basically how you can thinkand plan and use your mobile
phone in the field to capture anadventure.
All right.
Step one.
It's really convenient for thisis getting into the right
mindset.

(11:44):
Adventure photography is as muchof a mindset as it is about
technical skill.
It's really about immersingyourself in the moment, feeling
the pulse of excitement andembracing that unpredictability
of the adventure ahead of you.
This should happen before youeven set foot out on the trail.
You want to immerse yourself inthe mindset of.

(12:06):
Being in that adventure.
And also only having yoursmartphone, don't start thinking
like, oh, maybe I can use thatwide angle.
Maybe I could use that fish eyeor whatever it's going to be.
Think only.
That you will have yoursmartphone, get yourself set in
that idea and then startplanning your shots.
Let's say that you're going onthis epic rock climbing
adventure.

(12:26):
Visualize the shots.
You want to capture.
Maybe it's that determinationetched on your friend's face as
they reach for the next hold.
The adrenaline coursing throughyour veins as you make your
ascent.
Maybe it's the details of feeton rock or somebody reaching out
and doing a dyno, maybe it's thechalk on the fingers, anything
like that, visualize andconceptualize each one of those
shots that you want to take.

(12:48):
All right.
Step two after you've gottenyourself in that right mindset,
you know, you're only using yoursmartphone, you know, that
you're going to be needing tocapture certain types of photos.
Now it's time to choose.
Exactly what it is that you'regoing to be capturing.
Let's keep thinking about thisepic rock climbing, adventure
that you're thinking about goingon.
Are you driving right to thebase of where you will be

(13:11):
climbing from?
Are you going on an epic hike toget in there?
Are you biking to get in there?
What is that mode oftransportation?
Like to even get to the rockclimb and then once you're at
the rock climb.
How is it going to go for you?
So are there viewpoints alonggetting to your destination?
Will there be opportunities totake beautiful landscape photos
going through there?

(13:31):
Are there opportunities to.
Place your friends as they'rehiking along with all their
climbing gear with these amazingbackdrops behind them, can you
see your rock climbing spot froma distance and show people
looking at it, kind of havingthat idea of like, that's where
we're going.
That's the epic thing we'regoing to do.
Start.
Picking out the spots along theway of where you want to capture

(13:53):
things and what exactly it isthat you want to capture in each
one of those locations.
Sometimes it's just astorytelling shot.
Sometimes it's a detailed photo.
Sometimes it's going to be themoment, you know, this is the
critical moment.
It's, it's the crux of the climband somebody is going to be
diagnosing right at this moment.
And you know, you have tocapture that.
Whether they succeed or fail,you have to capture that moment

(14:16):
during this adventure.
That's what you need to be doingin step two here, it's starting
to get a little bit moregranular about what it is
exactly that you're getting upto.
Okay.
Step three.
Now it's time to plan your shotsout.
So before you head on youradventure, you need to plan your
shots.
So you've now thought about thespots and what type of photos

(14:36):
that you want to capture.
Once, you know those now youneed to plan exactly what it is
that you're going to do.
Are you going to have specifictypes of camera movement?
If you're shooting video?
Do you want to be able totransition using sweeping behind
trees or falling into a coffeecup?
Or go from fire to fire oranything like that.
You need to start planning outexactly what it is that you're
going to be capturing in eachone of these locations to help

(14:57):
tell this story.
And that can be as simple asshow friends, walking with
viewpoint behind them.
Or it can be as detailed as havecamera pan over top of fire or
look like it's falling into thefire so that we can pull it back
out of the fire again at ournext campsite.
There are all sorts of differentamounts of detail you can get

(15:18):
into.
And it really depends on howmuch planning you want to do,
how much planning you need todo.
And what's going to make youfeel the most confident and
comfortable while you're out onthe trail.
I know personally, if I'mcapturing just some friends and
I out hiking and just kind ofscrewing around and having a
great day in the mountains.
I think about those spots.
If I know the trail.
And I go like, oh, I know I wantthem with this lake right here.

(15:40):
And that's about as far as I go.
But if it's a shoot for work, ifit's a shoot for a client, Then
I get a lot more in depth aboutwhat it is that we're doing, why
we're doing it, where we'redoing it, how much we're
including of the scene, how muchwe're including of the models.
Do we need models in this scene,it gets really in depth and
that's because we cannot miss ashot.
During the shoot, it needs toline up specifically with work's

(16:03):
needs or what the client'sneeds.
And for some of you that mightbe the way it works for others,
having everything pre-planned isgoing to make you feel way more
confident because you won't betrying to think about that all
the time, while you're outadventuring or for some of you
having everything pre-planned isgoing to make you feel really
bogged down and uncomfortable,and your creativity is going to
really suffer.
I do believe you do need alittle bit of planning in

(16:24):
advance.
And just not relying on wingingit as you go, because you want
to make sure everything tiestogether and feels the same.
And over the course of a 6, 8,10 hour day, Things change your
mindset changes.
Everything can change in itsfeeling and the lighting and
everything else.
And so having a solid plan.
To tie everything together canmake a huge difference.

(16:45):
So plan a little bit, even ifyou don't really love doing it.
And then see where the day takesyou.
But I like to kind of landsomewhere in the middle.
And somewhere on the verydetailed planning side, if it's
coming into a client.
All right.
Step four is easy.
Get out in the action.
Once you're out on youradventure, it's time to start

(17:06):
shooting.
Whether you're hurling down amountain trail on your bike,
scaling a sheer rock face.
Be sure to keep your phone handyand ready to capture everything
on the go.
Now you're going to want to makesure that you aren't so invested
in the action.
So invested in the rock climbingor anything like that, that
you're not prepared to shootbecause you need to keep

(17:26):
positioning yourselfstrategically to get the best
shots.
Whether that means getting downlow to capture the speed and
intensity of like a bike flyingby or finding a vantage point
above your climbing partners tocapture their ascent from unique
perspective.
You need to be thinking aboutwhere else you are going to go
during this adventure.
I have seen a lot of people'sbacks.

(17:48):
Well, they're out on someadventure somewhere.
Because the photographer is atthe back taking photos and they
haven't taken the time to.
I get ahead of their friends ormaybe go off to the right onto a
different climbing route withanother belaying partner so that
they can shoot them from theside.
They are just kind of there andthey're just kind of a part of
the adventure and that doesn'treally work to tell the full

(18:09):
fulsome story.
Now admittedly I find it a loteasier to do this when it's
models and a client.
And you're there for a photoshoot or they're for a content
capture.
Shoot.
We're just out for a fun day andit's people I'm out with.
We're just like, ah, do wereally have to take another
photo?
I might not get as intense aboutit.
I might be like, this is onegreat location.
We're going to shoot somethinghere.
But.

(18:30):
I don't want to impact theiradventure either.
So it does depend on the timingand the situation that we're in.
But for the most part, you doneed to move around a bit more
and you do need to allowyourself not to necessarily just
fall fully into the action.
Now.
Step five.
Check your shot list.
As you're going along as you'reshooting, as you're in this
action, make sure you take a fewminutes, few seconds may be at

(18:52):
least to look over your shotlist.
You know?
Yep.
We've caught that yet.
We've caught that yet.
We're here or we're getting upto the crux point.
I have to make sure I get theshot.
Just make sure you haven't doneall this work to build out a
beautiful shot list and thenjust leave it and not look at it
again.
It's really important that yougo back and you reference it.
It's especially near the endwhen you're starting to get to

(19:15):
those points where you can'tcapture some of these shots
anymore.
And you're making sure that youhave every little piece that you
need to tell the story, becauseit can be really easy to forget
about those important detailshots.
As you're in the midst of allthis epic action.
So before you wrap for the daybefore you wrap in a location,
just make sure you go back andcheck that shot list.
All right.
Step six.

(19:36):
Don't be afraid to experiment alittle.
Your shortlist is important.
We just said that.
But don't be afraid to gooutside of it.
Or if you start feeling like theshoots going in different
direction and it still matchesyour vision still matches the
client's vision.
Go on, try experiment, playaround, get to print angles, try
different places.
Try different detail shots.

(19:56):
It's digital.
The only way we're going to beable to stop shooting as if our
phones fill up.
Or if we run out of battery,otherwise we're good to just
keep going and going and tryingtons of different things.
Yes.
This does add some steps inpost-processing it at some time
and post post stressing.
So.
Definitely think it through, ifit's worthwhile or test it out
before you actually shoot it,but try and experiment and

(20:20):
failure can sometimes lead toeven better growth in the
future.
And something that you thinkmight fail might actually work
really, really well.
So don't forget to play around.
Don't forget to embracedifferent styles and angles and
types of photography.
All right.
Step seven.
It's an easy one.
Post-processing.
This is what we've done afterthe adventure is sadly over.

(20:43):
Maybe we're back in the truckand riding on home.
Maybe we're back on an airplaneand we finally have a chance to
look over the images, whateverit is, take that time right
away.
To start looking over the shotsthat you got.
Flagged them out in whatevermethod that you like to and
start whittling into your bestimages, your best videos from
the trip to start building out.

(21:05):
Your post production.
And then from there.
Take it into whatever way youlike to edit.
I like using Lightroom mobilewhen I'm on my phone or the
iPad.
And I use Lightroom on mycomputer obviously as well.
But you might really enjoy doingit in a totally different app.
You might really enjoytransferring out of your phone
and onto your laptop.

(21:25):
So you can use capture one, oryou can use another editing
program, whatever your steps arefor post-processing.
Start them from here.
All right.
And that's it.
Those are my steps for capturingbeginning to end.
A really amazing adventure.
Now to make your life a littlebit easier.
There's some must have apps thatyou can use for mobile
photography.

(21:46):
Like I was just talking aboutLightroom.
Mobile is one of my favorites.
It's a powerful photo editingapp that offers professional
level editing tools right onyour smartphone.
It ties into Lightroom on yourdesktop.
It doesn't tie into lightroomclassic, unfortunately.
But it does tie into the otherversion of Lightroom, which is,
which is pretty good.

(22:07):
And it features things likeexposure, adjustment, color,
correction, masking brushes.
All the things you couldpossibly need to start creating
beautiful work.
And it also ties into mobilePhotoshop, which allows you to
get even more in depth withthose editing pieces, especially
with tools like generative filland generative AI.
Now, one of my favorite thingsto use Lightroom for is to sync

(22:30):
my edits across all my devices.
So I can start editing on myphone while I'm.
You know, riding back fromsomewhere, I can get home and I
can pop onto my laptop or poponto the iPad that I didn't have
with me and get right back intothe editing exactly where I left
off.
It's a really convenient way tobe able to make sure that you
can just keep everything syncedup nicely and you can also sync

(22:53):
edits across multiple images.
Which is really nice forstarting a baseline before you
get into some of those morespecifics of brushes and
vignetting and all those kindsof fun things.
One of my other favoritephotography apps is PlanIt pro
for photographers.
It's a comprehensive planningapp designed specifically for us
visuals.
So you can calculate theposition of the sun and the moon

(23:16):
to predict the best times forgolden hour and blue hour and
where the sun and the moon willbe in the sky.
You can use it for locationscouting and use augmented
reality to scout locations andvisualize how the sun will
interact with the landscape orthe Milky way, or pretty much
anything.
You can actually put specific 3dobjects into places.
You can see how the sun is goingto interact with a specific

(23:38):
building or anything like that,that you want.
You can also get into Milky wayand star trail planning.
It's really this spectacularplanning app I had been.
Using PhotoPills for quite awhile, but I've got a
photography friend here in Banffwho.
Put me onto this app.
And.
It is brilliant.
especially the augmented realityfeatures of it and the way that

(23:58):
you can tie in certain focallengths and everything else into
your planning process right nowis.
Amazing.
It is a steep learning curve,but so well worth the learning
curve, especially if you'refinding PhotoPills, isn't quite
capturing what you need.
So, those are two of my favoriteapps to use for my mobile
photography.
But there are also someaccessories that are going to

(24:18):
make things significantly betterbecause as an adventure
photographer, having the rightgear is essential to capturing.
Those breathtaking moments whilewe're out on the go.
So in addition to your keen eyeand creative vision, investing
in the right accessories canmake shots.
Better and can make asignificant difference in the
quality of your mobilephotography.

(24:39):
So bit number one, the moment,mobile photography starter kit,
you could also go and get thepolar pro light chaser pro,
which has a very similar setupin a very similar kit.
It's basically a kit that allowsyou to add.
Ergonomic grips and handles tobe able to hold your phone
better.
It gives you access to addingfilters or lenses onto the
phone.

(24:59):
To be able to change yoursettings and your shutter speed
and.
Get everything feeling right incamera.
It has a thin case that protectsyour camera as well.
And a little pen to clean offyour lenses, which we were just
talking about a super important.
So getting one of these mobilephotography kits that can adapt
your lenses to have circularpolarizers, neutral density

(25:21):
filters.
Can really make a hugedifference for your photography.
A portable power charger.
I really liked the one I havefrom anchor.
But you can really get any sortof portable power charge that
you want because we're shootingon our phones all day,
especially using some of thosemore fun features and advanced
features.
We're going to deplete thatbattery a lot faster.
So make sure you have a powersource with you, especially if

(25:42):
that's how you're shooting allof your images, just to keep
your phone going all day long.
The Monfroto mini tripod.
This is a versatile and compacttripod designed for mobile
photographers.
It's super sturdy has anadjustable ball head, and it
allows you to set up the tripodto shoot long exposers shoot,
better video, maybe get yourselfinto photos or video as well.

(26:06):
It just gives you a lot moreflexibility, a lot more options,
and it's really tiny, compact,and easy to travel with.
If you do have a tripod that youlove using for your big
photography or with yourmirrorless camera.
You can add a mobile grip to thetop of that, that just goes
straight into the ARCA Mount orwhatever type of Mount you have

(26:26):
on your tripod.
But the tend to be a bit biggerand a bit heavier and a lot
harder to run around with.
So if you're going out light andfast, getting a mini mobile
tripod can be huge.
And the last thing would be awaterproof phone case, a
waterproof phone cover, whateveryou want to call it.
Especially if you're somebodywho is going out, paddle
boarding or kayaking, or you'regoing out swimming or anything

(26:48):
like that.
You need something like this, tobe able to protect your phone
against.
Well, dropping it in a lake ordropping it in a river.
Now getting one that isphotography specific versus just
one.
That's one of those bags thatyou can put on and hang it
around your neck.
Is really, really important.
I didn't know, this picked upone of the ones that was just

(27:08):
one of the bags that you put itin wraps up nice and tight seals
off becomes totally waterproof.
Except that plastic that is inbetween your phone and the water
is really hard for your camerato shoot through, which makes
total sense.
The first time you use it in thefirst time you try.
But didn't think that throughbefore starting.
So it works out really well whenI'm not planning on shooting
much.
And I just want to cover up myphone when I'm going out for a

(27:29):
quick canoer, quick kayak.
But if I'm actually wanting toshoot video and shoot photos, I
always have to take my phone outof that case.
And that kind of defeats thepurpose of the case.
So getting one that is made foryour phone specifically to
protect it from going into thewater.
So like an underwater housingfor your phone.
Is kind of critical because itgives you a much better shooting

(27:49):
location.
It typically has a piece ofclass, right over top of where
the lenses are, and that justenables you to capture better
and clearer and honestly,significantly.
Higher quality images than justa plastic bag that you drop your
phone into.
So.
Look for that waterproof housingfor your phone, you don't have
to spend thousands on it or evenhundreds on it.

(28:10):
I've seen a few cases on Amazonand other stores like that,
where you can get one for 90,120 bucks pretty easily.
So look for what matches, whatyou need and how you're
shooting, but definitely get onefor your phone.
If you're going anywhere nearbodies of water.
And there you have itadventures.
We've journeyed through thisexciting world of mobile
photography for our adventures.

(28:31):
And talked a little bit aboutthe way I approach shooting
things on my phone.
It is definitely not.
My go-to, I will be a hundredpercent honest there it happens.
It's part of what I do.
I captured my entire hike upcascade mountain on just a
phone.
I captured.
My entire hike up a few otherdifferent peaks and a few other
different trail runs just usingmy phone.
But I will be honest if I havemy choice, I will almost always

(28:53):
go back to my mirrorless, butthe mobile is there and it is a
beautiful, powerful piece oftechnology.
And there are some amazingcreators out there who are doing
everything on their phone.
I have a couple of friends herein town.
Who are making whole careers outof it, just shooting on mobile.
So it is a totally viable,totally amazing way to capture
our adventures.
And.
Frees us up to be a little bitmore adventurous.

(29:15):
I do find when I'm out therewith my mirrorless, let's say I
have it in the canoe or anythingwith me.
And I don't have a fullywaterproof housing on it that I
feel a little bit panickedoccasionally, especially when we
get big waves that come through,or I don't want to tip the canoe
and lose my big camera.
But by my phone inside awaterproof case, I'm not nearly
as worried.
I'm able to just sink into theadventure and enjoy it a little
bit more.
If I'm not worried about thetech side of everything.

(29:38):
So take that into account.
Decide what is right for yourtype of photography, but just
know mobile is a great.
Fantastic option.
And most importantly, don'tforget that true essence of
adventure photography.
It's not about our gear or ouraccolades.
It's about those experiences andthe memories.
It's about getting out.

(29:59):
And seeing this big, beautifulworld of ours.
And telling the stories that areimportant to us and being in
those stories.
So.
Get out there, seek out thebeauty in every corner of our
world and let your smartphone.
Tell your story and show themagic of your adventures.
Amazing.
As always, thank you so much fortuning into this episode of the

(30:20):
travel and adventure,photography school.
If you've enjoyed our journeytogether and want to continue
exploring the exciting world ofphotography, be sure to
subscribe to the podcast.
I'd love.
If you would rate it for me.
And what you'd like to see moreof and your feedback and your
ideas for what you want to talkabout are really welcomed.
So don't hesitate to reach outto me on Instagram at Robert
Massey photography.
And yeah, let me know what youwant to learn about, or just

(30:41):
chat about photography ingeneral.
All right, until then keepchasing your dreams.
Keep capturing the magic and themajesty of this big, beautiful
world of ours.
And above all else.
Keep adventuring.
Bye for now.