Traveling iphone photographer
I'm Hudsen Doucette
I was born in British Columbia, Canada as a middle child of six children. Not long before I turned 7, my family moved to Houston, Tx due to my father’s work. I was young and always homeschooled, so moving wasn’t as big of an issue to me as it may be for others. After a few years, my family began playing Bluegrass Gospel music. I got a banjo at 11 years old, and joined my siblings in our family band playing at church and family reunions. After a few years, we started traveling to other churches to sing and play. This turned into a lot more churches and eventually led to being on the road full time.
With being on the road so much, you have to find things you can do in a bus. Working out was something that I started early on, with adjustable dumbbells, a foldable bench, and a travel pull-up/dip bar. Another hobby I started on the road was bowling. With as much as we travel, bowling was something I could do almost anywhere with bowling alleys being quite common.
Then I started photography. I’m not even sure what led up to starting photography. I’ve always been fascinated with photos my friends take and the photos I saw online, but I never started trying until a couple years ago. I would watch YouTube videos on how to take better shots, what settings to use, what in the world an f stop was, and anything I could find. With never purchasing a camera, I never had anything but my iPhone to take photos, so I looked up iPhone photography tips. After finding a couple courses, I learned enough to be happy with some of my shots. Then I learned about editing and how much you can improve your photos with just a little editing.
There is still a long way to go, but I never want to stop learning new skills, finding new places, and growing in my photography.
Using an iphone
Learning photography can be a struggle, especially if you don’t have the right gear and equipment. However, you don’t need as much stuff as you would think to get started and even to get some incredible shots. I have never owned anything other than an iPhone, and I don’t even have the newest version. The real skill of photography is not in the gear but in the knowledge and experience of how to take a photo, but there are benefits to getting some accessories. With all that being said, here are some things that I use to help get a better photo:
1. Lenses
The home lenses on an Iphone are incredible for their size and price; however, adding an external lens can help a photo tremendously. I have tried a few lens companies, and have found my favorite in Shiftcam. Shiftcam is a newer company but has a great selection of lenses, shutters, lights, filters, and other great products that can help make iPhone photography even more convenient. That brings me to another accessory:
2. A Shutter Grip
With the size of the iPhone and the placement of the shutter button, it can get annoying to take a bunch of photos. This is why I like to have a shutter grip to help make it more comfortable and convenient when taking a lot of photos. I have been using two shutter grips depending on what I am doing. One of them is the Fjorden Shutter Grip. This is a great tool that basically turns your phone into a DSLR camera with all the settings and dials that you would use in manual mode on a camera. And the great thing about this grip is the size. It is pocketable even when on the phone and has a great MagSafe feature if you don’t want to use the Fjorden case. The other grip I use is the Pro Grip from Shiftcam. If I don’t have a weight or space limit in my packing, I am bringing this grip with me. It is on the larger side, but for longer shoots, it is a little more comfortable and also has a power bank built in to charge your phone as you go.
3. A Tripod
The last thing I use is a tripod. Even with how good the iPhone can take a clear shot with hand movements, there is no better way to get a clear shot than with a tripod. It doesn’t have to be a fancy tripod with all the features you can get. All this helps with is steadiness for shots such as macro, long exposure, or light rails. I use the K&F Concept tripod due to how small it gets when folded up which helps with packing.
And that’s it. That’s all the gear I use when getting my shots. And, to be honest, the majority of my shots are simply taking out my phone and using the built in lenses while holding it in my hands. That’s the beauty of using an iPhone. If you don’t have time to set everything up, you can still get some great shots with the one tool you always have with you.
Traveling
Traveling has been a huge part of my life since I was 13 years old. With the family band starting around that time, I had to learn ways to stay productive on the road. When I started photography, I quickly realized that I had an advantage with going so many places.
At this point, I am very thankful to be able to find new places, things, and people to add to my traveling gallery. Traveling has forced me to find new angles and ideas to take photos in a way no one else has, and my goal is to show the world to people in a way they have never seen.