My Favorite iPhone Apps for Photography

I am in the middle of a project and I need a self portrait. I've honestly never tried to take a real self portrait before. Oh sure, I've done plenty of stretch your arm out with a point & shoot or iPhone pics, but never gotten out the tripod and the remote to have a photo shoot with myself. 

So last Monday I sat down to take the picture. All I needed was one good pic. I thought it'd be easy and fast. Boy was I wrong! The conditions were not ideal- my remote didn't work, it was really low-light conditions, and limited space. But the hardest part- my subject, she did not cooperate.

An hour and 48 goofy pics later (see below) I finally got one that I could use for my project (not pictured below).

Little side note for you, I just discovered fuzzimo.com, it's an awesome website
full of free resources for designers and photographers. That's were I got the film frames.

The time and effort it took to get one good shot made me even more grateful for how easy it is to take snapshots of yourself with a smartphone. And then you have all the photo apps that make every pic more fun. 


I decided to share a few of my favorite apps and the best part is most are free!

Hipstamatic

Why I love Hipstamatic: 

-Free (basic app, can buy upgrade)

-Variety of lens, film, & flash combinations 

-Variety of camera bodies (this feature might be a part of the upgrade you pay for)

-Great vintage effects with blurs, light leaks, and all the charming imperfections of old film cameras

-Order prints right from your phone (the prints we've ordered have been stellar)

Hipstamatic

Hipstamatic

Pixlr-o-Matic

Pixlr-o-Matic

 Awesome Pixlr-o-Matic Features:
-Free
-24 different filters
-30 lighting effects
-30 photo frame effects
-Basically your Baskin Robbins for photography, there are enough more options and photo combinations to keep you satisfied for a very long time.

Instagram (you knew this would make the list)

Why I (and the whole iPhone world) love Instagram:
-Free
-Fun filters and blur options
-Grandaddy reason: Social networking! You can upload your photos to an online account directly from you phone so all you friends and followers on Instagram can view, like, and comment on all your photos. It's a fun, easy way to keep up on your closest friends lives and also brag about all the cool stuff you're doing. Win-win.






Cross Process & Shake It Photo
I think these two are free, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't use them as much as the other apps, but I love them for certain pics. The cross process is a digital simulation of cross processing on film and Shake It turns your photos into polaroids (you knew I'd have a polaroid app somewhere).

Cross Process Pic

Shake It!

Diptic

This is the only app that I know for sure isn't free. It's pretty inexpensive though at $1.99.
Diptic allows you to cut, slice, and collage your pics together. 
There are several layouts to choose from and you have total control over the width of your borders.
It's a fun way to switch up and display your pics.

I'm not claiming to be an expert (if you've got any great apps, please share!!! I'm always on the lookout for more great tools) but it should give anyone a good starting point. 

Oh and the first thing you should do with your fancy new apps? Take a self portrait.

-Michelle