Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

4 Tips for Taking Better Outdoor Photos Right Now

By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Some of us are struggling just to find time to shower and feed ourselves during this pandemic. Others have more free time than they ever thought possible and are going stir crazy trying to fill it. If you’ve always wanted to brush up on your creative skills — photography, in particular — now is the time. Although many things are closed or canceled, the great outdoors remain (mostly) open. Why not grab your camera and spend time taking your outdoor photography skills to the next level? Here are four ways you can start taking better outdoor photos right now.

Invest in a Tripod

Even non-photographers know how important a tripod is. It’s easy to assume that you don’t need one because they’re expensive and cumbersome. The fact is, a tripod is among the best investments you can make to seriously up your outdoor photography game. It’s crucial for taking tack-sharp photos, steadying your camera for wildlife shots, and playing with long-exposure and time-lapse photography. Not sure where to start? Here are our recommendations:

  • Good: AmazonBasics Lightweight Tripod. Amazon’s entry-level tripod is a barebones, budget-friendly solution with everything a novice photographer needs to start taking more stable and experimental outdoor shots.
  • Better: Manfrotto Element Traveler. For a more robust alternative, Manfrotto’s Element line is a great mid-range solution. Every tripod in the collection is compact, lightweight, and versatile enough for smartphones, point-and-shoot cameras, and DSLRs with zoom lenses.
  • Best: Peak Design Travel Tripod. If only the best will do, Peak Design’s newly released Travel Tripod is our pick for the best tripod on the market. In either Aluminum or Carbon Fiber, it’s durable, lightweight, and mobile-compatible right out of the box. Peak Design spent four years designing it, and the result is a user-friendly, professional-grade product that packs down to about the width of a Nalgene bottle.
Recommended Videos

Focus on the Little Things

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Human beings are drawn to sweeping, grandiose photos of natural landscapes. However, there are tiny worlds all around us that we rarely notice in detail. Macro photography focuses (pun intended) on the fine, almost imperceptible details in the smallest objects and living things, like insects and flowers. It often requires a specialty lens. For DSLR cameras, they can be pricey, but bolt-on macro lenses are available for many smartphones for less than $50.

Moment macro lenses

are the closest thing to an industry standard for aftermarket smartphone lenses. They’re also among the most expensive and require a proprietary phone case to get started. For a budget-friendly alternative, the clip-on solutions from Aukey offer the best bang for your buck.

Find Honest Feedback

Listening —  and, more importantly, responding — to independent feedback is a surefire way to grow any skill. Friends and family are likely to soften the blow when critiquing your creative work, including photography. Instead, solicit feedback, ideally from strangers, to narrow in on the pros and cons of your shots. The Photo Critique subreddit is a great place to start for honest criticism from a community of more than 750,000 amateur and professional photographers. Simply upload your shots with a brief description, and receive valuable feedback almost immediately.

Take an Online Class

Honestly evaluate your photography skills to determine your weaknesses. Maybe your composition needs work, or you don’t fully understand proper exposures, or you’re terrified of “ruining” your photos with the wrong settings in manual mode. Whatever your shortcomings, there’s an online video or entire course to help you fix them. Nikon offers comprehensive professional photography videos, and YouTube is a neverending rabbit hole of niche tutorials. Commit to spending a week or the next 30 days brushing up on one particular aspect of photography. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the dizzying combination of technology, creativity, and sheer luck that goes into good photography. Break it all down into manageable pieces, and better your skillset one skill at a time.

To keep your camera kit organized and ready to go, check out our picks for the best camera bags for trail or travel.

Editors’ Recommendations

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
We love this Tribit StormBox speaker for cookouts, beach days, more — $35 off
Tribit StormBox Flow Bluetooth speaker Prime Day deal

It's summertime, which means you may be spending more time outdoors. Maybe you'll be exploring the wilderness, visiting a beach, or doing some camping or fishing. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to have some tunes? You can certainly achieve that thanks to an Amazon Prime Day deal on the Tribit StormBox Flow. It's a fantastic option for cookouts, beach days, and camping because it's tough, waterproof, and built to take a beating. Oh, and it sounds awesome, too. Usually $80, the Tribit StormBox Flow is down to $64 for Prime Day, but you can clip an on-page coupon to get the price even lower, to $45, saving you $35. Get pulsating, punchy beats with 9dB of power, up to 30 hours of battery life and customized equalizer modes through the Tribit app.

 
Why we love the Tribit StormBox Flow for outdoor adventures
First, it's a Bluetooth speaker, and you can't have a decent speaker without good sound. Outperforming many comparable options, the Tribit StormBox Flow sounds incredible, and you don't even have to bother with the Tribit app. It sounds great out of the box. That's thanks to clear treble and pounding bass, which is surprisingly impressive for such a small device. That's made possible by Tribit's proprietary XBoss tuning DSP technology, which helps boost the bass to a 9dB power rating. If you know nothing about specifications, all you need to know is that it's powerful, pulse-pounding and has exceptional audio fidelity.

Read more
Best Blackstone Prime Day deals
A man using the Blackstone 36-inch Gas Griddle Cooking Station in a yard.

If you're going to grill the steak of your dreams you're going to need the perfect grill, and Blackstone grills are offering up some savings among all of the Prime Day deals going on. We've made our selection for the best Prime Day Blackstone grill deal, and we've tracked down some other selections that offer some great savings. Read onward for a look at the best Prime Day Blackstone deals going on right now, and make a purchase quickly if you see something you like. Prime Day deals are known to end abruptly and inventories are likely starting to run low.
Best Blackstone grill Prime Day deal
Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle -- $124, was $147

If you’re keen to cook outdoors more but you’re also planning on traveling a lot, you need the Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle. It’ll work well in your yard, but it’s also portable enough that you can take it with you while you camp and travel on many different adventures, hence the name "adventure ready."

Read more
Still Available: Jackery solar generator deal has two solar panels for $1,400 off
Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus early Prime Day deal with two solar panels

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus is essentially a 2,042-watt-hour portable power station with ultra-fast charging. However, typically, you have to buy the accessories separately when you buy the station. As part of a pretty crazy Prime Day deal, however, you can get the Jackery solar generator and two 200-watt solar panels in a bundle for a ridiculous price. Usually $3,299, the bundle is just $1,899 for a limited time, saving you $1,400. It's a fantastic option for home power backup to keep your necessities on during an outage, but you can also use it for off-grid living, travel if you're on the road, or even around your home -- like to power some electronics in your backyard. The solar panels make it even more versatile as you can charge it virtually anywhere with access to reliable sunlight.

 
Here's why you should buy the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus bundle with solar panels
We know, we know, it's not officially Prime Day yet. That happens later this week, on July 16 and July 17. It usually makes sense to hold off on buying anything until the main event because you never know how good the deals will be. That said, in the past couple of years, most of the deals have remained the same; if not, many good deals were available early and went away. If you're interested in this Jackery bundle -- an incredible deal -- you might want to shop it soon before it's gone instead of waiting.

Read more