Adventure vacations create lasting memories, yet snapping those moments with a smartphone can be a bit tricky, particularly for those who are not seasoned photographers.

YSL News reached out to two professional wildlife photographers who provided three essential tips for amateur photographers wanting to enhance their expedition photos without needing expensive gear.

“We invest a lot in our smartphones, but we often don’t know how to utilize their camera features,” HX Photographer Andrés Mesías mentioned to YSL News during a recent trip to the Galápagos Islands. “If you aim to capture memories from your journey, that’s all that’s necessary.”

Their advice could be the key to transforming a simple snapshot into an image that beautifully represents your adventure.

Below are the recommendations from Mesias and Aurora Expeditions Photographer Jamie Lafferty for budding photographers on an expedition.

1. Familiarize Yourself with Your Camera and Practice Ahead of Time

One key piece of advice is to get to know your smartphone or camera before your trip. Many modern smartphones include various lenses, such as wide-angle and zoom, with different modes like long exposure and portrait settings.

▶ Tip from the Photographer: “Experiment with your phone’s camera before setting off,” Lafferty suggested. “Familiarize yourself with its functions, like long exposure or wide-angle mode, so that you’re not scrambling to figure it out when facing a breathtaking scene.”

If you’re using an iPhone, Mesias recommends enabling burst mode for quick-moving subjects or while taking pictures from a boat, as well as gridlines to assist with composing your shot, and portrait mode for nearby subjects (about 6 feet away).

The more adept you are with your device, the faster you’ll be able to snap those fleeting moments, like a bird in flight or a whale breaking through the surface. Knowing how to adjust settings for different lighting or switch between lenses can significantly enhance photo quality during your travels.

▶ Bonus Advice: Check out online tutorials or your phone’s manual to learn how to use features like night mode, HDR, or time-lapse, which can help capture landscapes under various conditions.

2. Pay Attention to Composition and Scale for Impactful Images

Composition plays a crucial role in landscape and wildlife photography, and it can turn a nice photo into a breathtaking one. Lafferty underscored the significance of using dramatic lighting, contrasting elements, and incorporating components that provide scale in your images. For example, when photographing a mountain range, including a person, boat, or building can enhance the perception of size and scope in the scene.

▶ Tip from the Photographer: “Photos of landscapes improve significantly with dramatic lighting, particularly the contrast between light and dark areas,” Lafferty remarked. “Adding an element for scale, like a fellow traveler or a tree, creates a more dynamic and relatable scene.”

Mesías suggested four approaches: using “natural framing” by positioning surrounding elements to improve composition; “waiting for the action,” which involves being patient until a subject creates movement; “finding contrast” using differing textures and colors; and experimenting with backlighting to create intriguing rays and shadows.

You might also want to crop out parts of large-scale subjects, like leaving out the sky when photographing mountains or icebergs. This approach emphasizes the subject, making it appear larger and more engaging to viewers.

▶ Bonus Advice: On cloudy or rainy days, consider switching to black-and-white mode. Lafferty recommends transforming lackluster photos into black and white can enhance their artistic quality, adding mood and depth to otherwise flat images.

3. Learn Animal Behavior and Exercise Patience

Taking photos of wildlife can be both fulfilling and difficult during an expedition. Lafferty emphasizes that the secret to capturing excellent wildlife images lies in understanding animal behavior and exercising patience. By observing how animals interact with their surroundings, you can better predict their movements and seize that perfect moment.

▶ Tip from the photographer: Patience pays off. “The first time I went to Genovese Island, I found a lava bank where a tiny owl was hiding among the rocks . I was fortunate to catch it flying while taking a picture of it holding its prey,” Mesías shared.

Don’t stress about having quick reflexes.

“It’s more about waiting and understanding what the animal might do next,” Lafferty explained. “For example, I captured a stunning image of a polar bear because I observed its behavior — it was calmly circling our boat while sniffing the air.”

Because wildlife can act unpredictably, it’s better to approach your subject with caution. Move slowly and allow the animal to adjust to your presence, if it’s safe and your guide agrees. This leads to calmer animals and enhances your chances of photographing more authentic and unstaged moments.

▶ Extra tip: Slow-motion video can effectively showcase animals in action, particularly birds in flight or ocean creatures. This technique highlights the grace and beauty of their movements, which is often missed in still photos.

Going on an expedition is an exhilarating chance to observe extraordinary wildlife and breathtaking landscapes, and capturing these moments makes the experience even more unforgettable. By practicing with your camera, focusing on composition and scale, and learning about animal behaviors, you’ll produce stunning photos that will serve as lasting memories of your journey.