Snap Sunshine with the click of your touch screen

Believe it or not, you already have a great camera, and you carry it with you every day.

What camera are we talking about? You’ve guessed it - it's your smartphones!

This summer, explore your photography skills at Sunshine! Add photography to your next hike up at the Sunshine Meadows and photographer to your resume.

The mountains, wildflowers, trees and wildlife make Sunshine one of the most photogenic spots in the Banff area. Banff Sunshine Meadows have infinite angles and beauty for you to capture.

We believe everyone can take great photos, so here are some of our favorite tips and tricks to capturing breathtaking photos with your smartphone.

Turn your High Dynamic Range (HDR) setting ON.

Under or overexposed images will change the way your favorite vistas of Sunshine Meadows look in real life. Enable HDR mode on your phone to ensure your landscape photos have the perfect exposure – not too bright and not too dark.

Switching on HDR will make your pictures instantly better as it automatically captures and combines multiple versions of the same image to create one single image.

On an iPhone, activate it by choosing the HDR button in the camera app or by going to settings> camera>Smart HDR.

Have another smartphone? Visit your app store, you’ll find lots of apps available!

PRO TIP: Explore the app store for supporting apps to raise your photo resolution to new heights!

Snap it Straight.

It sounds simple, but here’s your friendly reminder to make sure your photo is straight. If you want your photos to look more stunning, adding gridlines could make the difference. By adding horizontal and vertical lines to your camera app, you will get the horizons straights every single time.

Use the features that come with your phone. This feature is usually built into your phone camera. Switch it on and then simply align your horizon using the gridlines.

Composition is Key

To create harmonious images, keep in mind these two rules:

- Diagonal Principle. This technique is easy to apply, just make sure your important subjects are positioned diagonally from each other to balance the photo both horizontally and vertically.

- The Rule of Thirds. Gridlines are essential for this! The rule says that the most important part or parts of the image should be at one of the four points where the gridlines meet. These four points are considered the most powerful areas of an image because our eyes are naturally attracted to these areas first.

Add Depth

- Add details in the foreground. Mixing small foreground elements with a stunning view in the background will add a sense of scale. A tree, a wildflower or even wildlife could help you avoid getting a flat landscape photo in which all the focus is on distant objects.

- Include leading lines. The lines formed by a trail, a bridge or a stream of water will make people’s eyes naturally follow it from the foreground to the horizon. That movement creates a three-dimensional impression allowing your viewers to explore each part of your shot.

The Right Lighting

Work with the sun to capture your photos at the right moment, not against the sun. If the sun is facing your camera shutter, it can capture the light from the sun and leave your photos overexposed with darker tones. Work with our dearest Mother Nature and have the sun facing your back when you snap your pictures. This affects daytime photos, for when the sun is the strongest. Different gear or an overcast day may change the outcome of your photo.

Nowadays, only the pro’s carry around their cameras while the rest of us use our phones, and yes, the camera quality on our smartphones is quite advanced. Mastering the art of photography with the click of your state-of-the-art smartphone camera is easier than you think.

Share your photos with us on Instagram and tag us @sunshinevillage.

Have fun snapping on Sunshine!