Camera Phones are Cameras: The Light That Is

Articles: Camera Phones are Cameras: The Light That Is

Contributor

Saxon Holt

Topics: Inspired Gardens and Design, PH Photo Tips

Pacific Horticulture’s monthly photo series by renowned garden photographer and Pacific Horticulture Board Member, Saxon Holt of PhotoBotanic and Summer-Dry

Fall 2025

This summer, I went on a personal vacation to Virginia, looking forward to hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. I took only my phone for a camera, just wanting memories and not wanting to carry gear.

Eagerly anticipating a walk in the early morning light as it illuminated the blue haze and the distant ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains, I woke early the first day—to very heavy fog. Dang.

Well, I certainly wasn’t not going to take that walk. I remembered a lesson I learned in a workshop years ago: when looking for pictures, photograph what is, not what you want it to be. Work with what you’ve got, and I had fog.

I figured it wouldn’t stick around all morning, and I could make do with whatever the light gave me. Within 10 minutes of heading down the trail, the fog began to lift, and I noticed the light softly glowing as the fog began to melt.

For about a half a second, I waited to take this picture thinking the light might get better, then realized it was already spectacular and just would need a little bit of a contrast boost in postproduction to enhance the misty glow. Take the picture, it might not get any better.

TRAVEL: Historical Gardens of Delaware and Pennsylvania

June 9, 2026 – June 15, 2026

Join former Pacific Horticulture board member, Sue Goetz, on our botanical journey through the famed gardens of the Brandywine Valley in Pennsylvania and Delaware while staying at Inn at Whitewing Farm on one of the most beautiful farms in the region.

VIEW TOUR PAGE

I did this enhancement within my phone’s photo app after the hike, and I might have even overdone it, losing a little too much of the foggy mood. I saved a copy of the photo and can try other versions later. Always save a copy before you make changes.

Back in the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the glowing light was changing fast. I could worry later about what I had actually captured (or not), and just wanted to keep taking photos and watch the morning open up. There are lots of photo opportunities when sunlight breaks through fog, and I wanted to work the scene.

Readers of this series may remember “working the scene” was our subject a few months ago, specifically with a palm tree in Portugal. When you find yourself with a good photo, don’t stop with one click. Find other angles, keep looking. In this case, not only was I watching the light quickly change, I was looking for compositions where the trees looked well spaced.

Having totally forgotten my disappointment with the foggy morning, I was now moving very carefully—observing the trees, watching the fog dissolve as the sun got brighter—when I noticed this small leafy tree.

I have learned from experience that sunlight can create a sunburst when the light breaks through certain kinds of foliage. Drifting just a few more feet to my left, I could put the sun behind that leafy tree and see what happened.

I took seven slightly differing compositions in about four minutes, positioning the camera phone in just the right position for the light to create the burst. I was working a magnificent scene I was not expecting.

Much of garden and landscape photography depends upon being in the right place at the right time, then using the camera to “see.” Knowing that you intend to take a picture and not just grab a snapshot puts you, the photographer, in a space to look carefully and work with the conditions you have, no matter the camera.

Even though the fog lifted, the days remained cloudy most of the time that I was in the mountains. It was not until the very last day, driving away along the Skyline Drive, that I finally was able to see those blue ridges. I framed this photo of meadow grasses from a pullout on the side of the parkway.

Help Us Continue to Provide Content Like This

Do you want to ensure that Pacific Horticulture can continue to provide our optimistic stories of gardening in the Pacific Region?

If yes, we need your support now more than ever.

Please consider Becoming a Member or Making a Tax Deductible Donation Today

How are gifts used?

Every dollar of support goes directly to creating educational content within our very lean operation. While much of our team are volunteers, we strive to our editors and staff fairly for their time. This supports our strategy to increase the number and impact of climate resilient gardens and landscapes.

About the Series

I began Camera Phones Are Cameras with this full disclosure: I have been a professional garden photographer for 40 years and do not take any of my professional photos with a camera phone. However, almost all the tips I give in my workshops apply to any camera, recognizing the camera is only a tool to capture an image.

It is up to you to take the picture, and if used with intention and consciousness any camera or camera phone can take wonderful pictures; especially if you learn a few techniques.