Google Earth

Smartphone Apps for Photography

We’ve all seen lists of gear that photographers use when shooting. It’s a myriad of lenses, filters, camera bodies and lighting equipment that can be mind boggling. Smartphones are now an essential piece of gear for photography. And I’m not talking about using your phone to shoot photos. I’m talking about all the apps that I regularly use when I’m shooting. Many of these have replaced old hardware and put it all in one portable device. Below is a list of my favorite apps. FYI I’m using an Android phone (I managed to achieve escape velocity from planet Apple) but all of these apps are also available for iPhone.

1. Easy Release – Model Releases are important to get the most out of every photo I shoot. Easy Release has been around for a few years and is accepted by stock agencies. Forget paper model releases, this is the way to go. The model, photographer, and a witness all sign the release on the phone. It can add a photo of the model in the release then email a PDF to the photographer and the model. It’s so easy that I’ve done model releases in the tent at the end of a day of shooting in the alpine. It just makes getting a model release so much easier. Android version here.

2. DOF calculator – This app will give you precise depth of field information for the camera, focal length, and aperture you are using in a quick look up table. Android version here.

3. Smart Compass – When shooting landscape photos, I need to know where the sun will rise and set to anticipate the light. Android page here.

4. Angry Birds Star Wars – just kidding. This one is for my kids. Really.

5. Dolphin browser – I like this better than the native browser app for Android. It has tabs and I like the swipe motion to bring up favorites. As an outdoor photographer, accessing weather information when I’m shooting is essential. Android version here.

6. Avalanche Forecast – I haven’t used this one in the field yet since it just came out for Android. But this will be a very useful tool when I shoot in the backcountry…which should be very soon. The app aggregates avalanche forecast information from all avalanche centers in the US and Canada. Check it before you head into the backcountry, then it will cache the information when you lose your data service. Android and iPhone.

7. Instagram – of course. No explanation necessary. Android version here.

8. Photo Editor – I rarely will edit anything on my phone, but if I do, this is what I use. Android version here.

9. Sundroid – Great for landscape photography. It will give sunrise/set and moonrise/set information for any location in the world on any date. I use this all the time. Android version here.

10. Tide Chart – Again for shooting landscape images, it will give tide information for any number of locations and date. Android version here.

11. Swiftkey – This isn’t a photo app but will increase your productivity if you use your phone to email or text a ton. It’s a keyboard app (not available for iPhone!) that not only predicts the current word you are typing but will suggest the next word you want. It learns your typing patterns and words you use a lot and it’s an incredible time saver. It also has swipe option. Android version here.

12. Aurora Buddy – Do you want to photograph the northern lights? Then it helps to know when the Aurora Borealis will be making an appearence! This app will tell you how likely it is to appear in the Northern sky. Android page here.

13. Google Earth – A great tool for trip planning. The smartphone version isn’t the full version of a desktop but still is great to have handy. Android version here.