Shirley DeLong did not need a Sherpa to summit Machu Picchu thanks to her folding York Nordic trekking poles. Little secret, Shirley is my mom and she is the reason I started York Nordic. I'm so proud of her, and yes she does look amazing after such a difficult hike! 

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6 Tips For Photographing Mountains

1. Always place something in the foreground:  Notice how Shirley offers context for the photo of Machu Picchu.
2. Use a smaller aperture:  At F22 you'll have the depth and sharpness you need, or for photo hacks like me just change the mode on your phone to "Landscape".
3. Use clouds to create an ominous feeling: Clouds will add an element of drama. 
4. Get multiple perspectives:  All perspectives are unique so try mountain pictures from above and below etc.
5. Use people to get a sense of scale:  Having Shirley in front of the mountains really gives you a sense for how big the mountains are, wow! Her smile tells it well.
6. Calibrate your white balance for snow:  Snowy mountains can mess up your white balance so just use your snow setting to ensure that the snow looks white. No snow in the above pics fortunately.

David Peterson of Digital Photo Secrets is our guru that offers the 6 tips above.

He doesn't mention monopods but some of the best mountain pictures are taken using a tripod or monopod. If you are a passionate hiker and photographer, we'd like to suggest that you use walking poles that double as monopods to hold your camera steady. The York Nordic Go Pro Camera poles have a round knob at the top of the grip which screws off and exposes a thread used to mount your camera securely to the pole. Once your camera is mounted to the pole you can be sure that you will take the steadiest picture no matter how tired you are from hiking. You worked so hard to summit that mountain and we believe you deserve a steady shot. Shop our camera poles >>