iPhone and its Photography Apps

A toad found in our yard. Processed with Filterstorm.

I've had an iPhone for a while, but I'm now just starting to use it to expand my left brain's capabilities.  While some people use their phone to explore a new realm of filmmaking, I use mine to take pictures. I have an iPhone 3GS and have no reason to upgrade at the moment. Even though my boyfriend's Samsung Galaxy S II phone has a much better camera,  my iPhone takes somewhat decent pictures and okay video.

I'm too poor for the Adobe Creative Suite. So what the iPhone lacks in raw image power, it makes up for in its photo processing apps. I currently have six different apps that process photos. Some would argue you should always process your phone photos before uploading or sharing. I agree with this philosophy. Unless you are one of those purists that only use RAW images, I recommend at least checking the histogram on your photos.

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Old Creole cottage. Processed with Filterstorm.

My two favorite photo apps are Filterstorm and Snapseed. Filterstorm I actually paid for. Five dollars, I think. I received Snapseed gratis for making Starbucks my second home. Side note: It's always worth it to look for free apps at your local Starbucks. Check beside the bar where you make your poor man's latte. Both are wonderful apps and great Photoshop simulators. Both apps allow you to independently tweak parts of a photo. Always helpful, considering one of the iPhone camera's shortcomings is correct exposure. Snapseed's automatic photo correction actually improves most photos instead of jacking them up, like other programs tend to do. Filterstorm is more advanced and is perfect for a more "artistic" photo.

Original.

Snapseed's automatic correction.

Original.

 

Snapseed's automatic correction.

iPhone photography can be a nice exercise to feed your creative brain. Since you are limited by your physical position in space--iPhones do not have a truly effective zoom--your composition skills are tested. If you would like to view a collection of my iPhone photos, click here. Happy Filmmaking.