The weather is warming up and the days are getting longer. Summer is at hand, and as we plan vacations, trips to the lake and fun family get-togethers, everyone wants to make the fun last as long as possible with photos. Posting these images on social media is also a wonderful way to stay in touch with other family members or friends who can’t be there.
While DSLRs take marvelous images, they are heavy, cumbersome and valuable, which doesn’t make them a great accessory for the beach or lugging around on sightseeing trips. Luckily, pictures taken on a smartphone can be just as breathtaking. The below list of tips and apps will help you take the best possible smartphone photos this summer and beyond.
These tips come from expert John Barnett, co-founder of Bright Mango, professional travel photographer, cinematographer and a contributor to Getty Images.
There are obvious differences between a mobile phone’s camera and a regular point-and-shoot or DSLR camera. First of all–you have your mobile phone with you 99% of the time, so you will probably end up capturing that beautiful once in a lifetime moment with your phone, not your other camera. Remember to try and get closer to your subject–zooming in with your phone just decreases the quality and size of your images. It’s better to get as close as you can. Also, try to take some time and select a few images from your phone and have them printed out. Most people have years of digital images and very few actual printed copies. This is easy with apps like Shutterfly that allow you to make prints straight from your Instagram photos.
Here are 6 apps to enhance the way you capture and share memories on your phone:
For editing:
- Wood Camera ($3.99)– The most editing control available on the iPhone. Now also available is Viewmatic, a retro-themed photo editor that allows you to create and share the experience of looking through the viewfinder of a classic film camera.
- Over ($1.99)— The quickest and easiest way to add text to spice up your travel photos.
- Color Splash ($0.99)— Allows you to bring out a specific object in color, and make the background black and white. Great for shots of iconic landmarks or buildings.
For video:
- 8mm ($1.99) – The best iPhone video app. Provides a lot of the same functionality as Wood Camera, but in video format.
For sharing:
- Diptic ($0.99) — Great for arranging your trip pics in framed collages and collections for sharing.
This guest post was provided courtesy of John Barnett. No compensation was received for sharing this post.
