Notes from Home

Well, that was exciting—Zander (who now often spells his name "Xander") broke his wrist in two places while snowboarding. I had to go on an odyssey in the night to fetch him from the Ski Patrol hut at the local ski hill, way out in the country, where they had splinted his arm using corrugated cardboard. He now has a brand new bright blue cast on his arm—and can no longer play video games. What will the boy do with his days?

I said, "That's really too bad. Now you can't go snowboarding any more."

He said, "Theoretically."

On the way home from the Apple Store.
Photo taken one-handed with my newest camera by Xander.

Today, we braved the crowds and went to the local Apple Store to get his Christmas present—an iPhone 4S. His father also got one, out of self-preservation more than anything else. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I honestly never knew how to use my old phone—I was just a half-step and a soft shoe shuffle away from total incompetence. (It didn't really matter, since the thing hardly got reception anywhere anyway.) My idea was that I'd get a phone identical to Zander's—sorry, Xander's—so he could teach me how to use it. I already know more about how to use the iPhone than I ever knew about the old phone.

I'm pleased to report I just sent my first-ever "text." I wrote "Just testing texting," and Xander texted back, "Didn't work." Damn! Back to the drawing board.

So does anyone want to recommend any photo-related apps for the iPhone that I might enjoy? I don't know how to download apps yet, but I'm fairly certain that it's something even I can learn.

I guess this also means I have yet another new camera. But this one wasn't purchased as such, so it doesn't officially count. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Finally, a favorite new joke, courtesy of my longtime friend Jim, who with his family left to return to Vermont this morning:

Skeleton walks into a bar. Bartender says, "What'll it be?" Skeleton says, "a beer and a mop."

Mike

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Ctein: "Dear Mike, Xander may be amused by the following. I fractured my wrist in a motorcycle accident when I was 23. It didn't heal properly, so eventually they had to do a bone graft (which has worked fine ever since)—transplant a plug of healthy bone into the fracture so new bone can grow into it. The doctor said they could take the plug either from my upper arm, which would mean immobilizing the entire arm in a cast, or from my hip bone, which would leave a more noticeable scar but I'd be walking in just a couple of days. Obviously I opted for the latter. I have gotten much amusement from it ever since. My first day back at work, people immediately noticed I was limping and they asked why. My reply? 'I broke my wrist.' 'What does that have to do with limping?' 'They had to do surgery on it.' I still get mileage out of this. Occasionally a new partner will notice the fairly obvious scar over my hip bone and ask what happened. I still reply, 'I broke my wrist.' Sometimes I will embellish it with, 'I was limping for quite a while.' People who love me have to put up with a lot. Or so I'm told. Once a smartass, always a smartass."

Featured Comment by William Baker: "My go-to iPhone photography apps are 6x6 and/or 6x7 (both vastly superior to the baked-in camera app), Snapseed (fantastic image editing from Nik software), Instagram and/or Hipstamatic (faux retro stylings and social sharing), and Big Lens (fake depth-of-field/bokeh masking)."

Featured Comment by Giovanni Maggiora: "Hi Mike and thanks for the countless tips thoughts analyses and general musings you provide us with every day. You just got yourself the most addictive revolutionary camera concept on the market today, much improved from its previous iteration. Still, my standard use of the non-camera in my pocket involves skipping its excellent image taking ability and jumping straight into the haphazard world of Hipstamatic shoots, with my current favorite lens/film combination: John's / Ina 1969. As opposed, for example, to the Instagram app, you relinquish control outright, and are left with the joy of the unexpected surprise. I sometimes wish I could reprocess the same way some existing 'regular' image, but then again, that would leave me with too much control on which image to treat how. For total control, stick to your other cameras and Lightroom! Have a great 2012 with your new toy!"

Featured Comment by Len Salem: "I like 6x6. It produces a square image which differentiates it nicely from my other 3:2 and 4:3 cameras and produces a neat white border around the image. It does not have tricksy effects other than being able to do B&W at a touch of an onscreen slider. You can also touch the screen at your preferred point of focus and exposure and this works very well at optimising those parameters at that point.

"My phone is a 3GS, the one before yours. I'm told yours has the better camera but for me the impulse of the moment is more important than tryng to achieve high quality. In fact I prefer it not to look like the result from a DSLR but to have its own look."

Featured Comment by Ruud van Ruitenbeek: "The app that I would recommend is The Photographer's Ephemeris. It 'is a program to assist the planning of outdoor photography.' It shows you the exact times of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, azimuth, altitude and many more things. A bit geeky, but really useful for outdoor activities. Not free, but at $8.99 it's very good value. The PC or Mac version is free so you can have a look and see if it is worth $8.99 to you."

Featured Comment by ycl: "Ya gotta get the Light Meter app—it's free, and works as well as any spot meter I've ever used. And you have to admit, it's pretty cool to use the iPhone as a lightmeter while out and about photographin' with a 1950s-era Rolleiflex...."

Featured Comment by Edie Howe: "Avoid Instagram. Word floating on the inter webs is that the TOS contains a rights grab of any images you post with it. I use Camera+ and am very pleased with it. Also, The Photographer's Ephemeris is a hands-down must have app, IMO. Filterstorm rocks.

"Now for some not so obvious recommendations: Flashlight by John Haney software makes for really nice light painting, with colors! It can also help you find your dropped car keys in a dark parking lot.

"Padport and Foliobook are slick portfolio apps, but to be frank, too complex and finicky to really be worth the money. The photo app that ships with the iPhone works fine, in my opinion.

"Visimoon can help you track the moon's progression against the night sky, helpful if you want to know where and when the moon will be at any given time and location. I prefer using The Photographer's Ephemeris, though.

"Get Goodreader, because there are lots of ebooks being released in PDF format, from collections of gorgeous images to location guides, to instruction manuals. Bill Neill released one of his photo books as a PDF, and I had to pester him how to read it on my iPad for the review! Search out camera user manuals in PDF form, and you will always have it on hand in the field.

"Michael Frye has released his Photographer's Guide to Yosemite through the App Store, and should you ever plan to visit and I'm not available to show you around, it rocks. Heck, even if I am available, get it and read up on the Mecca of Landscape photography.

"As for Z/Xander, it's normal to reinvent yourself periodically. At least it's not 'Zoolander.' He's young, and bones heal fast at this time of his life. This will slow him down enough to take the time to teach you how to use your new toy. Think of it as a chance to bond with his new persona. Or your iPhone! ;-)

"P.S. yes, you can even process your iPhone images to look like they were taken with a Holga. Camera+ has that ability. Please don't."

Featured Comment by Peter Vagt: "DOFMaster, price $1.99, is my recommendation for must-have photo app. It is very useful for controlling depth of field in this day of lenses without the f-stop focus guides on the lens barrel. If the iPhone was a consolation gift for Xander's theoretical loss of a snowboarding season, we, your readership, are the beneficiaries. (We are sorry Xander, but thanks!) [It wasn't—it was his Christmas present, already planned. —MJ.] What a great resource this is turning out to be—a list of photography apps from your worldwide list of readers. A gift to us all, Mike!"

Mike replies: And to me too, from readers!

Featured Comment by John Amberg: "If you ever liked comic books, get Halftone."

Featured Comment by Patrick Dodds: "Don't have an iPhone but do have an iPad and would definitely recommend Snapseed, though I sense in a few years I may look back at the pictures I've 'worked' on and think 'hmm, very 2011.'"

Featured Comment by Steve E Miller: "Snapseed for the win! I use it all the time!"

Featured Comment by Jim Hart: "Harrumph! Telephones should be black with round dials, made out of Bakelite plastic tempered hard enough to break walnuts with the handset, and tethered to a building or booth so that folks who can barely drive and listen to AM radio simultaneously cannot text while driving automobiles. I used to think that the most dangerous thing on the planet was an 18-year-old American male carrying an M16 rifle. I now think it's a 16-year-old American female with a cell phone and a driver's license.

"Condolences to Xander on the broken wrist, and if you're looking for votes I prefer his new spelling of his name. Has he considered dropping the last name, à la Ctein and Cher?"

Featured Comment by m3photo: "In my usual rebellious vein I recommend no photo related apps at all—if, and only if, you are like many photographers who already have all the tools necessary for post-processing already on a much larger computer with a far more comfortable screen with which to work and not strain eyesight yet more. I understand the need for these little programmes (apps) for all those not yet proficient or lacking in PP skills and the market generated by all the possibilities inherent in the so-called smart-phone niche. I would most heartedly recommend using the rest of the phone/camera as an audiobook companion for which there are also apps aplenty. Bah Humbug to all!"

Featured Comment by Jim Richardson: "Well, Xander has my sympathy because I have broken both wrists, each from separate photo incidents. One came when I was jumping down from a farm truck during wheat harvest and my boot wouldn't come out of the side panels. Odd feeling as I rotated in gradually in mid air to the head-down, fateful position and attempted to slow my demise by sticking my hand out. The other came as I backpedaled through the snow and slush on the Kansas State University campus in front of President Ford as he made his way to a speech. Down I went backward, again breaking my fall with the outstretched hand (the one without the Nikon in it) and broke the other wrist. Ford graciously stopped long enough to ask if I was all right (No!) and the attendant Secret Service agent called for an ambulance, I think by speaking up his sleeve. (Cool, I thought.) Keep it up Xander."

Comments

[Bob]

You need to install iTunes on your computer and set up your account and then connect your phone to the computer.

Make sure that Zander (Xander) has his own account so you each can each manage your own apps.

Visit the App Store and see what is available. Download what you want and then Sync your phone to iTunes and the new apps will appear on your phone.

Here are just a few that reside on my phone...

There is a free Photo Shop app (PhotoShop Express). It is somewhat limited in what it can do but you can pay a bit and expand some of its capabilities.

A nifty app I found on Scott Kelby's blog is called "Snapseed" ($5.00) that allows you to do some image processing.

iTimeLapse does just what the title says.

Flickr has an app to allow access to their web galleries.

CP Pro is another camera app with some exta features that the included iPhone app does not have.

Be careful, apps can get out of hand on your phone. You start reading blogs and someone recommends an app and you just have to try it. Suddenly your phone has a lot of apps and you think that they have been breeding in your phone.

[Steve Biro]

Congratulations on the iPhone, Mike. Try Snapseed by Nik. It's one of the most-popular photo apps for the iPhone. Oh, and get one of those fun Leica camera skins for your new toy. Come on... you know you want one.

http://store.petapixel.com/products/Leica-Look%252dAlike-Skin-for-the-iPhone-4.html

[ramin]

I've tried many of the various camera apps that are out there. The one I always come back to is Camera+. Sometimes I might go in and edit the shot a bit more with Photogene2 or such, but generally Camera+ is enough. And lately I've also found myself just going through the Instagram filteres for shots that I post there. I'd also recommend looking at Photosynth for panorama/360 shots.

But I'm fairly sure you'll get a nice long list of suggestions from others as well.

[Steven House]

Don't pander to that Xander stuff. Here's hoping it heals quickly and straight.

[Ctham]

Welcome to the iPhone age, Mike. I don't use the camera function on my iPhone 4 as much as I should, but I recommend Pudding Camera, CameraBag and FilterStorm. Between these three apps, I don't need others.

Pudding Camera is a Korean app, so the language is a bit of a hurdle, but it automagically saves the photos to the default album, so you don't really need to tweak it much.

[pepeye]

re: So does anyone want to recommend any photo-related apps for the iPhone that I might enjoy?

Camera+ and Instagram are both fun, but Snapseed by Nik is the real star of the iOS universe for processing photos. One of the best uses of the touch interface I've seen.

[Ramon]

Mike:
Sorry about Xander. Hope he gets better soon.
The iPhone is a great smartphone, the photo apps I use the most are best camera, and photoshop express. If I require anything more than those two can provide I just use my laptop. Buying the same phone was a good idea. Live-in tech support. One of my favorite things iPhone wise, is that when you google pizza, and click on a result, the phone highlights the phone number inside the webpage and dials it when you touch it. The first time I did I knew it was money well spent.

[Kurt Kramer]

Solitaire. OK, just had to say it. A several hundred dollar deck of cards that needs a battery. It's free. Actually, "Bump" can be handy depending on your practices. And it's (at this point) free. I also have the free "E-bay" App so I'm not left out of certain auctions when away from the desk. I also have "AppZila 2" because it has scores of questionable tools/gadgets, and it's also free. Hmmm. Do you see a pattern yet?

[Stephen Best]

These should get you started:

Hipstamatic (plus all Hipstapaks)
Pic Grunger
Camera+ (more conventional)
Expositor (don't use it much but nicely done)

Have fun!

[David Robinson]

AutoStitch,it's free or very cheap.Makes panoramas a doddle an is a lot of fun.

[Pavel]

Welcome to the dark side my iPhone coleague :). Since the best camera is the one you carry with you soon you will appreciate a lot your new toy. I'm always replying to my wife that the iphone is good enough when she asks me to take the 5D MKII with us.

[hugh crawford]

There are some apps that turn the iPhone into a camera that can do more than a conventional camera
These are free
Photosynth (my favorite)
Slit-Scan Camera
iDroste
GLMPS (like that scene in La Jette)
Adobe Photoshop Express (pretty much what you expect)
Gorilla Cam
synthcam
Pocket Light Meter

These are not free but are pretty much worth their prices
Decim8
Average Camera Pro
AutoStitch Panorama (I paid for my iphone with a print from this one)
You Gotta See This!

I seem to have about 200 camera apps but these are the standouts.

There are a whole bunch of annoying apps that make the iphone imitate polaroid , skip bleach , Sabatier , tri-x, and a bunch of stuff you have already done with film. Instagram is free and as good as any of them.

[Henk]

Congratulations both with your iphones and Xander a fast recovery!

The two most interesting photo apps I have on my ipod are f/8 to calculate DOF etc. and Nikon L&E which is a great source of information on many photography related subjects.

Have fun!
Henk

[h.linton]

Hipstamatic. 8mm. Photo FX [Tiffen]. iTimeLapse. EQu. Make sure you get a decent holdable case for it. If you want to take advantage of iTimeLapse check out XRite or a Jobo case that you can use with a tripod mount. Also, get the This American Life App. It can be glitchy at times but well worth the minor hassle[s]. KCRW's Today's Top Tune can have a few nice surprises from time to time. The Moth Podcast, Fresh Air, NPR: All Songs Considered, NPR: Snap Judgement, NPR: World Cafe, 99% Invisible & WNYC's Radio Lab are all worth checking out as well. Once you find your way I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.

[Mark Cotter]

iPhone photography apps: here's what I use:
Photoshop Express - it's the mobile version.
Photogene - probably better than PSExpress in terms of what it does.
Hipstamatic - a retro 1970s style camera effect. The app mimics a camera of the time in it's looks - you can even change the 'lens' and the 'film'.
Flickr - nice app to link to your Flickr account.

And if you have an iPhone, it's pretty essential that you get Angry Birds - possibly the easiest and most addictive game in the universe - he said using a little hyperbole.

[Fer]

For quick "post-processing" in the field, Camera+ is a really good app. I've tried Hipstamatic and Instagram, but haven't warmed to them.

[Sean Paul]

Congrats Mike - it really is a great camera to have for those unexpected times you wish you had a camera. Just got mine a few months ago and it truly is the only camera phone that has been worth it to use. Learn how to kick in the zoom feature and when the HDR feature works the best and that's about all there is to it. I find the flash a bit over bright, but better than nothing in a pinch. AS an aside, you'll want a case as it is a bit too fragile naked - I went with the ACase Superleggera pro dual layer case from Amazon - it adds a bit of bulk, but that came in super handy when it slipped off my lap a few weeks ago. I also popped on the Splash Masque screen protector also from Amazon as I'm a bit rough with my gear and those two items make it pretty bulletproof. For photo apps - I use PS Express the most to: crop, straighten, bring up or down the exposure, increase contrast a bit, play with the saturation or turn it black and white, and then add a border. I got it free a while back, but definitely worth a few bucks. It really shines when you have a few minutes of dead time in a line somewhere or waiting for someone that you can bring up a cameraphone photo and do some quick edits and save it inside a minute or two. I also occasionally use Hipstamatic to take funky shots, but think that it kind of pushes the vintage look a bit too far into fantasy land - interesting on occasion, but more a novelty than useful. Have fun with it.

[Richard K]

Looks like you've got some good photo-related suggestions already, so a non-photo related suggestion, unless you are into astro-photography(!) is Google Sky Map. Not sure if it's available on iPhone or just Android though.

[James B]

Xander is clearly a young man of great taste and an awareness of ancient Greek history. Zander was always a modern affectation. ;) Just make sure that he doesn't continue this transformation by appending "the Great", or else you are going to have to live with a young man who breaks down with horror at the fact that at the age of 25, there are no more worlds left to conquer. Maybe tell him to stop when he enters the Forbes 500?

I have a relative who was christened "Xan", pronounced "Shaaan". Always fun watching others struggle with his name.

[Ludovic]

TSFKAZ (The Son Formerly Known as Zander) has quite the sense of humor. It brought a smile to my day.

Happy War on Christmas to you both!

[Paul Mc Cann]

Angry Birds. Really. Beats editing photos on a phone any day.

Paul Mc Cann

[John London]

Uh, Uh, my predictions for 2012 - I see many iPhone posts coming!!! :-)

[Robert Roaldi]

Now you'll be glued to the "smart" phone all day, fingers spinning about wildly, downloading all kinds of stuff because, well, it's free, no time to write any columns, is this the end of TOP?

No! Say it ain't so!

[Ed Waring]

Biggest iPhone camera tip for me is that it takes the photo when you RELEASE the shutter button, not when you press it which confused the hell out of me for a little bit....

Have fun with it! The sensor/processing in the the 4s looks lots of fun. Shoots excellent HD video as well...

[Ed Waring]

Oh and I'm an android user but I think the same radio app is available on both platforms - TuneInRadio. Listen to any radio station in the world, anywhere in the world....

[Radiopaque]

Camera + seems to be the one I use the most.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Apps I like:

Pro Camera -- lets you control all the functions of the iPhone camera and separate the focus point from the exposure point

Image editing:

Filterstorm--general editing, particularly good curve control
PS Express--high quality image control algorithms, but with a simplified interface
Photogene--general editing
Photo fx by Tiffen--simulate photographic filters, plus there are useful exposure/contrast controls, retouching and a clone tool
Mill Colour for fine control over color and contrast
CameraBag for a few good canned effects like Hipstamatic
Mirage--a graphic pasteup program that has a good tool for adjusting perspective distortion as well as putting text over a photo

Panoramas and stitching:

Photosynth for rotating 360-degree panoramas
Autostitch for linear panoramas and stitching hi-res files

Photography apps for use with a real camera or in the darkroom:

Light Meter--turn your phone into a meter!
Viewfinder Pro--director's finder for stills or motion pictures
pCam--expensive for an app, but it makes lots of useful photographic calculations, mainly aimed at cinematographers
MassiveDev--darkroom film processing timer with the Massive Dev chart included, which you can customize based on your own tests

Landscape photography apps:

TPE--The Photographer's Ephemeris, which tells you where the sun or moon will be at a specific location and time.
Daylight--When should I get up, and how much light do I have left to shoot today? When is the golden hour?
TideGraph--When is low/high tide?

Generally useful for photography:

iHandy Level--spirit level app
WiFi photo--image transfer to a computer via WiFi
Easy Release--legally sound model and property releases, and the subject can sign right on the phone.

[MM]

Given the kinds of photographs you tend to elevate on TOP as those you wish you had taken, there are some interesting recommendations here for apps that deliberately crud up photos (there are probably more faux-faded photographs out there now than actual faded ones).

I'd keep the camera-related aspects of the phone very simple. No reliance on retro-faded-film-simulation apps like Hipstamatic, no expectation of spending a lot of time processing photos on your phone using variations of Photoshop, no pretending that randomly made digital alterations of your photos are a fulfilling substitute for a good eye or for the genuine unpredictability of film photography.

Just treat the iPhone as a wondrously convenient way to take and send photos, to more easily access ever more of the myriad kinds of ideas and creativity that you already value, and to carry out two-way typed communications (texting and emailing).

And sometimes to even make phone calls.

[Peter Morgan]

The iPhone is programmable. When is a camera maker going to do that? Camera makers are presumably worried about losing control, but Apple has shown that app markets can be managed and profitable.

[Ben]

Grasshopper walks into a bar. Bartender says, "We have a drink named after you." Grasshopper says, "You have a drink named Steve?"

You've already got some great suggestions.
Enjoy!

[Andrew John]

Have a look at this: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/5721153845/android-and-ios-app-tools-for-photographers.
Wish a quick recovery to Xander.

[J. Wallerius]

This is not an app, but might be useful if you start playing with the Hipstamatic.

Schmutzie (from Schmutzie.com) was frustrated with not being able to quickly find combinations of lenses and film she liked, and proceeded to try out ALL possible combinations, which you now can look up here: www.schmutzie.com/hipstamatic-guide

She didn't also combine with the flash, because »that way lies approximately 3000 more photos of the same tableau and sure madness.«

I'm inclined to agree.

[The Lazy Aussie]

Dude set it up so you can blog post (or moderate comments) straight out of the phone. I have always wondered why you didn't do it before- all this, "I will be away a few days and won't be near a computer" stuff was just baffling. Until I find you've just discovered texting!
Blog live from the football/exhibition/camerastore/skihut/snowdrift/dentist!
Apart from that, I like the the light meter app.

[Oskar Ojala]

Man you're old, texting was new in the 90s! OK, I just had to say that...you have your blog but haven't texted... pretty much my whole professional career has had some connection with mobile communications, so it's a bit of a shock.

Now there are plenty of apps, I think that the easiest way to find out about them is to read some articles, dpreview had some lists of the most useful apps they know of.

[Jim Witkowski]

But if he text-ed you back . . .

[Edie Howe]

One last bit of advice; get a twitter account, and start tweeting your iPhone images via Camera+. seriously.

[Sven W]

Ssshhh: don't tell Kirk Tuck you're going to use the camera in the iPhone...

[Bron]

iBird +
Perfect Photo, 1/2 price now
ios Camera, well integrated w/ios
Note Master, for all the bits of info.
1Password
Weather Underground, new app.
Koi Pond
The traffic function on Maps, handy for city driving.

And, if an app isn't working for you, dump it, there are others.
Check your library; they may lend ebooks. I like the size of the phone as a reader.

[vlatko]

Here's a list of applications for photographers. Not for photographing with an iPhone, for photographers. It might need updating, but I've been recommending it ever since I found it.

[Joseph Reid]

There's so much to play with. A few I've tried:

Camera+
Light Meter
DerManDar (for panoramas)
SlowShutter
Pro HDR
HD Camera
Dev Chart (from the Massive Development Chart folks)
Transfer (move your pics without having to plug into the computer)
iMovie (edit your video on your phone)

[Chris Bertram]

On my iphone I use

The Photographer's Ephemeris (sunset, sun direction, elevation, maps etc ditto moon) and

The Massive Dev Chart, to time my film-development sessions.

[JPH]

As noted, Nik Software's 'SnapSeed' is tough to beat.

'Camera+' is better than the built in camera app, in that you can separate the focusing and exposure points, so I use that for shooting.

'TrueHDR' is fun... well, would be if you are still enough to keep the two differently exposed images taken aligned (I have yet to do so).

'Photogene2', and 'FilterStorm', both do the same as the other pretty much... though 'FilterStorm' provides being able to apply adjustments/effects on separate layers... and 'Photogene2' has probably the coolest and neatest interface.

Other than 'SnapSeed' that I would really recommend though, is TPE (The Photographer's Ephemeris) so you can have in your hands info on where the sun and moon will be at any given time and location!

[DC Wells]

Mike,

It looks like you have a lot of good advice about photo apps. Let me add some different information. If you lacked a smartphone (or one that really worked for you) before, you might find your life changed in two ways, at least.
First, you will likely find that only texts -- not phone calls or emails -- will get the attention of those under 30 years old. My late-20s children tell me that calling or emailing is considered by many in their demographic to border on rude behavior, being unnecessarily intrusive and time-consuming. It may be that even those in our demographic are coming to that view.
Second, you will never really be away from work or the otherwise demanding world as long as your iPhone is nearby. I probably check and answer emails and texts 50 times a day. Whenever there is a spare moment, my hand goes to my pocket for my iPhone. I get a lot done, but it is probably unhealthy for me and for those around me. It is possible to resist. My wife does, but she doesn't even open her snail mail.
Happy New Year!
DC Wells

[Peter Vagt]

DOFMaster, price $1.99
Is my recommendation for must-have photo app. It is very useful for controlling depth of field in this day of lenses without the f-stop focus guides on the lens barrel.

If the iPhone was a consolation gift for Xander's theoretical loss of a snowboarding season, we, your readership are the beneficiaries. (We are sorry Xander, but thanks!)

What a great resource this is turning out to be - a list of photography apps from your worldwide list of readers. A gift to us all, Mike!

[Bob Cook]

I had a good year in 2011, so I thought I would buy something for myself. I thought briefly about getting an I Phone. Very briefly; measured in some really small part of a second. Then I did what I usually do - I bought a new camera. A Fuji X10. I realized that I can talk to people on the cell phone I have, and that's all I care about doing on a cell phone. And the Fuji will do what I think a camera should do. No unintended consequences from either device - just what a simpleton like me needs. Enjoy your new phone!

[Doug C]

My favorite, which I don't have because I don't have an iPhone, and isn't just an app, is the Parrot AR Drone for it's low altitude aerial photography. In the long run I would want more camera and thus a bigger 'copter, but the AR drone might be a good start.
But you fly this RC helicopter with your iPhone, looks fun, and Xander might agree.

[KeithB]

Maybe this app:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/viewfinder.shtml

will help you with your view camera.

[Rob L]

Don't forget Light Meter - I may look like an idiot, hanging off the jungle gym at the playground, pentax 67 in hand and iPhone in other, but it's better than guesswork exposures:) I'm also a big fan of the Dev Chart app; it's long enough between getting in the darkroom now that having a pocket reference is awfully handy.

[Joseph Camosy]

If you use the iPhone camera, then you need to know about this shortcut:

When phone is closed/off and you suddenly see something to photograph, you need to quickly turn on and use the camera, here's how:

- hit home button twice rapidly.
- this will bring up the unlock screen which will also have a "camera" icon on it!
- tap the camera icon and you have the camera.
- you can also trip the shutter by pressing one of the external volume buttons.

[Matt P]

I found a great meter app recently to replace the faux spot meter app I had been using. Fotometer Pro - looks like an old incident meter, offers reflective or incident (the latter via the forward-facing camera).

Other than that, Instagram is my usual. I'm overly fond of the Lomo-fi filter and border.

[psu]

Second Autostitch. Here's the sort of thing you can do with it with no work at all:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79904144@N00/5710154630/in/set-72157627745600551

I have just started playing with PhotoForge and Snapseed. The first seems to work more like I want. But the second is a bit flashier in terms of interface. I had used Photogene in the past, but they changed the interface and I don't like it anymore.

I can't stand all the hipster faux-cross-procesing picture restyling apps. But that's just because I'm old.

[Josh Wilson]

Camera+
-great app with ability to independently set points for focus and exposure (huge help). Plus some fun filters and basic editing. FREE

Enjoy your iphone- i've had mine about 2 months and it has changed my photography- I take more pictures than I ever have and am having more fun taking pictures than I ever have. It's really a very capable camera, within its limitations of course.

[Josh Wilson]

I apologize- I said Camera+ is free... it is actually $.99 and well worth it!

[MJFerron]

"Theoretically."??

Xander I was was hit from behind by an automobile when I was 14. Shattered the bone in my left leg just below the hip. 3 operations and a year on crutches gets old. My point? The accidents were unintentional but I got quite good on the crutches and took unnecessary risks. Ended up falling down a flight of stairs with a partially healed femur re-breaking it. The Doc was shocked to find the plate bent when removing it from my leg.

I would have had less problems later in life without the stairs incident. Caution kid caution. You have plenty of time for snowboarding. NEXT YEAR!!

[Barry Burris]

I use Camera+ on the 4s and Snapspeed on the iPad. Occasionally autostich. Everything else has seemed gimmicky to me.

On trick you might like. If you get a set of "Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic" the volume control + on the remote works as a shutter release. Worth the price just for that and the volume control and mic.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

I hope Xander's wrist heals quickly and well!

[Bob Blakley]

I have most of the apps your correspondents have listed, Mike, but the one I keep coming back to is Hipstamatic. Part of the attraction is that it shoots exclusively square format, but the various "lenses" and "films" also provide a variety of really attractive effects. It's also like a "real" camera in the sense that you have to choose which effect to use in advance, and you can't change your mind later.

[Nico Burns]

The best thing about the iPhone (and other modern smartphones) is that as well as having more functionality, they are also an order of magnitude easier to use than older phones (for anything other than making a call, including texting)

[Bill Hughes]

Theodolite (pro) - you can take a photo with overlaid GPS info + direction the photo was taken plus azimuth and elevation, and even more options with the Pro version.
Useful in it's own right and a lot chepaer than buying a GPS unit for a DSLR…

Photocalc is another general purpose app for dof, flash calc, sunrise/moon data, etc.

Tideapp gives you high and low tides as well as sun and moon rise and set. Handy for some forms of landscapes of course.

[Kalli]

I have a few interesting (or semi-interesting) photography related apps in my iPhone, apart from the usual Hipstamatic (loathed to shell out $2 for the other day and it's currently the lowest amount of money I've ever managed to regret spending), Instagram and Camera+ (nice in many ways, but most of the time I prefer the convenience of the standard Camera app).

PhotoBuddy is a collection of tools, but I've pretty much only used the Sun & Moon feature. That bit is pretty cool. The DoF calculator is handy as well, but not as handy as the laminated card with a DoF table for my favorite focal length. Which I hardly ever use anyway.

At some point I'll see how good Light Meter is, since I might want to use it to double check my guesstimate when using one of my meterless film cameras. Maybe I'll even dare to use slide film then.

My favorite photo related app, however, is PhotoSync, to easily transfer photos to my MacBook.

Oh, and thanks to William Baker for mentioning 6x6 and 6x7. I'll be buying the former after I click "Post".

[- et -]

I have a recommendation for a very nice camera-related app that may or may not be available for the iPhone at this time. I have it on my Android, and the developer says on his web site blog that he is working on a native iPhone version.

Since his original time line for the iPhone version was late this year, and since he appears to update his blog/website less frequently than he issues updates to the Android version, you may want to drop him an e-mail to check on the status of the iPhone version. Definitely worth investigation, IMO.

The name of the app is "Sun Surveyor", and the best way to describe it is probably to send you to the web site, which is at:

http://www.sunsurveyor.com/

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[Tony Rowlett]

Mike, I like "Best Camera" (The Best Camera is that's With You" put out by Chase Jarvis. For its simplicity, it is very powerful and the results can sometimes be stunning. It's worth checking out at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/best-camera/id329800600?mt=8

[Bruno Sammet]

The iPhone 4 and iPad 2 now have a built-in gyroscope. The previous iPhones and iPad only had accelerometers.

The gyroscope enables some fun apps:

For photography, Photosynth's stitched panoramas are quite fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XYSJPbwBT4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXvrrfchTAo


For star gazing, the "augmented reality" mode of "Star Walk" is quite impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TieoxdfNm40

[andy K]

Second or more, for Hipstamatic.

You can make some seriously nice photos with the thing. I amused myself all summer taking my dog to the dogpark and shot daily. Much to my surprise, I ended up with a series of maybe a dozen photos of dogs and owners that were-- if I do say so-- rather good. The iPhone is ubiquitous, so no one pays any attention if you snap to your heart's content inches away from them, and the Hipsta processing is pretty ingenious.

I tried some others that pretend to let you customize and have more control over the camera but found them useless. GIGO, you know? The camera is what it is and if you use it knowing its limitations, it can be fun and creative, but otherwise you will end up with a low-end P&S quality photo.

And sorry about your son. Mine's the exact same age and about to take off with his board. Sheesh.

[Frank]

@Ctein

"People who love me have to put up with a lot. Or so I'm told. Once a smartass, always a smartass."

That chimes in nicely with the "every new partner" bit..

[Patrick Perez]

Re: X/Zander's comment about his inability to snowboard being 'theoretical', remember, he's still immortal for a few more years...

And to match the skeleton joke: Termite walks into a saloon and asks "Where's the bar tender?"

Happy New Year! (to all those whose calendar increments years tonight)

Patrick

[Mark Muse]

Xander, give it a break... er, well, you know. It's important to heal properly even if you are still immortal because you won't be forever. By the way, I have a grandson named Xander. With an X.

Mike, take a look at TrueHDR. It works beautifully and significantly extends the range of the camera. You can auto process or not, process in real time or later, and chose to save the original exposures or not.

Cheers

[Bill Beebe]

Don't tell Kirk Tuck.

[John Camp]

I was once a karate enthusiast, and broke my wrist in a fall. Takes a long time to heal, but if it doesn't heal, the bone can die and then your hand won't work right. (This is if he really broke his wrist bones, and not his arm bones at his wrist. There's a big difference.) If it's his wrist, I suspect he broke the scaphoid, which used to be called the navicular, because it looks like a boat...I was told. If his cast is fiberglass or plastic, as mine was, it'll begin to stink a couple weeks out, but you can shoot some dishwashing liquid down it, and run some hot water through. Then, it'll itch while it dries, but that may be better than the smell -- his mileage may vary. If they have to cut his cast off, beware of the "saw." It's not actually a saw, but does have a vibrating blade. It won't cut you (they'll tell you that so you won't flinch away from it) but what they won't tell you is that if they're too slow in cutting through, the blade can get hot, and burn you. I have five small burn scars up the inside of my left arm...so if it hurts, and the doc says, "It's not cutting you," you answer, "No, it's burning me."

[John Sartin]

I hope your son heals quickly! We know all about board sports injuries as our son has had for major surgeries relating to some kind of board sport, snow, surf and skate. He received a bright red custom fit titanium knee brace just before Christmas to celebrate his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery in the spring. His orthopedic surgeon say he is now cleared to return to "normal" activity.

For your iPhone I would suggest this app that will be useful in your darkroom: http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?doc=mobile

[David L.]

After a great deal of testing and deleting, I created a 'Photography' folder for my hefty collection of iPhone photo apps. Here is what is inside:

Nightcam - low-res shots without a flash
iSpyU - candids without the camera screen display
Panoramatic - excellent panorama composing and stitching tool
Hipstamatic - I hate it, but all the cool kids gotta have it
CP Pro - gives you more control while shooting
Pro HDR - like anything HDR, stunning at first, quickly becomes boring
Tilt Shift Focus - scheimpflug emulator
PhotoCalc - not as full fleshed as my old favorite Vade Mecum app for PalmOS, but useful for LF shooting
Pocketscan - turns your phone into a scanner, natch.
Naked Touch - I hate the name, combined with the iSpyU app, makes me seem like a pervert. On the other hand, great streamlined photo editor
GeoLogTag - I am obsessed with geotagging and this is the best iPhone app for multi-stage tagging (to explain I penned this a few years back http://bhpho.to/u69S3L)
Geotag Editor I relocated from NYC to Central America where I had to unlock and jailbreak my phone to use the phone network down here. As a result of the hacking, the GPS feature is inaccurate, so this app allows me to correct the automatic geotag on all my images shot with the iPhone.

[g. wilson]

Two apps:

proCamera 3.5 - lets you select the point of focus and the point of exposure measurement and much more.

photoforge - all the tools you would have on a big machine including curves, unsharp mask, etc. etc., very complete, I think, except no batch processing yet.

[Sam]

forget the Apps. I considered buying an iPhone just for this:
http://www.kogeto.com/
Capturing Video in 360deg field of view ! That's right VIDEO ;-)

It all started here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dot/dot-360o-video-capture-for-the-iphone-4

[Sam]

You would need one of these too (tripod mount):
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/danprovost/glif-iphone-4-tripod-mount-and-stand?ref=live

[Steve Duffy]

Try "retro camera" it's fun and it's free.

[Rod S.]

Sounds like you're about to venture down a labyrinth. Come back someday!

I hope X/Zander's wrist heals well.

Best wishes for the New Year, and thank you for another year of interesting writing and insights.

[Marshall]

Obviously, Hipstamatic has already been mentioned. A friend of mine (who is, it's worth noting, film-oriented) likes the free version of it specifically because you can't see the pictures until you finish a "roll". Thought that might appeal to you, as well.

Happy New Year to you and the entire TOP clan.

[RawheaD]

Pocket Light Meter - With this in my iPhone, I just don't carry around a Sekonic or Gossen any more.

Massive Dev Chart - how can you not use it?

Instagram - go-to camera app for the Twitter/Facebook/Flickr addict :-)

[robert e]

Best of luck with Xander's healing process.

I've had my 4s for less than a month and I love it.

Camera+ is worth the low price for the clever "stabilization" feature alone. In this mode, you press the shutter button and it waits until the phone is steady enough to take a blur-free picture before it takes the photo. Brilliant!

The app is also worth it just for the ability to instantly change your preferred focus point and metering spot on the live image.

Tip: to quickly access the camera when the iphone is asleep, double press the Home button to reveal a camera icon next to the swipe bar.

Tip: In camera mode, the Volume Up button functions as a shutter release.

This is going to sound strange to most people, but I'm excited by the fact that the 4s's lens actually focuses and has limited depth of field, and that it's possible to take grossly out of focus photos with it.

[David]

LensFlare. That's right, a dedicated app to add lens flare.

Massive Dev and LightMeter. Replaces your light meter and developer chart, for analog photographers.

[robert e]

On the flip side, waiting for autofocus is my main gripe about the camera.

[Richard G]

I like Len's comment about the iPhone 3GS. I miss mine and don't like how good the camera is now, the one between yours and his. Camera Bag is an app I really like, as you can import your old photos and trick them up in Polaroid and 1974 colour or 1962 black and white or whichever look you want. I have some crucial photo information in one album of the photo library on my phone: a Kodak film box end, and both sides of the Hexar AF Quick Guide. Snapseed is a must have- free unlike Silver Effex Pro on the computer. I moved from a phone to an iPad and all my camera manuals area in Goodreader on the iPad. I was surfing the Internet in bed for a year before getting and iPad. My wife acquired these in reverse order and she loves the intimacy of the iPhone and still uses that a lot to look at the Internet, even with the iPad a cubit away.

[The Lazy Aussie]

And to be clear, when I say, "Dude set it up so you can blog post (or moderate comments) straight out of the phone." I mean that typepad does have an app.

[Bryce Lee]

Broken wrist in turns causes problems, you didn't say if he is right or left handed. In any event the first time he has to do something that involves reaching rearward with the opposite to his normal hand, he'll know all about reality.
I purchased an iPod, still can't get it to synchronize with my Airport extreme Router.
The iPhone here is a three year contract, costs $399.99 initially and then they soak
you another $70.00 a month to use the damn thing. Oh and there's a 13 percent sales tax each time on that total.

The joys of modern? Communications.

Happy New Year Mike to you and Zander

[KirkH]

I am fond of Hipstamatic, but have settled on 6x6 as my standard photo-taking app. Now I can take 'straight' photos with 6x6 and spend hours ruining them with Photoshop! A few examples from Manila:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/khamilton/sets/72157628568402435/

Enjoy (and best wishes for a quick recovery to Xander).

Kirk

[Mike Plews]

I love "walks into a bar" jokes. Here are my two favorites, both of which can probably collect social security.
A horse walks into a bar and the bartender says "hi bill why the long face?"

A dog walks into an old west saloon with a bandage on his leg and says "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw".
Sorry...

[Bruce Robbins]

Never mind the camera aps. Get Words With Friends. It's a great Scrabble type game that will have you addicted in very short order. With your massive vocabulary and way with words I guarantee you'll love it!

[Juan Rizzo]

@Jim
I think that's usually referred to as 'punchline' ;-)

[joanlvh]

Find My Phone !

[John Minor]

Ah kids, they heal faster and are more tech savy than we can ever hope to be. Who was it that said "Youth is wasted on the young"????
I went nuts and got quite a few photo apps, but my favorites, 6X6, & 6X7 work very well, and are the easiest, quickest to lock focus and exposure. (For me anyway). PhotoToaster is my darkroom of choice.

[RobR]

Iris is a good all around program of or image adjustment plus funky filters and it is most useful for blending two pictures together through a number of layer modes like in Photoshop, plus it has masking capabilities! Goes well with Toon Paint.

Dermandar is a different take on a panoramic program, as is Photosynth.

I have a gallery in my printing studio and the two "phone camera" shows I've had in the last year have been the most popular. There is something about messing around with these cameras and their apps that has really caught the public's imagination.

Imagine-photography is fun again and it's not about high tech and expensive gear! The camera in the iPhone 4s is justifiable lauded and I think you be pleasantly surprised in how satisfying it can be to work with.

[Michel]

more a photographer portfolio than an app, but I would recommend Lafforgue. His images of North Korea are timely even though they are a few years old.

[Wayne Fox]

I'm sure you've had more recommendations than you can handle, but my two must have iPhone photo apps are darkroom, which detect movement and not snap the picture until you hold still enough - works well, and Viewfinder Pro which is a great tool if you like shooting prime lenses and want to figure out which focal length you need, or when scouting locations.

[Daniel Valdez]

Just a few of corrections; one, only the volume up button will take a photo; two, the "Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic" are included, but you can use the volume up button on any supported earphones with remote as a cable release for the camera app (I recommend the Etymotic MC3); lastly, you do not need to use iTunes for anything. Starting with iOS 5, which comes installed on all new iOS devices, no computer is required (unless something goes wrong.) In fact, Apple has been releasing iOS apps to do away with macs and PCs for over a year now (see iMovie, Garageband, Airport Utility, Pages, etc.)

I recommend turning on the grid and HDR in the camera app. If you want near total control of the camera use Almost DSLR.

The iPhone is the best reading experience ever, mostly because of the retina display, but also because you can read in the dark and because you can download almost any book published in the last decade (and almost all public domain books) on a whim.

[Claire]

Pick up Snapseed for free today (Dec. 31th)! It is usually 4.99$. Well... 4.99$ is 4.99$! ;-) I don't know if it will be that good on an iPhone, but since it is free, grab it and try it.

[richardplondon]

I broke my left wrist similarly to Jim Richardson's walking-backward incident. I noticed the exotic-seeming "Foosh mechanism" in the medical notes at the hospital, and of course had to ask. You never know what fascinating 1920s Hungarian mountaineer or daredevil Venezuelan-Sicilian trapeze artist such a glorious term might commemorate. And they were pleased to tell me the full story.

It's short for: "fell on out-stretched hand". Nnnngh!

[Ben Syverson]

Mike,

I got frustrated with iPhone camera apps, so I wound up making my own, loosely based on the Konica Hexar (yes, really). It's not designed to be all things to all people—instead, it places an emphasis on ergonomics and image quality, and it does have some unique features.

I realize this comment may be spammy, so feel free to not put it through, but I thought I'd give you the heads up about my app regardless!

Happy New Year,
Ben

[Cliff]

Snapseed appears to be free for today through Apple's 12 days of Christmas, although it may be UK specific sale? Highly rated app.

I use camera+, although I would use it more if it linked with the quick camera shortcut on the lock screen.

[Chris Hunt]

Coming in late to this, but I can second the Photobuddy suggestion above. Not mentioned above, it also has a nice exposure calculator.