The beauty of photography lies in capturing a moment.

A photograph takes you back to some of your most cherished memories and sometimes allows you to notice things that you might’ve missed in the moment picture was being taken.

Photographs can transpire moments of intimacy, happiness, sadness to beautiful little details of everyday mundane life.

Whilst traveling I always carry my Nikon camera with me. Although I am accustomed to carrying a bulky camera, sometimes its size and weight can be tiring if I’m going on a long hiking tour, or it can attract unwanted attention. So with all these cellphone cameras upraise, I’ve become interested in just how much I can do with my phone camera.

I used to detest taking photographs with my phone and always swore true to my Nikon but nowadays, you can find phones with really good cameras. It is amazing how much cellphone cameras have progressed in the last couple of years and phones just becoming more lightweight and compact with each newer model.

If you’re not interested in photography enough then maybe, it’s not worthwhile to invest in a good camera. Buying a cellphone with a quality camera can go a long way.

I’m not going to advise which cellphone to pick. Everybody has their favorite. Some people swear by iPhones and some prefer their Androids. I will say that I’ve seen amazing pictures being taken with both cellphones. Samsung S7 edge and iPhone 6 are great phones if you wanna get serious with mobile photography. Of course, you can find a fantastic phone for much lower price and still take great photos.

There are two things I bought that I feel like they upped my whole mobile photography game.

First one was buying camera lenses. I bought Aukey camera lenses. They were on sale on Amazon, and I got them for about 15$. I got 3 types of lenses, a wide angle, fisheye and macro lens. They came in a small case with a mini clip-on to attach to any phone’s camera.

You can have a lot of fun experimenting with all those lenses and make for some creative photos.

For a finishing touch you can add an Instagram filter.

Second one that I really loved was investing into a Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer. They are a little bit on the pricier side (about 130$) but I really do think it pays off. You can check out the reviews here.

The reason why I didn’t get a polaroid camera is, because every picture that you take with it, is going to print – but with my Polaroid ZIP printer, I can make as many photos I choose with my phone (or a regular camera) and then select the ones I wish to print. One of the other benefits is that I can also edit it in Photoshop on my phone or add an Instagram filter etc. before printing.

You can edit all of your photos and get them developed and as you travel and meet a lot of new people you can also leave them a token of your new friendship. I love that I’m able to give them a physical reminder of some fun moments spent together.

The Polaroid ZIP Mobile printer came with a USB cable that you use for charging purposes, one Zip pack of photo paper (10 per pack) and a “Quick Start Guide”. It’s really easy to use.

I’ve downloaded their app ‘Polaroid ZIP’ and just used Bluetooth to connect my phone with the printer. It takes about a minute for one photo to print out.

The photo paper is not so expensive; I’ve bought 9 packs (so 90 photo paper) for less than 30$ on Amazon (I think that it’s more than obvious that I have an Amazon shopping addiction).

To make your photos less blurry you can also invest in a mobile tripod. You won’t need to worry of keeping your camera steady all the time and this is particularly helpful when taking photos in low light.

And what about the apps? There are hundreds of mobile photography apps nowadays so it might be little bit difficult to make a choice. I use Instagram and VSCO Cam. I’ve heard great comments about Camera+ for iPhone but this is a paid app.

These are just some of the gadgets that I’ve tried out and liked best so far. I’m always on the lookout for new creative add-ons for my mobile photography travelling kit.

Even though I am still going to carry my Nikon everywhere with me, because the quality of photos being taken with an actual camera is still, no doubt about it, way better than any phone’s camera, it’s nice to know that if my battery dies – I have another option.