In today’s social media-driven world, where Facebook, Instagram and TikTok reign supreme, it comes as no surprise that knowing how to take good photos is more popular — and more important — than ever before. Whether you own a DSLR or a smartphone, here are six photography tips I’ve developed over the years to help you become a better photographer on wheels.

No Dexterity, No Problem

Not having enough finger movement to press the shutter button on my camera, I’ve resorted to using a remote shutter to take photos. Using a camera with remote shutter capabilities gives me the ability to use my mouth for shutter control. I use my teeth or tongue to compress the remote shutter — halfway for focus and completely to take the photo. This frees my hands to hold the camera where I want the shot.

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JOBY GorillaPods: Tripods with flexible legs that allow you to wrap them around tree branches, armrests, or set them on the ground to hold your camera. $15 and up.

CamKix Remote Shutter: A remote shutter for phones so you can use the rear camera to take photos from a distance. $6.

Microfiber cleaning cloth: It’s always good to double-check that your camera lens is clean before taking photos. A microfiber cleaning cloth is the best way to clean the lens without scratching it.

Mobile Control

Some camera companies have jumped on board in recent years to create mobile interfacing between your camera and your mobile device. This interface varies between manufacturers, but generally allows camera control from your phone while connected via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. What’s really exciting is the ability to transfer photos directly from your camera to a mobile device and then upload them to social media without ever removing the easily-lost memory cards!

Eye In The Sky

Drones give you the freedom to have an eye in the sky. Regardless of how much mobility you have, a drone allows you to see perspectives you couldn’t achieve any other way. Whether it’s above the tree tops, over water or hovering three feet off the ground, my drone helps me see the world in a new way. If you use a drone, make sure you are not in a restricted area.

Lightroom Luxury

Adobe has long been the premier name in media software, and the free Adobe Lightroom mobile app only adds to their legacy. Phones can take really good photos these days, but photo editing apps like Lightroom mobile can quickly make a good photo great. After tapping the “Auto” button, I can tweak a few adjustments to change the photo slightly or completely change the feel depending on what I want.  Crop, export, and I’m ready to upload.

Timer to the Rescue

The self-timer feature is something I use for many more situations than just snapping a family photo. I use the self-timer to take photos in hard to reach places so I can focus on holding the phone with limited dexterity and let the timer count down. The self-timer gives me the ability to focus on the framing of the photo rather than figuring out how to press the shutter button.

Three Apps to Amp Your Pics

Hey Camera: Gives iPhone users the ability to tell the phone to “take the picture.” Android devices have a built-in talk-to-photo feature.

PhotoPills: An augmented reality app for astro-photography and photo planning. $9.99

Prisma: Using AI, Prisma can transform your photos into artwork. Free three-day trial.

Vertical Panorama Magic

Did you know that the panorama feature on your phone camera works vertically as well as horizontally? I use the vertical panoramic feature when taking photos of trees, buildings or anything tall that my lens can’t capture on its own. It distorts the perspective some but can make for some really interesting and unique points of view.