iPhone Photography: The Most Effective Applications

It's not unknown that the camera on the latest iPhone models is something of a gem- one of the main persuasive factors for my upgrade. That and the fact that my last phone was held together with duct tape. But up until recently I had know clue how incredibly powerful the iPhone camera can be.

The majority of people are aware of the basic features of iPhone cameras: How to focus, how to apply filters, how to adjust the brightness. However, the actual camera application on the iPhone has very limited features compared to the array of apps available to download. I have currently been experimenting with a few and so here are my recommendations:


First comes 'Tadaa SLR'. This app costs £2.99 so for those people who don't like paying for apps, I'm afraid this one isn't for you. However, Tadaa SLR is worth every penny, as you'll find out if you make the excellent decision to download. The most enticing function of this application is the wonderful ability to focus and blur images. Whilst the iPhone camera can focus on specific objects, it does not compare to more complex cameras which can blur out the entire background. This problem can be easily solved with the use of this app, which allows you to adjust the focus of the photo after you take it. You simply highlight the area you want to focus on and the rest of the image is blurred. Alternatively, you could simply use a circular or linear focus. The results look far more professional than the original photos- it just goes to show that you don't always need a fancy camera to snap some good quality shots.

Here are some of my photos edited using Tadaa SLR

In this photo, I selected the basket of scones to be in focus, which stand out clearly from the faded background.

Here I highlighted the fork to be in focus, whilst the rest of the picture is slightly more blurred

Whilst there are other adjustments that can be performed using Tadaa SLR, I tend to use another app that has more options. I introduce you to Snapseed, an application by google which is, believe it or not, completely free. Snapseed offers an array of features, allowing you to adjust the basic elements of images, including brightness, contrast, saturation and so on. Images can be easily altered and a small selection of filters can be added. This may sound rather similar to those features offered by the standard camera app, but there is one filter in particular that can completely transform images. This filter is the 'HDR Scape', which helps to emphasise both the shadows and highlights in a picture. Whilst I'm not 100% sure on the specifics of what it does, I do know that the results can be spectacular.

Here are a few of my own photos edited on Snapseed, all of which use a HDR effect to a certain degree.

The reflection of this vase has been enhanced with the use of the HDR filter to give a more dramatic effect.

BEFORE: This is my original photo without a filter. As you can see, the water shows little reflection and the clouds are pale with only a few grey tones visible

AFTER: This photo has a HDR filter. The reflection of the water is enhanced and the grey tones in the clouds have also been brought out. The photo now captures the beauty and the colour of the scene more accurately. 

Repix is another app that I have been using to add a more abstract edge to my photos. Whilst the app is free, I have purchased the Master's Collection which costs £4.49 and includes several effect brushes, filters and frames. The key persuasive factor in downloading this pack, and the app itself, was the amazing assortment of effect brushes. The app itself already contains many brushes for you to experiment with, including a camera flare effect, poster effects, edge enhancers and blurrers. However, the app cleverly features a 'test' page where you can try out the brushes available to purchase on a photo designed to enhance their use. After testing a few I knew that I had to purchase the whole set and it was a small price to pay for the numerous photographic possibilities available.

Below are a few photos that I've taken including various effect brushes.

This was a photo of scaffolding outside a shop in a neighbouring village. I added a paint brush called 'Daubs', which is part of the Master's Collection, to transform the image.

This was already quite a spectacular photo thanks to the presence of mountains in the distance, but by adding a few effects, I was able to change the photo to resemble something I like to call a story book picture. I firstly added a swirl of the 'Sparkler' brush around the subject's body, then added a 'Magic Dust' brush for the smaller coloured dots, and then used a 'Bokeh' brush for the larger flares. Whilst all these brushes were part of the Master's Collection, I used the 'Edger' brush, one of the starter brushes, to create the weird story book feel.

To enhance the beauty of these already stunning flowers, I added a 'Magic Dust' brush for the sparkles, as well as a touch of 'Glow Smoke' and 'Bokeh' for the trails of light/ flares at the edge of the picture. A filter was also applied

Of course there's one more app worth mentioning, although I don't rely on it as much. For those who like to experiment with adding a splash of colour to black and white photos,  Effect Touch lite is perfect. Of course there are many 'colour splash' apps that allow you to add areas of colour to black and white photos, but most of them either cost money or bombard you with adverts. Effect Touch lite, however, has neither of these things. The app is completely free and has no adverts. While it has only a few features, it includes a monochrome paint brush, meaning that you can paint on black and white areas to images. This essentially means that you can paint on the black and white areas desired and leave the coloured areas you want. This is shown in my example below.

The brightly coloured flower in this photo contrasts nicely against the black and white background, making the image a little more interesting than a simple black and white shot. 

I hope that you find these recommendations useful and that they will encourage you to further explore the world of iPhone photography.