Photography on the Trail

I love nature photography so it's no surprise that when I'm going on a hike, one of the things I almost always bring with me is a camera (or multiple cameras...). From my phone to my DSLR, I've got to have something that'll capture the beauty of the trails we're on. Here are the cameras I use:

The good ole cell phone. It's slim, it's easy to carry around, it take decent photos. My Iphone is the camera that is always with me. Besides having other essential capabilities such as GPS, weather forecasts, etc. it works well when you want to grab a photo of the gorgeous landscape or some flowers on the trail. What it's not great for is anything you might want to zoom in on or can't get close to, such as wildlife. It's also not great for shallow depth of field which is when the background is all blurred out and the object you are focused on is the only thing in focus. But with landscapes in particular, that doesn't really matter.

Some of my photos taken with my cell phone:

The DSLR camera. I own a Canon 5D Mark IV which, of my three camera options, is the most bulky to carry around on the trail but also is the most versatile for taking photos. I have two zoom lenses that cover a wide range of focal lengths and it does give me more options when it comes to depth of field and framing the image. But carrying around a bulky camera with two lenses and extra batteries is burdensome so I don't always bring this camera with me. Only when I feel like it'll be worth it for some epic shots do I bring it along. I also take it with me when traveling to national parks and other places that are further away. It's worth the extra weight in those situations.

Some of my photos taken with my Canon 5D Mark IV:

The vintage film camera. I bought this one about a year ago, wanting to experiment with film photography, something I haven't done since I was a kid and film cameras were the norm. It's a Canon AE-1. So far, I've loved taking it on the trails with me because it's fairly lightweight and not as bulky as my DSLR. I have a smaller carrying case for it so it's easy to sling over my shoulder. The lenses I have don't have quite the range as my DSLR lenses so I am a little bit more limited in how I can frame my images, but otherwise, it's been a great little camera to bring along. (I also have to get the film developed which takes time and money).

Some of my photos taken with my Canon AE-1 film camera:

What do you use on the trails to capture your photos? Feel free to comment below!

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