Landscape Photography with a Cell Phone
My mother is going to hate this post. Well, not really, but I thought I’d poke at here just a little bit.
I find it utterly amazing what technology has brought us in the cell phone. In particular in the cell phone cameras. More specifically in the Google Pixel, the IPhone, and the Samsung Galaxy line of phones. In the world of the cell phones, suddenly, everyone’s a professional photographer.
In today’s video release, I used my Galaxy S10 to do all the photography.
In my travels, it is rather taxing to climb thousands of feet in elevation or hiking a number of miles with the heavy gear required to photograph landscape photography “properly”.
Let me explain what I mean with photographing “properly”.
On a small cell phone screen, and even on a computer screen, the clarity and beauty of a cell phone photo cannot be denied. Certainly they are gorgeous. And if you are an Instagrammer or a Facebook junkie, they provide you with adequate photos to share across such means.
A number of the shots I have taken with my Nikon D500 are now hanging on a wall somewhere. Whether it’s at my home, my flower business, or in another home across the land.
In no way shape or form would I ever attempt to put into print photographs taken with my cell phone (I use the Galaxy S10) any larger than say an 8x10. Better, probably to keep it at a 5x7.
Regardless of their ability to capture many more “megapixels” than my original Nikon D70 acquired in 2007, the quality of the cell phone camera simply cannot rival the DSLR…at least in larger print form final output.
The Imperial Geiser in Yellowstone
In the video included in this post, you are going on a journey through the Yellowstone National Park trail to a favorite place of mine, the Imperial Geiser.
It’s an off the beaten path little gem of a place to spend some time with a loved one or even alone just reflecting on life.
Very few people find it or make it all the way there. As such, it’s a remote place offering a lot of privacy in a wonderfully peaceful and beautiful setting.
If you have the energy, there’s a trail past the Geiser itself that heads up about 400 feet or so over a ridge line. The view from up there spans the park and walks you down to a pretty little lake. Exercise caution up there however. There were an awful lot of bear droppings. It’s likely a Grizzly hangout from what Levi and I could see.
I often struggle in choosing to take a Backpacking hike way in to stay the night to really enjoy the wilderness, or taking a day hike while carrying my heavy camera gear to do landscape photography.
I do not know which I prefer or which to do.
You can almost bet that were I to hike in deep for an overnight backpack trip, I’d end up with an opportunity to get a once in a lifetime, epic shot…and have only my phone and my drone as cameras.
Heck, I don’t know. It’s a tough call. But my camera gear adds about 20 additional pounds if not more to my pack load, which already at it’s base comes in at around 30lbs or so. Lugging 50lbs on my back while climbing up thousands of miles, as I have done in MANY of my videos is becoming less and less realistic the older I get.
I don’t know, maybe I need to simply make a choice to go and enjoy and NOT worry about photography and video on such wilderness excursions. Tough call for me.
I do know that I don’t seem to sell very many of my truly professionally taken prints. So I then wonder…am I wasting time and energy by taking the camera into the woods for overnights.
I would actually enjoy your thoughts on the matter should you wish to put some comments in the comment section below.
I hope you enjoy the videos. I’m putting both the Rumble version and the Youtube version so you can choose your poison.
See you in the next one.
Watch this Landscape Photography Video with a Cell phone On Youtube
