Over the past year, I’ve sat in on numerous photography sessions while attending social media conferences. One of the tips that seemed to be shared repeatedly was the importance of taking pictures daily. If I don’t have my DSLR in tow, I’m capturing my children’s silly, adorable moments or the beauty of the US via my mobile phone. And while the best photographers probably don’t spend a ton of time editing, it’s fun for me to experiment with saturation, tone, contrast, brightness and the like via Photoshop to improve the look of my photos. I’m hoping that the more I shoot, the less I’ll have to edit over time.
My mobile phone has a 5-megapixel camera, which in many cases, is as good as or better than conventional cameras sold today. I have taken over 1,000 photos on my phone, many of which I have used both on my site and for other sites, so I stand behind that camera and feel it’s just as capable of capturing moments when I don’t have my DSLR. The convenience of quickly throwing a filter over a photo is also priceless.
There are a ton of photo apps available…but here are the ones I use daily. The best part is…they’re free!!
Instagram: You know it…you love it…it’s free! Of note, you can snap a photo directly from the app but I prefer to snap the photo from the phone and then select it for editing. Filter, tag, and share. It’s quick…it’s easy…and the photos look amazing. Download it for free here.
picplz: Unlike Instagram, iPhone and Android users can download this app for free. I actually prefer picplz over Instagram because I can choose to include or not include borders. Many of the filters are different so I like to have both apps on my phone so I can choose a filter based on what I’m photographing (people versus food versus scenery). You can take a photo directly from the app, but again, I prefer to use the phone’s camera and then add a filter in picplz. Unlike Instagram, you won’t be able to crop or resize the image. Download it for free here.
100 Cameras in 1: I’m honestly just delving into this app so I don’t have a lot to say except that the pictures come out incredibly artistic. When you download the free version, you won’t get all 100, but at this point, I feel like it’s sufficient. I’ll probably purchase the full version once I’ve had time to explore all the photo options. You can resize the photo, select the “filter,” adjust the effects of the filter, and share it. Download it here.
AccuSmart Camera: This is another app I’ve just started using so I don’t have a ton of experience with it. I like the ease of taking photos directly from the app and the four shooting modes available depending on what you’re photographing (standard, food, portrait, night scenes). The primary purpose of this app is to offer you the ability to correct your images. Download it here.
There are a ton of free photo apps that I’ve downloaded but haven’t really explored including moreBeaute, PS Express, Foodspotting, Dash Of Color, A+ Black & White Camera, and Color Effects.
What are your favorite photo apps? I’d love to have you share them in the comments and I can update the post. : )
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DanaWentSnap says
I have about 30 photo apps on my phone– LOVE King Camera, new fav is Photo365. Classic of course is Hipstamatic, AutoStitch is another I could not live without. (2 years, 4,000 photos on my iPhone. I am at Disneyland all the time and my most convenient camera is always the phone!) This makes 4 apps to die for on my list!
Marko Bankovic says
Some really cool apps are in here. I would just add a href=”http://www.photostatsapp.com” >Photo Stats app which turns your iPhone photos into infographic. It really gives a different view on your iPhone photos.
Kimberly says
The two I use most frequently are Hipstamatic and Camera + (I have an iPhone). You should try these, too – they are great fun! I am going to try some of these you listed…thanks for the list!
Cindi @ Moomettes Magnificents says
Thanks for sharing! My fave iPhone app is Camera+ which gives so many options over default utility that came with the phone.