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

Mike Richard
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…
From $350 to $1,399: The 5 best outdoor pizza ovens in 2024
ooni koda pizza oven review

Whether you're just starting on the craft of pizzas or you're a veteran who wants to make them in your backyard, you're going to want an outdoor pizza oven. If you have one, you can make your own delicious pizzas for your parties, and even try your hand at different recipes every night for your family's meals. However, with all of the options that you can shop, it may be overwhelming to narrow down your choices to the best outdoor pizza oven for you. To help you out, we've rounded up this list, with explanations on why we're going with these recommendations.

The major advantage of outdoor pizza ovens over traditional ovens is that they're capable of reaching higher temperatures in less time, which is necessary to get a perfectly cooked crust without burning the toppings. With an outdoor pizza oven, cooking will be done in a few minutes, for the ability to make pizzas pretty quickly so your family and friends won't wait for long. The best outdoor pizza ovens offer more than just this though, so if you're looking for something in particular, read on to find the cooking tool that you may have been looking for.
The best outdoor pizza ovens in 2024

Read more
The best long-distance bike trails across the U.S.
Bikepacking trails or new places to adventure on two wheels
Sunset at the Continental Divide in Colorado Rocky Mountains

Bikepacking, more commonly known as bicycle touring, is a self-supported trip in which participants spend days, weeks, or even years traveling across regions, countries, and continents via bicycle. One of its greatest perks is the opportunity to explore amazing places.

Whether you’re traveling to a new city or region, there’s no better way to do this than on two wheels. You can cover more miles when pedaling using your bike shoes rather than walking and, unlike driving, you’re still connected to your environment -- no carbon footprint, just fresh air.

Read more
Dust off your gear, it’s time to hit the trail: The spring hiking tips you need
These tips will keep you safe and comfortable on the trail
A person hiking

I don't know about you, but I love the fact that spring is here, and I can hit the trail again. I went out the other day without having to load up in all of my outdoor layers and enjoyed a trail run along some snow-free tracks. It's that time of year when you can dust off your hiking boots, dig out your trekking poles, and start to make some hiking plans. But spring isn't all sunshine and dry tracks. A little like fall hiking, spring trails can be muddy, and some of the wettest, coldest days I've had on the trail have come in springtime. Maybe it's not quite a time to pack away all that warm gear after all.

Spring is changeable. That's what I'm getting at. It's perhaps the toughest time of the year to pack a hiking pack because, on any given day, you might need to change layers four times. The days are long enough to get a good hike done, but you can still find yourself caught out after dark if you're not careful, and once that sun drops, the temperature goes with it. In return, though, spring rewards us with those golden hours at sunrise and sunset — the outdoor photographer's dream — raging waterfalls as the snow melts off, and the sounds and sights of nature coming back to life after a winter's hibernation. It's great if you get it right, and if you follow our spring hiking tips, you won't go far off track.
Dress and pack accordingly

Read more