Ski & Snap: Take Top-notch Photos On Your Smart Phone

Skiing can be a goldmine of photo opportunities, from selfies on the slopes to stunning snow-capped landscapes (not to mention capturing the moment when your friends wipe out!). If you don’t want to miss a thing, then using your smartphone instead of groping around for a camera when you’re out on the pistes could be as vital as making sure you have skiing travel insurance.

The trouble with cameras when you’re out skiing or boarding is that they are an expensive piece of kit which you are likely to want to keep safe. That means hiding them away in your backpack, bum-bag or zipped up in an inside pocket, making it quite a palaver to get to them. While, of course, we all want to keep our phones safe too, the truth is that we also always have them close to hand, know exactly where they are and can reach for them in record-breaking time. This makes them the perfect tool for capturing beautiful/funny/impressive skiing shots while you’re on the go.

Taking the Perfect Picture with Your Phone

The great thing is that, whatever phone you have, the chances are the camera will be of a comparable standard to an average DSLR camera. That’s because phone companies now understand that the quality of their cameras is a key factor in our choice of phone.

So you have this great piece of kit already with you on the piste: how do you go about taking the perfect picture?

·         Framing Your Shot

The first key ingredient to a great photo is to actually think about its composition before you click. I know you can crop it later but, believe me, if you think about the photograph you want to take and what you want in it at the time, you’ll end up with a better shot. The general rule of photographic composition is to divide your subject into thirds and put your subject to the side, rather than in the middle. It may sound odd, but try it – it just makes for a more interesting picture.

·         Capture the Moment

If you’re lucky enough to have the latest phones which will let you play back a few seconds of imagery and capture the perfect moment in retrospect, then you’re good to go. If not, use the burst mode to capture action shots (just hold down the shutter and the camera will take 10 frames in a second). That way if your friends are trying a new trick you’ll actually catch the key moment and avoid the disappointment of finding that all you’ve captured is an empty frame.

·         Keep the Lens Clean

We’re not always great at keeping our phones clean but if you’re using it as a camera this is important in order to avoid blurry images.

·         High Dynamic Range

If your phone has it, HDR will ensure photos which are perfectly exposed, even in the bright light of the mountains.

·         Keep Still

This can be harder than you think, especially on the slopes, so it might be worth investing in some surplus kit. A mini-tripod or phone stand and a remote shutter switch are all a good idea (they also give you the chance to photograph your own skiing feats).

Of course if you’re taking any expensive gadgets or tech out with you on the slopes then you’ll want to ensure that your skiing travel insurance covers any accidental damage or loss that might occur. Remember, not only will specifically designed skiing travel insurance cover your tech, but it will also keep you protected in case it’s you wiping out on the ski jumps and not your friends.

Author Plate

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of InsureMore, an award-winning team of specialists in global single trip, annual, family, business and skiing travel insurance. Besides offering great deals on travel insurance, Patrick also collects and shares the best free travel competitions to help his clients get the most out of their holidays.