As you may know, I really enjoy taking photos with my iPhone. It truly is a great tool for some quick photography and sometimes you may surprise yourself at the images you get (I still get amazed at some of the images I get). Over the past year, I have spent some time experimenting with different combinations of apps and “cameras” (really just apps that enable you to do photography better) and I have a shortlist of apps that I have found I use the most. This is by no means an exhaustive list of apps for the iPhone, just do a search on the iTunes store and you will find thousands of options. These are simply the apps that I have had recommended to me or have read about and have found that they add value to my image making process. Yes, there is a process to making an image on an iPhone, much like there is a process to any photography. My high level process is as follows:
1. Capture an image
2. Enhance the image
3. Share the image
So lets look at these three separate steps and the apps I use in each:
1. Capture the image.
There are some really great iPhone cameras. I have over 10 different camera apps on my iPhone, but I really only use two or three of them the most, so here they are…
This is a FANTASTIC camera app. I use this one the most. It is intuitive, easy to use and lots of fun. I use this to capture an image and to enhance the image. Camera + also has real great editing software, so you can achieve a lot just by having this app. The clarity function is really powerful and can turn an average looking image into something that pops! In a later blogpost, I will give you my workflow on this app and others, but I generally capture the image in this app and then enhance it there too. One of the best functions I have seen on this app (or any camera app for that matter) is the ability to have exposure and focal adjustments on the screen before you take the shot. So, you simply tap on the screen of the app in camera mode with two fingers and two adjustments pop onto the screen, namely, exposure and focal point. You can then slide the exposure onto the part of your scene you want to expose for, the same for the focal point, simply move the focal point to what you want in focus. Simple, easy and effective. Take a look at the screenshot below to see how it works…
Camera+ has a large amount of adjustments, filters, frames and edges. If I had to choose 1 app for photography, this would be it! If you want to download it, click here for the iTunes link.
b. iPhone Camera (free with iPhone)
The new built in iPhone camera on iOS 7 is pretty good. I am on the iPhone 4s, so I don’t have all the additional function of the iPhone 5s camera. As a result, I don’t use it for normal day to day images, but I DO love the pano function. So, this camera is only used for panoramics. I have used other apps for panos, but I always seem to come back to the built in app in the iPhone camera. Why? Well, its simple and it works 99% of the time. Here is one of the many panos I have taken:
The only other camera I have used for any length of time is the Instagram camera..more on that later.
2. Enhance the image
a. Camera +
As I said earlier, I use Camera + for capturing and enhancing my images, so this is a good all round app
b. Adobe Photoshop Express – Free (Now called Photoshop Fix)
I am a Photoshop fan, so the free version of they image ending software is a bonus. It has some amazing functionality and again, I have a workflow that I use to enhance my images and I always amazed with the results. If I am not happy with what I get in Camera +, I then drop it into Photoshop Express and I can get the effect I want. Having said that, the latest update in Camera + has brought in some of the functionality that Photoshop Express had, so actually, I find I am using Photoshop Express less now and Camera + more!
That said, I really like the Photoshop option, it gives some different effects and options, so I would say download it and use it…a great tool AND it has a FREE version!
Let me say this, I LOVE Snapseed for some of the great effects that can be created. It is a very unusual interface, once you get used to it though, it is easy to use. You can create some amazing effects in this app and it can truly add some amazing depth and details to your images. It is one of my faves because it is easy to use and the effects…well, they are simply amazing! Here is one example
The effects in Snapseed were used to make this image look aged and timeless. These effects can be increased or decreased depending on your personal preference and thats one of the great things about Snapseed, the outcome is totally customisable to your preference!
3. Share the image
Yes, I do have an Instagram account. Most of these apps will allow you to share with Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Google + and others. It is always fun to show others what you saw. I am not really interested in how many people like my images or view them, more important is to let others see my vision. I like to show others what I see and how I see it, so my main sharing portal is Instagram and Facebook. I generally post my images from any of the apps I enhance my images in…and away you go. Now, Instagram also has a camera and it has enhancement functions too. The camera is very basic and the enhancements are simply filter that you overlay on your image. This is fine for starters and I used instagram a lot initially, but now, I almost never use the instagram filters or camera, the others are just so much better.
I post my favourite enhanced images to Instagram, so if you want to get an idea of what I am shooting on my iPhone, just click on the link above to get to my account. My instagram pics are only iPhone photos, so, no SLR images go up here. I kind of like to keep it that way, I can see the world differently through my iPhone and I like the quirkiness and unpredictable nature of the iPhone.
So, download some free apps, get out there with your iPhone in hand and start discovering a new world of photography. I am so glad I started photographing with my iPhone, it has given me a new window on the photography world and has actually enabled me to capture some great images!
Let me know what your favourite apps are, I would love to find some new gems!!