Useful mobile apps for photography aficionados

One of the more memorable marketing slogans to come from the late Steve Jobs’ venerated company is “There’s an app for that.” Indeed, in this day and age when faster online connectivity and the proliferation of mobile gadgets have seemingly dictated new lifestyle norms, apps are gradually becoming the de facto tools emblematic of modern living convenience.

For budding photographers, apps have certainly been instrumental in easing the learning curve of their preferred craft. Sure, they’d still eventually have to learn every nitty-gritty aspect of the art form, such as proper framing composition and exact adjustments of shutter speeds and ISOs appropriate for any given condition, but the apps below should at least get them started on the basic concepts without making them feel too noob-ish.

Get the right app

First up is PhotoCaddy, which contains a wide range of tips specific to particular aspects of photography. As its name implies, it aims to provide users with helpful shot setting suggestions. Best of all, it allows you to get tips—as well as share some of yours—with other photography enthusiasts around the world.

Next, we have the Pocket Light Meter app. As devotees of the visual arts know, lighting is arguably the most important component not just in photography but in other forms of visual media as well. Movies like The Dark Knight are purposefully low-lit and desaturated to convey their intended themes; and IGT’s pioneering work on live online casino gaming—featured on gaming site Castle Jackpot—are designed to emulate the feel-at-home atmosphere of actual table games in brick-and-mortar casinos. Clearly, light is the most essential tool that visual artists have to harness to get the best results possible; and for novice shutterbugs, the aforementioned app can go a long way towards helping them master that. To use it, simply point your device at your subject, and then again at a strong light source. The app will then calculate whether you need filters, and if so, how they should be adjusted.

Lastly, we have The Photographer’s Ephemeris, which could very well be the most indispensable app for adherents of nature photography. Apart from expected features such as sunset/sunrise timeframes and moon position mapping throughout a given month, it also has more nifty trackers such as an atmospheric refraction gauge, elevation detector, shadow level sensor, and others.

These three are but a few samples of many more apps which folks wanting to harness their inner Ansel Adams can make use of. Professionals will argue that true photographers should have no need of these software; but hey, everyone has to start somewhere.