I love to get outdoors, plain and simple. Whether scouting, hunting, fishing, or hiking, life is so much better when not surrounded by walls. Sure, I’m prone to indulge in television sports and an occasional Netflix binge, but it doesn’t compare to roaming outdoor spaces.
I also love outdoor photography, specifically digiscoping or phone scoping. Ah, the art of connecting my smartphone camera with my optics with my Phone Skope digiscoping adapter has opened up a new world outdoors. The whole apparatus is lightweight and, let’s face it, the smartphone rarely leaves my pocket anyway.
I enjoy digiscoping in the backyard, at the local park, and sitting comfortably in a hunting blind. However, my enjoyment of this rare and inexpensive form of photography is best when expanding my range, wandering bigger expanses. There is no better way to cover ground than on foot, and hiking, in general, will help you achieve better digiscoping opportunities. There are a few reasons for this simple strategy.
Unique Landscapes-Different Views
Hiking offers a few benefits for digiscopers and outdoor photographers in general. It can provide access to beautiful new areas, attractive landscapes, and unique natural features that cannot always be captured in front-country settings. Hiking allows individuals the chance to encounter more subjects, such as vegetation and wildlife. While the main benefit of digiscoping is drawing faraway subjects closer, hiking allows seeing new and familiar sites in new ways. Hoofing it deeper into the woods also allows you to see and capture these views from different directions and angles.
In this area, you can find great digiscoping opportunities from the shore,
but moving to higher ground gives a whole new perspective of the same area
A Captive Audience
Another good reason rambling afoot is a great companion to digiscoping is that you’re invested. If you’re going to take the time and expend the energy hiking for a few hours, you might as well take advantage of more unfamiliar landscape features and sites. For this reason, backpacking creates an even more valuable digiscoping opportunity, as it affords you a longer time outdoors, and since it usually involves at least one overnight stay deep in the woods, you can enjoy additional lighting and conditions, including the morning hours when you depart your camp to explore.
Maximizing Other Activities
So, there are planned and dedicated hiking trips, and then there are other outdoor activities that require trekking through outdoor spaces. These are opportunities to bring your digiscoping gear along and take advantage of them. For me, as a hunter, some activities offer good digiscoping prospects. Spot and stalk hunting, scouting, shed hunting, and turkey hunting all fit the bill, as they involve covering a lot of ground. All of these activities typically involve using optics. So why not pack your smartphone and Phone Skope adapter kit? By doing so, you can enhance your digiscoping game by providing unique opportunities to capture faraway wildlife and landscape features. The same opportunities can be realized if you’re prone to taking long outdoor walks for exercise. Similarly, in the spirit of less exertion, ETV rides through wooded areas offer even more digiscoping possibilities, as toting an array of gear is easier when stowed in a vehicle.
Earning Your Images
As a smartphone photography and digiscoping enthusiast, I often find myself capturing impromptu images when in the backyard or on a neighborhood walk. Some pretty cool images have fallen into my lap, too. Interesting birds and insects come to mind. I can even remember getting a neat photo of a hot air balloon on a random summer afternoon. It was largely dumb luck. My Phone Skope digiscoping setup brought the vessel close enough for a couple of pretty cool shots. Honestly, the sunny, shadow-filled day enhanced my novice efforts. Right place-right time, as they say.
Outdoor activities, such as hunting and scouting are a good companion to
a longer, more extensive digiscoping session
While it’s fun and rewarding, I’ve found that I often take images for granted when I capture them almost effortlessly. By working harder and expanding your range, there are more chances to capture unique photos or videos through digiscoping. For example, attractive sunsets taken from the lawn are nice, but they are much more forgettable over time. After all, they’re from the same vantage point. Earning them by going the extra mile is much more satisfying. Getting a little winded and sweaty is worthwhile, even extra gratifying when traveling deeper into a ranch or backcountry setting. More than anything, it increases the pool of potential images – ones that can’t always be found near the ranch house or a short distance from a public land parking lot.
Final Thoughts
There are thousands of hidden treasures of scenic amazement waiting for you in wild spaces. When you strap on a backpack and seek them out, I guarantee you will be rewarded with scenic beauty beyond your wildest dreams.
Indulge your digiscoping experience by pushing the limits of the ground you cover for digiscoping – and remember, you will also increase the number of up-close non-digiscoped images you can capture through your smartphone camera. Put on comfortable hiking shoes, pack your digiscoping gear, and be willing to go beyond your usual boundaries. Your images, videos, and overall experience will pay extra dividends.
