6 Accessories for Traveling iPhone Photographers + Tips

by jazminmarie

If you thought you needed a DSLR camera in order to take gorgeous travel photography, you’re wrong. While having a fancy-schmancy camera might help with quality, what actually makes a difference is how you take the photo.

Before I saved enough money for my DSLR, all I had was a point and shoot camera and my phone. This is several years ago so the quality of both those things are incomparable to what they are today. Today if you’re carrying around an iPhone, you practically have a fancy-schmancy camera right in your pocket. Here are a few accessories and tips you can use that can help you’re traveling photography experience and up your iPhone photography game:

Best Accessories for iPhoneographers
How To Photograph Higher Quality Photos with an iPhone
Best iPhone Settings for Travel Photographers

Best Accessories for iPhoneographers

Definitely, A Tripod.

If you only take your pictures by hand, purchasing a tripod is going to completely change things for your photos. You’re no longer stuck on the corner of the screen because you need to be close to the capture button, now you have the freedom to take things a little further.

These adjustable tripods are super versatile because they allow you to attach your phone to anything. Not only can you use this as a standard tripod, but you can also attach your phone to a chain-link fence, a tree, a slanted surface and your viewers wouldn’t know the difference.

The downside to this tripod is that it isn’t adjustable like a normal tripod. If you’re in a place with nothing to attach this to your stuck with only one height. This may not be a big deal to you, but this may also be a dealbreaker. Consider the type of projects you’re working on before purchasing this.

Another great option is the selfie stick that turns into a tripod. This tripod, selfie stick allows you to get the best of both worlds and document yourself from a little bit further away while still having a handle on your device. Sometimes we just need a little bit more space between us and the camera and the selfie stick provides just that. Initially I thought these things were a bit silly, but after seeing the type of images you can come out with the small investment is totally worth it.

The downsides about this is usually the overall weight of the product. Because the product is so light and the iPhone is so thin and wide, a gust of wind can come over and damage your gear. Definitely make sure to wave the tripod down when you’re using it so it doesn’t fall over.

A Waterproof Case

How many times do we need to see someone drop their iPhone at the beach until we invest in a waterproof case? It was one time for me and I learned my lesson! After seeing someone who didn’t plan on getting on the water, get in the water and also get the phone wet I decided that my phone is going to be tucked away in one of these sleeves to stay safe.

My favorite part about this waterproof case is how thin it is. The case can keep your device safe from water while you can still use your camera feature near the water. This means you can safely take photos near the sand, but also take really cool photos near and underwater.

I can’t think of a downside to this waterproof case, but I will say make sure to test out your case before you put your phone in it. Sometimes these things are defective and on your vacation is not when you want to find out. What I usually do is put a napkin or a piece of paper inside the case, seal it all up, dip it under water and leave it for some time and then retrieve the paper to see if it’s dry.

Extra Lighting

This one is optional, but it makes a huge difference. Lighting can tremendously change the quality of your video, if you never considered paying attention to the lighting before this, now may be the time. I used to consider myself a “natural light photographer“, but the truth was I predominantly photographed outside and I didn’t actually need to worry about lighting. Now this is no longer true.

One of the first things you may have noticed with the front facing camera is that it’s a bit lower quality than the rear facing camera. This means when you try to take a selfie or a video of yourself in the evening or night time, the quality is significantly less than normal. With a selfie light the quality can stay consistent. Having an additional light source has allowed me to keep a quality look to my photos/videos. Now I am no longer limited to a certain day time hours and I am available to record at lower lit places.

An Extra Battery

Having extra juice is always important. If you’re going to start taking more photos from your phone, you need to make sure that you also have a backup battery source so that you can keep using your phone at the end of the day. So many times have I been so busy using my phone for photos and videos that I forget about the level of charge it’s at. The worst thing you can do is be traveling with a dead phone and unsure of where to go.

Even the cheapest battery can charge your phone to half or full battery at least once. The more expensive batteries can recharge your phone multiple times. Whatever is in your budget, at least put aside $10-$15 to purchase an external battery so you always have that for safety.

How To Photograph Higher Quality Photos with an iPhone

As I mentioned above it’s not about the gear you have, but how you use it. Although iPhones have high quality cameras, unless you activate those settings you’re probably taking pictures in a lower quality setting with a high compression. Although these high compression settings allow you to take more photos, the compression definitely affects the quality.

Best iPhone Settings for Travel Photographers

Settings > Camera

Maximize the Quality settings

One of the first things we’re going to adjust in the Camera Settings is the quality of the video. I have my video recording settings at 4K 30 fps (frames per second), I recommend going to 60 fps if you plan on slowing any of it down. I don’t use the camera slow-mo option, but if you do adjust those setting to highest quality slow-mo settings which are 1080p 240 fps.

Screenshot of my current iPhone Camera Settings

Turn on Grid Lines

Turning on the grid lines can help you for a few reasons: first it allows you to keep proper composition of the image, but it also allows you to maintain an even horizon.

Screenshot of Camera Settings

Screenshot of Grid Lines on Camera

Turn off “View Outside the Frame” Feature

When I first customized my camera settings, I had the “View Outside the Frame” Feature activated. There was something aesthetically pleasing about having the camera fill the screen, but it didn’t last long. This feature allowed me to believe that I was taking wider angle shots and they were completely different when I reviewed my actual photos. Keeping this feature turned off will allow you to avoid that whole confusion.