How To Take Better Hiking Photos

Photos of the Dirtbag Darling by B. Scherzberg

This first appeared as a guest post for the Free People blog.

Ever see a National geographic photographer lugging two tripods and case of lenses into the forest? Yeah, I'm not feeling that, especially when my pack feels heavy enough as is. Not all of us have expensive photography equipment or the camera know how to take stunning, magazine-worthy photographs. Still, we all want memorable snaps from our favorite hikes. Here are four easy tips for taking more interesting photographs when you're in the great outdoors:

1. Use your surroundings
It's easy to post next to a huge boulder—but why not climb on top of it? Or pretend you're stuck under it? Add some levity and depth to your photographs by using your surroundings creatively. Rocks, puddles, branches and ice all lend themselves to endless setups. Sounds simple, but people too often forget to have fun with all of the unique features of nature.

Photos of the Dirtbag Darling by S. Callene and B. Scherzberg

2. Move away from your subject
You'll never get an epic landscape shot if your friend won't back the heck up. Try jogging a few feet behind them at the beach and capture their fading footsteps, or climb higher than them so you can capture the steepness of a hike. This helps provide some scale in your photos and will help you create unique perspectives.

For two more fun ideas, visit Blog.FreePeople.com.