I used to take my bulky digital SLR camera with me on every trip, along with its assortment of lenses, tripods and attachments. I had a separate piece of luggage to carry it all. Now I just take my iPhone because the camera on it has gotten so good that it basically replaces everything else I used to carry. Is it just as good as the 25 pounds of gear it replaced? No, not 100%. But it’s pretty close if you know how to use it. And it comes with a host of advantages, not the least of which is that it allows me to travel light. Below are 7 tips for taking fantastic travel photos with just your iPhone (Note: I use an iPhone, so my advice is specific to that, but most other phone brands have similar features.)
Adjust focus and exposure. The iPhone automatically focuses on what it thinks you’re trying to take a picture of, but sometimes it gets it wrong. To sharpen the focus on your subject, just frame your shot and then tap the screen where you want to focus. A yellow box will appear to indicate the new focus point. Next to the yellow box will be a yellow vertical line with a little sun icon on it. This will allow you to adjust the exposure of the photo. Swipe up to make it brighter or down to make it darker. This feature can help you take silhouette photos, like the one of me in Alaska below (Note: If this article was emailed to you, the sample photos may not display correctly. To view them properly, just visit our website.).
Use Night mode. Night mode should come on automatically when you’re shooting in low light. Look for the little moon icon at the top of your camera screen. If it’s white, it’s available to use, but not automatically on. To turn it on just click it and adjust the slider that appears at the bottom of the frame. If it’s yellow, it’s already turned on and you’ll see a number next to it. The number represents the exposure time. For example, “2s” means that the exposure is set for two seconds. In normal light, the shutter would only stay open for a fraction of a second. But in the example above, the shutter would stay open for two seconds to allow more light to hit the camera sensor. You need to hold your camera steady while the shutter is open, otherwise the picture will turn out blurry. For longer exposures, it’s best to use a tripod. I shot the photo below using Night mode during a camping trip to the Mojave Desert.
Use Portrait mode. Next time you’re taking a photo of someone, switch to Portrait mode to create professional looking portrait photos. It keeps the subject in focus and blurs the background of the photo. It also blurs out imperfections around the outline of our subject. Portrait mode works best when your subject is a certain distance away, so the iPhone will tell you to move closer or further away if necessary. Newer iPhones also have different portrait lighting effects that you can choose. These can brighten your subject’s face (Studio Light), remove the actual background and add a black one (Stage Light), or turn the subject into grayscale and change the actual background to white (High Key Mono). Below is a Portrait mode photo of my wife and I on a recent trip to France.
Use Burst mode. Burst mode allows you to take better action photos. Rather than trying to capture a fast-moving subject by simply pressing the shutter button, you can enable Burst mode and your camera will shoot 10 photos per second. That increases the likelihood that at least one of those photos will be the perfect shot. You can enable Burst mode in two ways. The first is by simply framing your shot and then sliding the shutter button to the left and holding it there. Your camera will shoot 10 photos per second for as long as you hold it. Another way is to open your settings, click Camera and then click the slider next to Use volume up for Burst. That will allow you to use your up-volume button to shoot Burst. After shooting a burst, you can review the photos, select the ones you want and delete the rest. To do this, open the Photos app, find your burst, tap to open it, tap Select at the bottom of the screen, select the ones you want to keep, tap done and tap Keep Only Favorites. Below is a Burst photo of a bird taking off as I approached it on a hike in Washington.
Switch between lenses. The number of lenses varies by model, but the current iPhone pro model comes with three lenses: ultra-wide, wide and telephoto. You can easily switch between lenses by opening your camera and then, at the bottom of the screen, clicking on either .5 (ultrawide), 1x (wide) or 3 (telephoto). Ultrawide is great if you’re trying to take a picture of something that is too big to fit in your normal frame (see the photo of Reims Cathedral below). Wide is good for normal shooting and that is the default setting. Telephoto is great when you need to zoom in to capture the shot you want.
Shoot macro. Macro photography is when you shoot small objects (e.g. insects, flowers) extremely close up so they appear larger than life. It’s usually challenging because if you don’t have the right lens, your camera won’t focus properly on the subject. You can shoot macro on your iPhone, but first you need to enable it in your settings. Click Settings, then Camera, then scroll down and click the slider next to Macro Control. Then open your camera app and get extremely close to your subject and you’ll notice a little yellow flower pop up on the bottom of your screen. That means Macro mode is enabled and you can take your shot. If you move away, the flower icon will disappear and the camera will revert to its normal settings.
Turn on your grid lines. One of the most basic rules of photography is the rule of thirds. It is a compositional technique used to create more interesting pictures. Imagine that the picture you want to take is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Important elements of your photo should fall somewhere on those lines. For example, in the photo below, I’m near the left third and the plane starts near the bottom third. To help with composition, you can turn on gridlines that will appear on your screen while you’re taking a photo. To turn on the grid, open Settings, select Camera and click the toggle next to Grid.
Most of the tips above relate to camera functions and settings. To take great photos, you also need to think about things like light, composition and subject choice. Here’s an old article from the IR archives discussing those things. Some of the equipment suggestions are out of date, but the other tips still apply. Now the only thing left to do is hit the road and try things out for yourself. Good luck!
One way to think about retirement is as an equation. Kind of like A + B = C. Except it’s more like A + B + C + D + E + F + G + H = I. “I” is your ideal retirement. Your ideal life. That’s the goal. The stuff to the left of the equals sign is what makes “I” possible. Those are the variables. They call them variables because they…wait for it…vary.
The variables are things like when you retire, how long you live, how much you spend in retirement, how much you’ve saved, how well markets perform, when you claim Social Security and how much you spend on healthcare.
Another important variable is inflation. It can have a huge impact on your plans. If inflation is low, all else being equal, retiring (and staying retired) is easier. If inflation is high, it’s tougher. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, inflation is pretty high right now. Like “Willie Nelson on his tour bus” high (figuratively speaking). Inflation is the highest it has been in 40 years so your income in retirement will buy less than it used to.
So how do you keep inflation from derailing your retirement? You solve for “I.” You remember “I.” That’s your ideal retirement in the equation above. Unfortunately, if a key variable like inflation changes, the equation no longer adds up to “I”. Different inputs will equal a different output. So you need to adjust one or more of the other variables to compensate. If inflation doesn’t stay elevated for long, then changes might not be necessary. But if inflation persists, you may need to adjust somewhere else. For example, you could save more. Or retire later. Or pay off debt, cut retirement expenses, delay Social Security, change your asset allocation, protect against sequence risk, reduce your withdrawal rate or work part-time in retirement.
You have lots of options to keep your plans on track. And that’s my point. This article isn’t a deep dive into the “How To” of financial planning. It’s just a reminder that when one variable changes, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, all the variables will be changing all the time. That’s why retirement planning isn’t a “set it and forget it” proposition. You need to make constant adjustments. Right now that means adjusting for inflation. A year from now it will be something else. Ditto for 5, 10 or 15 years from now.
The world is constantly changing. That means elements of your retirement plan will need to change as well. If you can make those changes yourself, great. If you need to hire someone to help you, that’s fine too. The important thing is to have a detailed plan that evolves as needed to get you to where you want to go. Do that and you’ll have a secure, meaningful retirement doing the things you want with the people you love.
One quick thing before I go. When we plan for inflation, we’re planning for a long life. We’re trying to protect ourselves against the risk that we’ll live a really long time and things will get much more expensive. And planning for a long life is important, but it’s also important to plan for a good life. After all, what’s the point of having those extra years if you’re not enjoying yourself. I just posted a new video to the Intentional Retirement YouTube channel that discusses how to add life to your years rather than just years to your life. To watch, just click the link below. And if you haven’t already, be sure to click “Subscribe” when you visit our channel. That way you’ll be sure to see the latest content when it’s available. Thanks!
Most people want their life and retirement to be rich with purpose and meaning. How can you make that happen? I just posted a new video to the Intentional Retirement YouTube channel that will give you some practical ideas.
To watch, just click the link below or you can go directly to our channel to see everything available. And if you haven’t already, be sure to click “Subscribe” when you visit our channel. That way you’ll be sure to see the latest content when it’s available and it will help more people find us. Thanks!
I hope your New Year is off to a good start. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably made some goals or resolutions for the year. The sentiment behind resolutions is a good one: How can you become a better version of yourself? The difficulty arises with the follow through. It’s tough to change, create new habits and overcome years of inertia in certain areas of life.
So today I want to give you two simple ideas to help improve your odds of success. I didn’t come up with either idea. I’ve heard versions of each from multiple authors, including Greg McKeown (Essentialism), Jim Collins (Good to Great) and Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek). While I didn’t come up with either idea, I’ve used them extensively in my life, to great benefit. And I’m confident you can too.
Idea #1: Focus on your easiest, most valuable problem first.
Progress is hugely motivating. That’s why when paying off debt, financial advisers often recommend that you start with your smallest liability first, pay it off, then roll that payment into your next biggest payment until that is gone and so on. It’s usually referred to as the debt snowball because your momentum builds, just like a snowball rolling down a hill as it gathers snow and speed. This idea of quick progress and increasing momentum can work with pretty much any area. You solve a small problem, which frees up resources and adds motivation. You apply your added resources and motivation to the next biggest problem and so on. Your momentum builds and you eventually start dealing with major problems and making enormous progress. Give it a try.
Idea #2: Look for the one decision that removes hundreds of other decisions.
What decision can you make that, by the simple act of making it, will keep you from having to make tens, hundreds or even thousands of other decisions? Maybe it’s making a decision to downsize or minimize your possessions, thereby eliminating the many inevitable maintenance related tasks and decisions associated with those things. Maybe it’s simplifying and automating your investments so they just happen every month. Maybe it’s making a decision to outsource a particular chore or task. Maybe it’s deciding to give something up, like drinking. Maybe it’s buying a particular tool or piece of technology that simplifies or automates a task. Maybe it’s deciding on a rigid set of rules for potential time wasters like email, meetings or television. Maybe it’s choosing to purge your life of a high maintenance person or time-consuming technology (e.g. social media). Maybe it’s doing a better job at identifying what you want out of life, so you can stop spending so much time and brainpower on things that aren’t important to you. Whatever it is, look for the domino decision that simplifies your life and improves your odds of success.
Two simple ideas, but they can make a huge impact on your life. How could you use them?
Well, it’s December 1st. One month to go in 2021. Just a few busy weeks and then Christmas. And shortly after, New Year’s. And then…2022. Which means (hopefully) another bite at the apple. Another round of birthdays, holidays and vacations. Another opportunity for meaningful pursuits, work and volunteering. Another chance to invest in and spend time with friends and family. How many more chances will we all get? Who knows? I turn 49 later this month. Maybe my turn on this ride will last another year. Maybe another 30 years. Again, who knows?
But, barring something unexpected over the next few weeks, I know that I at least have THIS opportunity. This holiday season. This time with family. This chance to help others. This chance to mend fences. This chance to give generously. This chance to relax and recharge. This chance to reflect on the past year and plan for the new one. I don’t know how many more chances I’ll get, but I have this one. So I’m going to make the most of it. You should too. Make a conscious effort to slow down. Focus on what matters. Be intentional with your time. Reallocate your bandwidth toward the things that matter. Don’t let the season pass in a whirlwind of stress, strife and credit card debt. Who knows how many more chances you’ll have, but you have this chance. Make it count.
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