Travel photographer Cole Rice is an Internet star. He has about 1 million subscribers on social media. The Rise filter he created is popular with mobile photo enthusiasts around the world.
Once, Cole gave some good advice to anyone who wants to bring beautiful pictures from their travels. All you need is your phone and your sense of beauty.
The tricks of photographers
Take pictures of people whenever you can. Landscapes look better with people.
“People create a mood,” says Cole. Most of his pictures show his girlfriend Kate.
In addition, people help to create a sense of scale.
Only a person on the steps of this ruined temple allows you to assess how massive the ruins really are.
Try shooting in serial mode from the car window.
It’s never possible to guess what you’ll get. Most modern smartphones have a burst shooting mode.
Install the phone on the roof of your car to get an unusual visual effect.
If there are clouds in the sky at the time of shooting, the reflection on the roof will add personality to your frame.
Approaching the phone to the very surface of the water can also give a bright result.
Don’t be afraid to use portrait mode in unusual situations.
Drop down to get a more interesting foreground.
Usually phones have a poor depth of field, so you will need to put it on the ground. This perspective will help to visually lift the object in the frame.
What you need to remember when traveling
Be invisible, try to blend in with the crowd and don’t carry a backpack.
As a tourist loaded with gadgets, you become a walking target for thieves. When traveling, Cole does not wear bright clothes, keeps his phone and camera closer to him and leaves his backpack at home.
If you want to take a picture of a local resident or a person on the street, be sure to ask their permission.
Bad weather is great weather for a photographer.
Sometimes rain or snow become ideal shooting conditions. Cloudy days can also give you as many bright shots as clear ones.
Buy a waterproof case and insure your phone.
Learn the keyboard shortcuts of your phone to capture fleeting moments in time.
This photo of a low-flying plane was taken on a smartphone. Cole managed to unlock his phone and take a picture of the plane directly above his head. For such moments, you need to know how hotkeys work on your phone.
The most important thing is to go further than anyone else.
The only way to find truly beautiful places is to explore them. If you visit the monument, get away from the whole crowd of tourists. Cole often says, “Live an interesting life, and then the pictures will appear by themselves.”
The art of editing
Lighten the shadows and dim the highlights for a better balance.
Most photo editing apps allow you to adjust the balance of light and shadow in a picture. Don’t be afraid to use them.
Add vignetting and enhance the shadows to make the photo brighter.
Vignette is one of Cole’s favorite techniques, which slightly darkens the borders of the photo at the edges, making the central part of the picture brighter. Since the original shot was dark, Cole slightly increased the brightness and sharpness to focus on the balloons and the landscape.
Edit the photo, and then go back and reduce your adjustments by 50%.
This is the secret of a good photo that looks natural: there are no visible traces of manipulation with photo editors.
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