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Many photographers choose to go on a solo adventure photography trip. This comes with its own set of challenges, from the type of photos you can take to the equipment you have to carry.
Here are 10 tips to make your solo adventuring a trip to remember.
10. Where Are You Going and How Are You Getting There
What is your solo adventure photography
plan? Are you heading to a remote area? Are you photographing
activities like climbing, canoeing, backpacking, or backcountry skiing?
Root Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska
When planning a solo adventure photography trip, make a list of
EVERYTHING you need. Include equipment, food supplies, camera gear, and
safety equipment.
Then balance space and weight limitations to take only what you need. And what you can carry.
Mt. Jefferson & Scout Lake, Oregon
9. How to Plan Your Solo Adventure Photography Trip
Researching your adventure is often a necessity to creating a solid
plan. It’s important to establish where your destination is and your
route. This will determine any potential obstacles along the way.
As an example, if you are taking a canoe trip, will there be a cascade or waterfall that requires a portage?
Topographic maps provide the fine details of your route. You can also
use Google Earth to add a visual view of the route and terrain along the
way.
The app Photo Pills is excellent for planning night sky photography. And
it has many other features as well. You can use the app to determine
the direction of sunrise and moonrise.
Let’s say you want to photograph a mountain
deep in the wilderness, at sunrise and reflecting in a lake. The app
will tell you what day the sun is at a specific angle to light the
mountain the way you want.
Search online for any other photos that may be of the same area as your destination.
Also, check the weather to ensure you get the right conditions for the photos you plan to capture.
Research and planning are crucial to successful adventures. Not only for photography but safety as well.
8. What Camera Equipment Will You Need
The photography gear you take is related to the type of adventure. In some cases, you won’t be able to take much. For example, if you are going climbing or on a bicycle adventure through the Alps. There is only so much you can carry.
Other adventures allow more room for gear like the aforementioned canoe
trip. A Pelican waterproof case will hold plenty of camera equipment. Photographer, Utah
This list is a good starting point for most adventures. Depending on
your particular trip, you might have to add or remove items.
At least one camera, and a second camera if space allows;
A multi-tool, small roll of duct tape, and a knife;
A GoPro or any adventure camera.
Two cameras are always better than one. Your camera can always break when you are in the middle of nowhere.
Your lens choice will be based on what your adventure entails. For
example, it might not be practical to take a 600mm f/4 on the canoe
trip. But it will be appropriate during a fly-in arctic base camp to
photograph Caribou migration.
Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon
A flash will come in handy on your adventure trip. From fill flash while photographing yourself, to illuminating your tent at night.
Besides a tripod, the Gorilla Pod allows you to place your camera in all sorts of locations a tripod might not fit. Like mounting your camera to the front of the canoe.
Rainbow Falls, California
Since you will likely be photographing yourself,
you need to trigger the camera. You can program an intervalometer to
take a photo as often as you wish. For example, if you’re hiking away
from the camera.
A radio remote trigger also works great. You can get far from the camera and then trigger the shutter when ready.
Intervalometer and Vello Freewave Radio Shutter Release
Sometimes your solo adventure will take you to a remote location for
more than a couple days. You will need to charge your batteries.
A solar charger, like those from Goal Zero, will ensure you don’t run out of power.
Mohamed Almari/Pexels
7. How to Always Have Your Camera Ready
No photographer likes to miss that perfect shot. One way to ensure that does not happen is to have the camera ready for easy access.
If you are backpacking, there are devices that attach to the pack
itself, or to a belt. You’ll have the camera ready at a moment’s notice,
like those from Peak Designs.
For water-related adventures, a Pelican case within easy reach will
protect your camera gear from water while allowing quick access to the
camera.
6. What Safety Precautions Should You Take
Safety items
are just as important as food or camera gear. Pack a small first aid
kit, foul weather gear, and safety items like a knife and multi-tool.
Sometimes the simplest things go wrong. Like the sole separating from a
hiking boot. Or the shoulder strap on your backpack breaking loose.
A small roll of duct tape can often solve these problems.
Leatherman Multi-Tool
Route finding is also essential if you are heading straight into the
wilderness. A GPS device can replace the map and compass and will track
your route.
Units like the Garmin inReach, are small and easy to carry. They come in
handy should you get lost, injured, or need to contact a family member.
The inReach uses its satellite service to always know where you are. It
provides up-to-date weather forecasts. And it has a feature to contact
family and friends with your location through text messaging.
It also has an SOS emergency feature. When triggered, it sends an SOS
message to GEOS 24/7 global monitoring center. You can then communicate
your situation with them.
5. Take Photos With Yourself as the Subject
Now that we’ve got the safety and packing tips out of the way, let’s look at what you can photograph.
We all know what the Solo Selfie is. And they are important to all kinds of travels and adventures.
But simply holding your smartphone or pocket camera at arm’s length, is not enough.
Instead, position your camera to capture you in various locations. This will give viewers a better idea of where you are.
Don’t just look at the camera and smile. Use your tripod or Gorilla Pod
along with the wireless shutter release. Photograph yourself moving past
the camera heading to the horizon. Or building a fire, watching the sunset, or cooking a meal.
Anything that shows you active in the adventure creates a stronger storytelling image.
4. Composition and Lighting
Many of the composition and lighting techniques used for creating great adventure photography are usually the same as any outdoor photography.
You can set up everything the way you want to, and you’re only posing
yourself. So plan ahead when you find a good location, so that you also
have the best light.
In this photo, the sun peaks over the crest of the Sierra Nevada and creates rim-lighting right before sunset.
This quality of lighting really makes her stand out.
The Buttermilks, Sierra Nevada, California
The composition is just as important in solo photos as it is in any photo. Guidelines like the Rule of Thirds or Forced Perspective work well for creating photos with impact.
In this image from a wilderness backpacking trip, the composition uses
the 1/3 Hot Spot, where the horizontal and vertical 1/3 lines cross. It
is a great place to position yourself.
When I teach other photographers about strategies for telling an adventure story, I often say: “Plan your photos like you are on-assignment for National Geographic.”
Some of the greatest story-telling photographers shoot for National
Geographic. Researching their work will give you an idea of how they
tell a story from beginning to end.
As you plan your adventure, lay out the story in advance. Visualize what
types of photos you’ll need. You can even make a shot list.
You want to create images that will make the viewer care about the story.
With each photo you plan, consider the light. What time of day should you photograph at?
Before snapping the shutter, explore all compositional options for the scene. Ask yourself with each photo, ‘will this photo make my audience care?’
Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon
2. Focus on Your Intentions
It takes longer to capture photographs on a solo photography adventure.
When there are others around, you can move around, walk ahead or stay behind. You can photograph as your group pass by.
But when you are solo, you’re both photographer and model. And it takes
time to set up your camera, and also figure out your posing.
Once you find a stunning or significant location, you should determine your pose before setting up the camera.
This will result in better planned and more striking photos.
Check if your camera is Bluetooth enabled. Then you can connect it with a
smartphone using your camera’s app (like Canon’s Camera Connect).
This will let you view the picture you are posing for without walking back to the camera.
South Sister Mountain, Oregon
1. Your Adventure Is Over. Now What?
Once you have completed your adventure, what do you plan to do with your photos?
I assume you you want to tell the world about your trip. Start by editing the images and selecting the best shots.
You want the best pose, best lighting, and best composition that accurately tells your story.
Mt. Washington, Oregon
We already know RAW files need work to bring out the drama when processing. Like everything, a little goes a long way so be careful not to over-process.
Next, you want to get your images seen. There are many platforms that
provide the opportunity to share your work with the world. From Facebook to Google Plus, where you can post anything you want. To National Geographic’s Your Shot competition.
Using slideshow software, you can also create a video documentary of your adventure. Narrate it and host it on YouTube. Adobe Spark is another platform for creating visual stories to share with the world.
There are many things to consider when planning a solo adventure, from
gear and equipment to safety and photography. Careful planning will help
to ensure a successful solo photo adventure.
Finally, one thing is certain: ‘You will never know if you never go!’
Here's another Photography Freebie I want you to have as a "thank you" for taking the time to
visit my blog.
A Free Guide for The Best Night Sky Photography
If you’re a photographer, then you
must be familiar with the difficulty that comes with capturing the sky
and its celestial elegance. Still, you want to try it. After all, the
beauty of photography is capturing the best moments from the best
possible angles. So, are you wondering about the best way to go about night sky photography?
The answers are right before you – GrantCollier’s Quick Tutorial on Night Photography.
In this night sky photography book,
Collier’s Quick Tutorial on Night Photography, Grant Collier offers some
insights to help you capture stunning images at night. You don’t need
to worry about the cost as this resource is free. Just copy & paste the link below into your browser, click enter and enjoy.
Marco is a self-thaught and award-winning photographer from Italy. He is focusing on landscape photography.
He is great at using light to create breathtaking scenes. At the age
of 23, he completed a trip around the world which turned him into a
passionate traveller.
Media outlets such as CNN, The Telegraph, BBC, the National Geographic and GEO Magazine used his work.
Guy Tal is a professional artist, author, photographer and educator from the Colorado Plateau.
He is a landscape photographer who focuses on patterns and structures. He has been working in the high desert landscape of Colorado for more than two decades now.
Guy wants to express his familiarity with the nature he works at. He highlights details in his landscape photos.
Guy’s pictures show how much he belongs to the landscape. “The things
I photograph are not just attractive models to me; they are also
temples and sanctuaries and multi-dimensional characters in my own
story, as I am (surely to a lesser degree) in theirs.”
Mandy is living on the road in a small teardrop caravan. She is taking stunning nature photos on her adventures.
She was born in Colorado, where she developed her great love for
nature. Mandy was working as a conventional photographer for almost 20
years.
Then she felt that the routine was ending in a burnout, so she quit
her job and moved into a trailer. She was touring from Alaska down to
Mexico and wrote a blog about the journey. She documented her travels
with videos too.
Mandy met her partner on her journey and now they are travelling together in a teardrop trailer called Rocky.
Erin studied art history and took photos because of research and
teaching. She fell in love with nature photography and started to focus
on wilderness.
She likes to focus on details and how the landscape affects our
senses. Babnik claims that she always wears shades of purple when she
goes out for shooting photos.
Catherine is a Canadian self-taught travel and landscape
photographer. She has a passion for wilderness and outdoors. Cath used
to work as a model and fashion stylist in Quebec.
Then she quit her job and travelled for four years. During that time,
she explored Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Peru.
Now she is a full-time traveller and wants to inspire people to get
outdoors and admire our planet. She thinks that taking photos is great
therapy. It helps to find purpose and a way for self-expression.
Max was born in the Netherlands, but his nature photography shows how
much he loves mountains. He gave up on being a student and started to
pursue his passion. He conquered landscapes from Scotland to the
Himalayas, always chasing mountainous scenes.
Max’s photos often feature one single person to provide a good sense
of scale. His pictures convey the pure feeling of freedom. A state when a
human becomes part of the astonishing nature.
Daniel grew up in the beautiful lake region near Moscow. The
landscape here fascinated him. He completed an art painting school as a
kid. As time went by, Daniel drifted away from art and studied physics.
But his passion for nature remained and he became a guide for
mountain climbing and hiking. Then he turned into a guide for
photo-workshops and now he is leading groups from all around the world.
He received several awards for his art. His work appeared in media
such as Photography week, Photography Master Class, and the National
Geographic. Daniel is spending most of his time in the Lofoten Islands
and in Tuscany.
Ted is one of the best landscape photographers and lives in
California at the moment. In 2015, he was the winner of USA Landscape
Photographer of the Year.
His style combines the wilderness of the landscapes and seductive
post-processing. He teaches workshops and creates useful videos on how
he processes his images.
With his words: “My work extends beyond the boundaries of what a
photograph can be and fully utilises the amazing technology that we have
at our disposal in this day and age.”
Joel is a photographer who first found himself fascinated by nature
as a child. We can tell, judging by the passion found in his scenes. For
twenty years, he’s been a contributor to National Geographic.
His photography range is wide. From all kinds of animals in their national habitat to using aerial shots to show conservational stories.
Joel is also no stranger to the media. Well-known publications
feature his work regularly. And it’s also often presented on many
national broadcasts.
If you like his images, you can join his 1.1 million followers. That’s right, a well-deserved 1.1 million.
Christopher Dodds got his love for nature and wildlife during backpacking trips. He moved to Quebec, Canada, from England when he was a youngster.
Photography has taken him on many adventures. Here, he gets to pursue
his passion for wildlife photos, as he has done since 1985.
Now, he travels all over the world. Photographing, leading safaris and
teaching nature photo workshops. If that wasn’t enough, his work
features in many prestigious publications, but we can all see why.
These two brothers are from the UK, shooting since 2004. Their travel gallery includes landscapes, ancient places, plants, and world cultures.
They even show their behind-the-scenes photos on some projects. They
have a goal in mind, and that is “to inspire people to celebrate and
conserve the natural wonders of our planet.”
Thomas Heaton hails from the UK, northeast to be more exact. He makes his mark in outdoor photography by focusing on landscapes and nature.
His youtube channel is popular around the world. It’s full of tips and techniques to help the viewers capture better images.
His friendly and insightful approach to his work brings him many appreciative followers. The images you see in his portfolio are all about the outdoors and telling a story.
Joshua Cripps trained as an engineer. He was focusing his sights on
aerospace and working for NASA. All the work fried his brain, and he
found comfort and solace in travel. Which he did extensively by travelling the world solo, around 20+ different countries.
The traveller was born, and soon after he combined it with photography. He works a lot with Nikon, and they don’t back poor landscape and outdoor photographers. Enjoy his work below.
Jon Cornforth is a professional outdoor photographer. According to
his website, he specialises in a dramatic landscape and exotic wildlife
images.
By exploring the globe, he finds beautiful natural landscapes, epic
or intimate. He says his favourite shooting locations are Alaska, Hawaii, and the South Pacific.
In most of his art, he likes to showcase the “natural beauty of birds, sharks, and whales“. His images also sell as stock photos to commercial and editorial clients. His work has won him many awards and international recognition.
Marina is a Spanish photographer, located in Cantabria. She has been photographing since she was a teenager. Her photographs are world-famous.
She already has many international awards in her pocket. She has published several books as well. Cabárceno with pictures from three years spent in the largest Wildlife Park in Europe.
The other two are Drama & Intimacy, and Inspiración + Naturaleza. She is an inspiration for outdoor and wildlife photographers everywhere.
A Canon ambassador since 2015, she represents the field of nature and
wildlife photography. She has also held exhibitions and talks in Cape
Town, London, La Habana and Korea, to name a few.
It’s very easy to feel small when looking at the images of Jame
Justus Out. He shows us the big and the bold, with a dash of people
thrown in. Why? To give his images an even greater sense of scale.
He likes trekking and hiking, photographing water spots and scene
from up on high. Paths and walkways are his biggest content, so it shows
you how much he likes those leading lines.
Something else you will find within his shots of landscapes is those with his family. These make you want to jump on the road and just live life free. Thank you, Jamie!
Simone Bramante’s list of clients is impressive. Marriott Hotels, Apple, Volvo, and Christian Dior are only a few out of many.
He has many different styles. They range from simple, stunning landscapes, to well thought out lifestyle shots. The stories he tells of our world make you not only want to travel but become an outdoor photographer too.
Jimmy Chin is not only a famous adventure photographer.
According to his website, he is a mountain sports athlete as well. The
extraordinary imagery he captures happen while climbing and skiing in
high-risk environments.
His professional photography career started
in 1999. In 2002 his work aligned him with National Geographic. He
joined their trek across Tibet’s Chang Tang Plateau. Jimmy has garnered
many photography awards. They range from Photo District News (PDN),
Communication Arts, to the American Society of Magazine Editors.
His years of experience bring an authentic and unique perspective to his storytelling.
He’s also been one of the directors of Academy Award-winning
documentary film ‘Free Solo’. The film captures Alex Honnold as he
becomes the first man ever to climb El Capitan without any protection or
external tools.
Daniel is a German freelance nature and travel photographer,
based in Frankfurt. He poses himself as “a photo-creator and
story-teller”. He travels the world and shoots nature, adventure, and
lifestyle images.
He says about his art: “With my photography and stories, I want to
inspire people, causing a desire, a motivation to leave the rush behind,
escape routine, go outdoors, explore and experience nature. We are
fortunate to be presented with many opportunities in this world, it’s
just about making them into reality.”
His passion comes across in his images. He offers day-to-day documentation of his travels on Instagram. This has made him very popular on the platform.
Marc Adamus is a landscape photographer famous for his ultimate
dedication and respect for nature. His photographic trips often take
long weeks or months, and the photographs are absolutely worth it.
As an adventurer, he finds and shoots countless undiscovered
locations. His ultimate commitment puts him on the first place of our
list. His style is recognisable from miles away, yet he manages to
create every single one of his images unique.
His colour palette comprises of slightly faded, but saturated and lively colours. And his photos show the dynamics of the landscape perfectly.
It doesn’t matter if you view his images from a distance or closely
inspect them – his work is flawless. He’s based in Western North
America, but he’s spent his career pursuing and capturing beautiful
landscapes all over the world.
