Adventure 16 Blog » Backpacking photo tips

(Photos by Stephen Matera)

I’m starting to notice more and more backpackers carrying camera equipment into the backcountry. I can’t blame them. Sometimes it’s hard to describe some of the beautiful places you’ve been. It’s also nice to be able to look back at the many adventures you’ll go on in a lifetime.

Taking a good photo is easy. Taking an amazing photo can be tough. To help you take a better photo the next time you’re in the backcountry, I got some tips from Stephen Matera, a professional landscape photographer who works with companies including Sierra Designs, MSR, Mountainsmith and Cloudveil.

Matera, 38, of Seattle, is an avid hiker and backpacker who spends most of his time shooting in the Northwest, Alaska and occasionally in the Southwest. Matera spoke to us on the phone in between winter photo shoots to give us these quick tips on taking a good landscape photo.

Eliminate clutter – Don’t include anything in your photo that doesn’t add to the photo. After framing the photo, scan the edges of the framed shot to make sure there is no excess clutter (like a tent or a tree).

Insure you have good light – Good light is one of three primary necessities of a good photo (the other two being good subject and good composition). On a day trip, plan your route while considering the sunrise and sunset. On bigger trips, plan ahead to find out what kind of seasonal light will be available.

Matera plans months ahead of his trips. He keeps a list of prospective spots he’d like to visit in the future then researches the best month to shoot at those spots.

Implement people in the landscape – When photographing people in a landscape, make the person part of the landscape. Always remember what the main subject is in your photo. People are also a good way to get a sense of scale in your photo.

Keep your camera handy – Either carry your camera around your neck or get a bag or case that can be fastened to your pack belt.

Matera rigged a small camera bag for his SLR camera that fits on his backpack hip belt. Extra lenses are stashed in his pack in a dry sack.

What to look for in a point and shoot – If you don’t want to lug a pro or semi-pro camera around, consider these specs when purchasing a small point and shoot camera:

• A higher ISO number. The higher the ISO, the faster the camera will be.
• Shorter delay in the shutter. Many P&S cameras have a 1-2 second delay on the shutter. Find a camera with a very short delay. You can’t miss that photo opp!
• Find a camera that shoots at least six megapixels.

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More on Matera

Number of years photographing: 12

His camera gear list for backpacking trips: Canon EOS 5D w/ 17-40mm f4 lens. Also brings his 24-105mm f4 lens, 28-80mm f2.8 lens and occasionally his 70-200mm f4 and 100-400 f4 lenses.

Two places Matera says everybody should visit that few know about:

• North Cascade National Park, one of the least visited national parks in the U.S. “You’d be shocked to be there. It looks like the alps,” he said.
• Purcell Mountain Range in Eastern British Columbia. A set of mountains almost as big as the Rockies but not nearly as traveled.

Matera’s next big trip: Hut ski trip in Canada. He’ll be dropped off by helicopter in a secluded hut for a week to ski tour in Canada’s backcountry.

Latest claim to fame: Matera’s photo was featured on the cover of Cloudveil’s winter catalog.

Matera’s Web site: materaphoto.com