Nomad Overland Rally 2024

Some Creative Hacks for Better Selfies

Getting photographs that don’t all look like “selfies” when traveling alone can be a challenge. Sometimes the standard “arm out selfie” is just what you want. But other times you might want to add some variety to your imagery, or you might need to include elements that make the “standard” selfie not the best solution.

Over the years I have come up with relatively easy ways to get some of those shots.

The first tool I use is a small folding “table top” size cheap plastic tripod for my iphone.  It should be light enough to carry on a hike and fold up small enough to fit in your daypack. Also try to choose one that allows the phone cradle to be positioned either horizontally or vertically. The photo below was taken with my phone and this kind of tripod placed on my dashboard, with the phone camera on 10-second timer.

The second tool I use is a larger (but still cheap) plastic tripod that can be extended to eye-level height if necessary.  This is a great tool that I can use to really make it seem like a candid shot and not a selfie. Again, I set up the phone and frame the image the way I want it to look , then use the 10-second self-timer to put myself “in” the image. This might require a few takes to get it right, but you can really make images that don’t look like selfies at all. The photo below was taken using this method.

A third “trick” I have that works with my “real” Nikon camera and allows me to set up and frame images from some distance without having to “run” back to put myself in the photo, is the free Nikon SnapBridge app which connects my phone to my camera and let’s me see the image remotely on my phone, click the shutter and even change the zoom, so I can completely set up my shot and when I am ready I just click the button from my phone. (I am pretty sure they have a similar app for other brands of camera). This photo below is an example of this technique.

Finally, I have one more technique that only works as long as you don’t need super high resolution images (like you would need for large format printing or full page spreads in magazines). It is particularly useful if you need to capture some kind of motion, and that is to put the phone (or camera) on the tripod and shoot it as video, then pull a “still” image from the video. This is usually perfectly fine for social media posts and online imagery generally. Below is an example of an image created that way.

The most important “trick” for any of these methods is to frame your scene thoughtfully. Arrange your subjects and backgrounds in “3-D” using foreground, middleground and background elements, rather than just lining everything up “flat.” Use a variety of angles — every photo does not need to be taken at eye level. Try different perspectives and create a mix of longer establishing shots, medium shots, and closeups, even for your “selfies.”

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