With dozens of iPhone photographers moving to and fro throughout the
bustling city streets of social media, things may be getting a bit
disheartening for photographers. Let’s face it: people can get some
pretty great shots with their iPhones, and these same people don’t even
have a technical knowledge of how a camera works.
Of course, this isn’t to bash the photography profession. After all, iPhones realistically can’t capture images akin to those which are made with high quality glass, right?
Regardless of how you may feel about the iPhone photography trend, you too can use the device (and its tablet counterpart) to your advantage. Below are six of the best iPhone apps for photographers, and while none of them are designed to replace your camera, they will definitely supplement it.
As you may know, lighting is the most necessary part of photography. As a photographer, you are constantly trying to control your lighting situations. Whether it’s due to budget constraints or unforeseen circumstances, you may not be able to control your environment as desired.
Softbox Pro is an iPad app that turns your tablet into another light source for situations such as these, and it also comes with extra shapes, color and patterns that can make for a rather creative shot. With a price tag of $3, this could be a great addition to your photographic arsenal. Alternatively, you could probably make your iPad perform similarly to this app (albeit with less control) by just saving pure white and patterned images to your Photos then adjusting brightness – just a thought.
Light meters were originally reserved for traditional film photography, but they still serve a purpose today for developing more precise lighting situations. Typically, these devices could run you quite a bit of money – at least $100 for a decent one. Fortunately, the iPhone can be converted into a light meter for free.
Pocket Light Meter offers the exact same tools as you would get with a traditional light meter, and even better, it comes with a much easier-to-use visual interface. For more details on this fantastic app, check out the full MakeUseOf Pocket Light Meter review.
A trend that I have noticed with many professional photographers is their tendency to incorporate their iPhone into photo shoots. Sometimes bands, artists, or whoever is being photographed want something that they can immediately post on their social media sites. It’s a cool perk, and in most cases, the photographer does it for fun. Sometimes they even break out Instagram!
However, since all photographers are control freaks, you probably would like to even have some flexibility with the camera that exists on your iPhone. There’s no shame in that! Camera+ is an app that allows you to expose certain portions of an image, focus on others, stabilize the image, and more. In short, it adds all the features you could want to the existing iPhone camera.
Sometimes taking pictures at an event can be troublesome, and that’s especially true when the organizer forgot to post notices saying that photos will be taken. Easy Release is an app that solves this problem for you by allowing you to take signatures for image releases while on the go.
The app offers pre-made release forms, header customization, in-app email forwarding, and ID capture using the iPhone camera. Realistically speaking, this is everything that a photographer could want from such a solution. The app lets you focus on your craft without thinking too much about the legal stuff. Easy Release is perfect for almost any type of photography situation you can think of.
Depth of field is something that all photographers consider when setting up their images, but sometimes this can be a rather time-consuming feat for more precise set-ups. f/8 DoF Calculator is an app that takes this into consideration and provides you with all of the precise measurement details concerning your image.
The app shows you just how much of a range you have as far as depth of field goes, and it allows you to look up nearly any lens, film format, sensor format, and camera setting within the app itself. While it might be rather technical for some, it’s a great app for professionals or serious hobbyists interested in building the perfect shot.
Natural light can be beautiful, but as referenced above, it’s rather difficult to control. After all, the sun moves on a pretty basic path across the sky, and it doesn’t exactly stop for anyone.
LightTrac is an app that allows users to see where exactly the sun and moon will be in the sky on any given day of the year. Details provided include the elevation and angle of the celestial bodies based on your given location. This allows you to plan for shoots days, months, and – if needed – years in advance.
Of course, this isn’t to bash the photography profession. After all, iPhones realistically can’t capture images akin to those which are made with high quality glass, right?
Regardless of how you may feel about the iPhone photography trend, you too can use the device (and its tablet counterpart) to your advantage. Below are six of the best iPhone apps for photographers, and while none of them are designed to replace your camera, they will definitely supplement it.
Softbox Pro ($2.99)
As you may know, lighting is the most necessary part of photography. As a photographer, you are constantly trying to control your lighting situations. Whether it’s due to budget constraints or unforeseen circumstances, you may not be able to control your environment as desired.
Softbox Pro is an iPad app that turns your tablet into another light source for situations such as these, and it also comes with extra shapes, color and patterns that can make for a rather creative shot. With a price tag of $3, this could be a great addition to your photographic arsenal. Alternatively, you could probably make your iPad perform similarly to this app (albeit with less control) by just saving pure white and patterned images to your Photos then adjusting brightness – just a thought.
Pocket Light Meter (Free)
Light meters were originally reserved for traditional film photography, but they still serve a purpose today for developing more precise lighting situations. Typically, these devices could run you quite a bit of money – at least $100 for a decent one. Fortunately, the iPhone can be converted into a light meter for free.
Pocket Light Meter offers the exact same tools as you would get with a traditional light meter, and even better, it comes with a much easier-to-use visual interface. For more details on this fantastic app, check out the full MakeUseOf Pocket Light Meter review.
Camera+ ($1.99)
A trend that I have noticed with many professional photographers is their tendency to incorporate their iPhone into photo shoots. Sometimes bands, artists, or whoever is being photographed want something that they can immediately post on their social media sites. It’s a cool perk, and in most cases, the photographer does it for fun. Sometimes they even break out Instagram!
However, since all photographers are control freaks, you probably would like to even have some flexibility with the camera that exists on your iPhone. There’s no shame in that! Camera+ is an app that allows you to expose certain portions of an image, focus on others, stabilize the image, and more. In short, it adds all the features you could want to the existing iPhone camera.
Easy Release ($9.99)
Sometimes taking pictures at an event can be troublesome, and that’s especially true when the organizer forgot to post notices saying that photos will be taken. Easy Release is an app that solves this problem for you by allowing you to take signatures for image releases while on the go.
The app offers pre-made release forms, header customization, in-app email forwarding, and ID capture using the iPhone camera. Realistically speaking, this is everything that a photographer could want from such a solution. The app lets you focus on your craft without thinking too much about the legal stuff. Easy Release is perfect for almost any type of photography situation you can think of.
f/8 DoF Calculator ($3.99)
Depth of field is something that all photographers consider when setting up their images, but sometimes this can be a rather time-consuming feat for more precise set-ups. f/8 DoF Calculator is an app that takes this into consideration and provides you with all of the precise measurement details concerning your image.
The app shows you just how much of a range you have as far as depth of field goes, and it allows you to look up nearly any lens, film format, sensor format, and camera setting within the app itself. While it might be rather technical for some, it’s a great app for professionals or serious hobbyists interested in building the perfect shot.
LightTrac ($4.99)
Natural light can be beautiful, but as referenced above, it’s rather difficult to control. After all, the sun moves on a pretty basic path across the sky, and it doesn’t exactly stop for anyone.
LightTrac is an app that allows users to see where exactly the sun and moon will be in the sky on any given day of the year. Details provided include the elevation and angle of the celestial bodies based on your given location. This allows you to plan for shoots days, months, and – if needed – years in advance.