I get asked a lot about which apps I use and how I use them.
So here is a quick tour of what's in my mobile photography camera bag.
Shooting
First up, unlike most other mobile photographers, my go to camera is the native iphone camera. Perhaps its habit, but I can't seem to break the instinct to hit that silver icon and tap away.
However, I have started to use 645 Pro in the last few months. It gives you a real degree of freedom and some nifty features, like shooting in multiple formats and saving to high quality Tiffs.
Hipstamatic occasionally gets a look in but I really can't be bothered with the packages and the gimmickry. I am continually fascinated with what Facebook are trying to do photographically so their Facebook Camera gets some curiosity usage.
Lastly, Grid Lens is brilliant for some fun collage shooting to get some some interesting results and SlowShutter gives you great control over exposure.
Editing
After shooting, which tends to be roughly 10 - 15 shots per subject, I will edit down to 1 or maybe 2 shots.
My choice of editing app is again boringly habitual, but I tend to break out and try different apps as much as possible.
My default editing app is Camera+ which is a knockout all round application, including shooting. Once you get familiar with its UI it's a breeze to quickly transform images, with a range of sophisticated features. One of the reasons I like this app is the constant drive for improvement. It has a great team and community behind it and they are constantly bringing out updates to refine and polish.
A close second to Camera+ is the ever durable and heavy duty Snapseed. The results you can get with this app are incredible. The user experience is incredibly intuitive and beautiful to glide through. It may become my default editing app very soon.
Picture Show and LoMob also get sporadic usage. I am a sucker for LoMob's range of filters. They have really thought through the most interesting photographic creative genres.
Framing
I like to group shots into collages sometimes and use PicFrame frequently. It has a wide range of options, is really easy to use and has a well designed interface which is also iPad compatible.
Sharing
Instagram of course comes first! Then Flickr (for archiving), Tumblr (for occasional project stuff) and Foursquare (for location curation!)
But there is a second, and far more interesting, wave of social platforms that I have been trialling for a while. The race to be the next Instagram is definitely making developers up their game.
TaDaa is more a camera app than photo sharing platform, but is developing fast. The interface is a bit weird, but it makes up for a small but vibrant community. The 'tadaa dollars' is an interesting feature that underlines the social currency of each rated photo. They also have beautiful set of filters.
Via.Me is a cross between Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram. It fuses all of these into an interesting social publishing platform proposition that is gaining noterity. The dashboard is a mash up of all three influences and is as addictive as Instagram when it started. Let's see how it progresses.
Stream Zoo is a bit of fun. Calling themselves a 'photo social game' this is Instagram on gamified steroids. It turns editing and sharing into an addictive game where you can earn, yes that's right, badges and points.
EyeEm is an instagram wannabee and almost getting there. It is a perfect blend of simplicity of functionality and has some terrific features like albums.
Publishing
I publish all my photos to Flickr and my Photoshelter portfolio. Photoshelter is excellent. If you want a decent place to showcase your best work then you can't go wrong with this service. Despite not haveing a mobile photography app, I am sure this is in the pipeline.
Hardware
Perhaps I am a purist but I have no extra gear for my iphone other than my eyes! Althought I am eyeing up the new iProLens with envy.
A few camera bag tips:
- focus on one or two apps and get to know them really well
- establish a good workflow
- trial a new app every week, if it doesn't cut it, ditch it fast
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