Travel Photography: Behind thr Mobile Lens of Jack Hollingsworth

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J A C K H O L L I N G S W O R T H
i P H O N E P H O T O G R A P H Y
www.iphonejourney.com
Twitter: @photojack
Instagram: @jackhollingsworth
Email: jack@jackhollingsworth.com
T R A V E L P H O T O G R A P H Y
Howto shoot iPhonetravel photographythat doesn’t suck.
BEHIND THE
MOBILE LENS
OF JACK HOLLINGSWORTH

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G E N E R A L
NEVER PASS
ON A PHOTO
OPPORTUNITY
Th e qu estion is n ot wh eth er a su bject or object
h as been sh ot before. Of cou rse it h as. Th e more
pressin g qu estion is wh eth er it’s been sh ot by
y ou ! In th e ligh t y ou are in ...righ t n ow!

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“The gladdest moment
in human life is a
departure into
unknown lands.”
S i r R i c h a r d B u r t o n

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FOCUS ON CONTENT
NOT CRAFT
G E N E R A L
I would rather have the "right subject" with the "wrong
settings" than the "wrong subject" with the "right
settings". Just shoot the damn thing!
What a pictures says (content) is far more important
than how is was created (craft).

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“Be fearless in the
pursuit of what sets
your soul on fire.”
J e n n i f e r L e e

LAW OF PASSION,
ATTRACTION,
CONNECTION
G E N E R A L
Shoot what you love and are
attracted to. And love what
you shoot. Always. The
intersection of passion and
subject is the sweet spot in
travel photographs
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“Travel makes one modest.
You see what a tiny place
you occupy in the world.”
G u s t a v F l a u b e r t

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STOP CENSORING
YOURSELF WHILE
SHOOTING
Don’t censor yourself while you are taking photos. You’ll
have plenty of time to do that later. Let the magic flow. Shoot
to your heart’s content. Develop a rhythm and cadence.
Above all, have fun with the process. If you are not having
fun with your photography, put the camera down!
G E N E R A L

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“The real voyage of discovery
consists not
in seeking new lands
but seeing with new eyes.”
M a r c e l P r o u s t

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SMALL-
SCREEN
IMPACT
You have to shoot for small -
screen impact. What you take
out of a photo is often more
important than what you
include.
G E N E R A L
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“Traveling – it leaves you
speechless, then turns you
into a storyteller.”
I b n B a t t u t a

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G E N E R A L
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START WIDE, THEN
MOVE IN CLOSER
As a general rule, I like to start “wide”(overview) then
slowly work my way into a scene for medium and close-
up photographs.

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“To travel is to live.”
H a n s C h r i s t i a n A n d e r s e n

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ROOM WITH
A VIEW
T H E S H I P
Most stand-alone cameras and all smartphones
cannot equally record both interiors and
exteriors at the same time.
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“The life you have led
doesn’t need to be the only
life you have.”
A n n a Q u i n d l e

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SOFT
WINDOW
LIGHT When
shooting
food….sit by soft,
indirect window
light. It’s
gorgeous!
T H E S H I P

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“The most beautiful in the
world is, of course, the
world itself.”
Wa l l a c e S t e v e n s

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SUN DECK
The best place for sunrise and
sunset shots is on Sun deck.
T H E S H I P

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“The journey not the
arrival matters.”
T. S . E l i o t

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BUS STOPS
AND F-STOPS
T H E S H I P
You’re not going to have
much luck shooting out
of a moving vehicle.
Wait until the vehicle
stops.

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“Travel and change of
place impart new
vigor to the mind.”
S e n e c a

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STAFF PORTRAITS
If you are going to take the time to shoot
staff portraits, place them in flattering light.
T H E S H I P

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“He who would travel happily
must travel light.”
A n t o i n e d e S t . E x u p e r y

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TRAVEL COMPANIONS
Don’t shoot
directly into the
sun. Shoot with the
sun over your
shoulder.
T H E S H I P
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“And then there is the most
dangerous risk of all — the risk of
spending your life not doing what you
want on the bet you can buy yourself
the freedom to do it later.”
R a n d y K o m i s a r

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T H E S H I P
IT’S A SMALL WORLD
AFTER ALL
There are tons of ship details that will help flesh out
your travel story and journal,. Constantly look around.

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“Life is either a
daring adventure or
nothing at all.”
H e l e n K e l l e r

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T H E S H I P
SHIP EXTERIORS
The best shots are often on the opposite river bank.
Take the effort to explore different vantage points.
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“One’s destination is
never a place, but a new
way of seeing things.”
H e n r y M i l l e r

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CAFE CULTURE
I love sitting at cafes…eating,
drinking, journaling, photographing,
watching the world go by.
S U B J E C T S
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“If you reject the food, ignore
the customs, fear the religion
and avoid the people, you might
better stay home.”
J a m e s M i c h e n e r

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OPEN
MARKETS
The perfect
environment to shoot local
color and souvenirs.
S U B J E C T S

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“All journeys have secret
destinations of which the
traveler is unaware.”
M a r t i n B u b e r

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LANDSCAPES
AND SCENICS
A Travel photography experience would hardly be
complete without including Nature shots.
Smartphones are perfect for wide-angle views.
S U B J E C T S

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“Travel makes a wise man
better but a fool worse.”
T h o m a s F u l l e r

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MONUMENTS,
LANDMARKS
AND
ATTRACTIONS
The key to shooting this is to get as
close as possible and minimize the
surrounding distractions.
S U B J E C T S
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“The world is a book and
those who do not travel read
only one page.”
A u g u s t i n e o f H i p p o

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STILL LIFES
Photos of inanimate objects. Still life's
require still lives. Find your Zen.
S U B J E C T S

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“Not all those who wander
are lost.”
J . R . R . To l k i e n

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NARROW
STREETS,
PATHS,
ALLEYWAYS
S U B J E C T S
These scenes
are generally high-in-
contrast.
Expose for the brightest
(not darkest) parts of the
scene.

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“Our happiest moments as tourists
always seem to come when we
stumble upon one thing while in
pursuit of something else.”
L a w r e n c e B l o c k

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As adults we spend approximately
90% of our life indoors. So
it’s probably time and a good idea
to learn to shoot indoors and in
lower-light levels.
Use a tripod. Brace yourself against
something immovable. Use two
hands. Try holding your breathe
while shooting.
S U B J E C T S
CHURCHES,
CATHEDRALS,
PLACES,
CASTLES

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“Do not follow where the
path may lead. Go instead
where there is no path and
leave a trail.”
R a l p h Wa l d o E m e r s o n

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S U B J E C T S
PEOPLE
AND
PORTRAITS
Best to ask permission than
forgiveness when shooting perfect
strangers on the street.

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“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to
trust strangers and to lose sight of all that
familiar comforts of home and friends. You
are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours
except the essential things. -air, sleep,
dreams, the sea, the sky. -all things tending
towards the eternal or what we imagine of
it.”
C e s a r e P a v e s e

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S U B J E C T S
DETAILS
When the weather becomes uncooperative, focus on the details of the
subjects and scenes you shoot. Minimize bald and white skies.
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“Every man can transform the
world from one of monotony
and drabness to one of
excitement and adventure.”
I r v i n g Wa l l a c e

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i P H O N E
CLEAN
YOUR LENS
Even your tiny lens needs
cleaning…like
right now!

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“What you’ve done becomes the judge of
what you’re going to do — especially in
other people’s minds. When you’re
traveling, you are what you are right there
and then. People don’t have your past to
hold against you. No yesterdays on the
road.”
W i l l i a m L e a s t H e a t M o o n

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AUTO MODE
A D V A N C E D T I P S
For most of you,
well over 80% of
your photos can be
shot in full Auto
mode.

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“We travel, some of us forever,
to seek other states, other
lives, other souls.”
A n a ï s N i n

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TAP TO FOCUS
AND EXPOSE
i P H O N E
For the remaining 20%, tap
the screen area where you
want to focus and expose.
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“A good traveler has no
fixed plans and is not
intent on arriving.”
L a o T z u

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On rare occasion, in
low-light, I might use a small, auxiliary
light to boost the light intensity.
BRIGHTNESS
SLIDER
i P H O N E
Tap the screen and use the brightness slider
to control overall brightness and darkness. Up
and down.
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“We live in a wonderful world that is
full of beauty, charm, and adventure.
There is no end to the adventures we
can have if only we seek them with our
eyes open.”
J a w a h a r i a l N e h r u

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Use Pano, Video,
Time-Lapse, Slo-mo,
Portrait modes to help
tell your story.
i P H O N E
DIFFERENT
MODES FOR
DIFFERENT
MOMENTS

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“I have found out that there ain’t no
surer way to find out whether you
like people or hate them than to
travel with them.”
M a r k Tw a i n

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Shallow DOF brings
focused attention to a
scene and generally
results in a deeper
intimacy with the
photograph itself. That’s
what “Portrait” mode is
so good on the newer
iPhone cameras.
i P H O N E
USE PORTRAIT
MODE FOR
DEFOCUSED
BACKGROUNDS
( B O K E H )

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“A journey is best
measured in friends,
rather than miles.”
Ti m C a h i l l

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i P H O N E
AVOID BLURRY
PHOTOS
You have to take a different tact for shooting
indoors, in low-light, than when shooting
outdoors in bright-light.

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“Man cannot discover
new oceans unless he has
the courage to lose sight
of the shore.”
A n d r e G i d e

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MAGIC
HOUR
The best times of the day for
photography are dawn,
sunrise, an hour after sunrise,
an hour before sunset, sunset,
an hour after sunset (Blue-
hour).
L I G H T
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“Like all great travelers, I have
seen more than I remember,
and remember more than I have
seen.”
B e n j a m i n D i s r a e l i

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HARD vs SOFT LIGHT
L I G H T
Hard light casts hard and harsh shadows
(unflattering). Soft light casts soft and
diffused shadows (flattering).
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“Because in the end, you won’t
remember the time you spent
working in the office or mowing
your lawn. Climb that goddamn
mountain.”
J a c k K e r o u a c

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C O M P O S I T I O N
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RULE OF ODDS
Odd-numbered elements can be perceived as
more natural and interesting that even-
numbered elements.

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“Remember that happiness
is a way of travel – not a
destination.”
R o y M . G o o d m a n

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RULE OF
THIRDS
Try placing your
key subjects on
the intersection
points of the rule-
of-thirds grid.

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“Once in a while it really hits
people that they don’t have to
experience the world in the way
they have been told to.”
A l a n K e i g h t l e y

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RULE OF ORIENTATION
Let each subject
determine whether you
shoot vertically (Portrait
mode) or horizontally
(Landscape mode).
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“Twenty years from now you will be more
disappointed by the things that you didn’t do
than by the ones you did do. So throw off the
bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover.”
M a r k Tw a i n

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RULE OF
DEPTH
Try placing different
interesting elements in the
fore, middle and background
of your photo. Try focusing
on different elements as you
snap (usually you can just
tap your phone’s screen to
focus on an element).

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“Take only memories, leave
only footprints.”
C h i e f S e a t t l e

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What is the main point of
your photograph? Each
scene should have a
central focal point. Don’t
have too many focal
points.
RULE OF
FOCAL POINT

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“Wherever you go, go with
all your heart!.”
C o n f u c i u s

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RULE OF SPACE
Every photograph
has both positive
(the subject)
and negative
(surrounding the subject) space.

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“A great way to learn about
your country is to leave it.”
H e n r y R o l l i n s

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On rare occasion, in
low-light, I might use a small, auxiliary
light to boost the light intensity.
RULE OF
COVERAGE
The "National Geographic Way" of getting your
shot is not giving up on the shot. Keep your feet
moving and eye wandering.
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“It is not down in any map;
true places never are.”
H e r m a n M e l v i l l e

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RULE OF
FRAMING
It’s often help to use
a natural or man-
made “frame" to drive
attention to your
main subject.
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“You don’t have to be
rich to travel well.”
E u g e n e F o d o r

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RULE OF
SHAPES
Viewers like “shapes”
in your composition,
obvious and implied-
circles, triangles,
squares.

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“Own only what you can always
carry with you: known
languages, known countries,
known people. Let your memory
be your travel bag.”
A l e x a n d r S o l z h e n i t s y n

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RULE OF
HORIZONS
Don’t always cut the photography in half by
placing the horizon line in the center of the
frame. Divide your composition into thirds.

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“Once a year, go someplace
you’ve never been before.”
D a l a i L a m a

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RULE OF
LINES
Be on the lookout
for “lines” in your
photography-
horizontal, vertical,
diagonal, curved,
irregular.

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“When preparing to travel, lay out
all your clothes and all your
money. Then take half the clothes
and twice the money.”
S u s a n H e l l e r

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RULE OF
COLOR
Pick a main color and let the
others colors support it. Don’t
overload a scene with too many
colors. (color fatigue).
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“What you’ve done becomes the judge of
what you’re going to do – especially in
other people’s minds. When you’re
traveling, you are what you are right
there and then. People don’t have your
past to hold against you. No yesterdays
on the road.”
W i l l i a m L e a s t H e a t M o o n

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RULE OF FEELING
Don’t just show
the viewer what the
subject looks like,
show them what it
feels like.
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“Two roads diverged in a
wood and I – I took the one
less traveled by.”
R o b e r t F r o s t

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Want to be a better portrait photographer?
Then first learn the secret of being a better human being!
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J A C K H O L L I N G S W O R T H
i P H O N E P H O T O G R A P H Y
www.iphonejourney.com
Twitter: @photojack
Instagram: @jackhollingsworth
Email: jack@jackhollingsworth.com
Howto shoot iPhonetravel photographythat doesn’t suck.
BEHIND THE
MOBILE LENS
OF JACK HOLLINGSWORTH

Travel Photography: Behind thr Mobile Lens of Jack Hollingsworth

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Travel Photography: Behind thr Mobile Lens of Jack Hollingsworth