How Do You Take Good Pictures Camping?

How Do You Take Good Pictures Camping?
The view of camping in the mountain – Camping photography

Do you enjoy camping? Me too! Nothing beats spending time in nature, close to our ancestral roots. 

But when I first started champing, I faced some challenges capturing the beautiful moments with my camera.

There wasn’t enough light or any way to take all essential camera gear, not to mention other difficulties such as dampness and rain. 

So,

how do you take good pictures camping? 

Throughout my experience going on several camping trips since then, I’ve learned a couple of crucial things — like always having a spare lens at hand if one gets ruined or not forgetting my tripod.

In this post,

I’ll be sharing my experience with you, along with the do-s and don’t-s I’ve learned the hard way.

Without further ado, let’s get into it. 

Why Are Cameras Important In Camping

Camping is one of the most authentic experiences you’ll have in your life. Being exposed to nature with all her threats and beauties — it’s an experience you won’t forget for the rest of your life. 

You want to bring a camera to capture those unforgettable memories of making fire for the first time or setting up camp.

If you have them saved on film, years down the line, you can reminisce on those joyful times and remind yourself how the earth smelt, looked, and felt. 

All this is bound to bring a smile to your face. So packing a camera is a must on a camping trip!

Camping photography with camping fire
Young loving couple of tourists camping, sitting near a campfire against the tent and drinking – camping photography

How Do You Camp With A Camera

But camping with a camera is often challenging. You can’t take everything from your camera bag with you for lack of storage. Natural factors like rain and damp weather also interfere with taking quality pictures.  

To avoid these issues,

you need to be smart about using your camera while camping. It starts with packing the camera effectively. 

How Do You Pack A Camera For Camping

To start packing, you should first think about what type of camping bag you’re going to use —

  • Pick A Versatile Padded Bag

When you’re out hiking or camping, you need to move around too much. If you don’t have a well-padded bag, the intricate parts of your camera may get damaged.

Camping scenario with a padded bag for camera packing
Camping scenario with a padded bag for camera packing

For this reason, padded or day bags are one of the best choices for camping. Their extreme cushioning helps protect your camera, while its spacious compartments enable you to pack everything in one place. 

  • Have Multiple Lenses

It’s crucial to take at least two lenses with you when camping. Due to damp weather conditions or rain, it’s plausible for one of your lenses to get damaged.

By having a spare, you’ll never miss out on the opportunity of capturing a beautiful moment.

  • Packing The Camera

Now that you have the right bag and gear let’s see how you should pack the camera efficiently for a camping trip —

  1. Pack a layer of clothing in your bag first. This creates an added layer of cushioning on top of your padded bag.
  2. Next, disassemble your camera and place the parts on the clothes one by one. 
  3. Place the final layer of clothing on top of your camera.

Your camera is now well-cushioned, and you’re now ready to go camping!

Camping Photography Ideas

Now that you know how to bring a camera safely to the campsite let’s talk about how you can take beautiful pictures to capture those memorable moments. 

  1. Capture The First Moments

Although it might not seem like it, camping is an organized process. You start by finding the right location, creating fire, setting up tents, and finally, eating food.

creating-fire - camping photography
a man creating fire in their camp journey – camping photography

Everything happens in order, and it’s best to capture everything as you go along.

Capture the wildlife and different sceneries when you first search for a camp base. When creating fires, document the person grinding the rocks to make sparks.

together team members and set up their tent
together team members and set up their tents for their camping

Capture the entire team working together to set up a tent and finally enjoy good food for their hard labor.

All this will create an incredible, structured document for when you finally return home. 

  1. Capture Wildlife

When you go camping, you’ll encounter friendly wildlife of all sorts. Tame deers and monkeys are common, while you’ll find different birds in abundance.

taking shots of wildlife while camping
a shot that taken while camping the wildlife of a monkey

Make good use of the opportunity and document each one of them.

When capturing wildlife, be sure to take a super-telephoto lens with you. Set a high shutter speed at around 1/1000th or 1/1500th and an aperture value of around f/5.6 or f/8. In this way, you’ll be left with the best camping pictures ever. 

  1. Make Use Of Sunsets

Set your camera on a tripod by the riverbank and wait. As soon as the sun starts setting, its reflection will show up in the river. This is the best time to take some great shots and document the best sunset of your life.

camping at sunset
Tents and bonfire in camping near river at sunset

Be sure to document the sunset too. The most iconic campsite photo is a sunset over a large lake or river. If you have a lake or river nearby, go there during the evening.

How Do You Take Pictures at Night Camping?

When camping, it’s hard to get the right lighting conditions — even more so at night. But you can combat this by leaving your shutter open for an extended time, somewhere from 10-30 seconds.

night time camping photography
Night time camping – taking shots using a long shutter for captured more light

The longer your shutter is open, the more light is captured and the brighter your image.

Set your ISO high up, and you’ll get some of the most beautiful-looking night shots by applying these tricks. 

Adventurous Ways to Photograph Your Camping Trip

As said earlier, you can’t take every camera accessory when you go camping. Desperate times call for desperate measures,

so let’s take a look at some adventurous ways you can document your camping trip.

  1. Use A Rock as a Tripod

You can use rocks as an alternative tripod if you need extra stability. Find a solid, high enough rock and set your camera there. You can also find a few smaller ones to create a stand and set your camera there.

  1. Play Around with Light Sources

It’s impossible to take the lighting gear when you go camping. But you don’t need artificial light when you have nature! When it’s sunny out, go near the trees and place your camera on the ground.

sunshine through the trees in the camping area
A mesmerizing shot of sunlight shines through the trees in your camping area

Have sunlight shine through the trees and onto your camera, and you’ll be left with some of the most mesmerizing shots ever.

  1. Take Night-time Photographs

Nighttime shots are some of the most mesmerizing. If it’s a moonlight night, you can play around with long exposure shots by keeping your shutter open to capture as much light as possible.

night camping photography
camping tent under the full moon – nighttime camping photography

You might even end up with some shots that have stars and constellations in the background.

For an even more adventurous spin, place a simple lamp in the middle of each shot to illuminate the surrounding.

keeping a lamp middle of the camp to illuminate the surrounding
placing a simple lamp in the middle of each shot to illuminate the surrounding with a camping fire

Focus the camera on the light source, which will give a dark yet contrasty image that will impress your friends.

Conclusion

If you came here confused about how you’ll manage to take great pictures while camping, you must’ve learned something by reading this post.

I can sense that you’re excited to go on your next camping trip and implement the newfound things you have learned. 

As a final tip for camping with your photography gear, I’d recommend having a camera strap around your neck.

use camera straps for camping photography
a man using camera strap for his camping photography

That way, you’ll have the camera with you at all times and never miss the opportunity in case something exciting happens. 

Good luck and have fun on your next trip!