Camera features on cell phones, tablet computers and even MP3 players have made it easy for everyone to capture their lives in a series of images. If you just need proof of the crazy things your friends do, any simple camera’s basic features should suffice. If you want to take a more professional approach to photography, though, some high-quality apps can set you above the photo-shooting pack.? ?

Easy Release

?easy-release.jpegIf you want to own the rights to your photographs free and clear, which makes it legal for you to sell the photos commercially to magazines or as prints, you must have a model release for every photo that contains an identifiable person or persons. Easy Release is the app for that. The Easy Release app gives you the tools to collect digital signatures with each photograph that you take.??Easy Release is made for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and integrates with each device’s built-in camera. If you shoot on a separate camera, consider taking a single shot with your iPhone, iPad or iPod for identification purposes, collect the model signatures in the app, and then just shoot freely with your external camera, knowing you have proof of your subjects’ consent safely stored. The $9.99 price tag is worth the peace of mind.??

Pocket Light Meter

tw.jpegIf you use an external camera with manual settings for picture-taking and want to get the perfect lighting conditions every time you take a shot, you’ll benefit from a light meter. A light meter reads the lighting conditions in a location, and displays the appropriate settings to help you get the perfect shot. You can buy a light meter to carry along with your camera, or you can download Pocket Light Meter to your iPhone, iPod or iPad for free. The app offers the same features as a traditional light meter, and has undergone an upgrade since its initial design, which gives it better performance in low light. For a serious photographer, it’s an absolute must.

Adobe Photoshop Express

adobe-photoshop-express-android-app.pngEven if you’re an incredible photographer, you’re bound to end up with an occasional photo that doesn’t come out the way that you want it. That’s why many regular photographers are also regular users of Photoshop, one of the most popular image-editing programs. Adobe Photoshop Express is the mobile equivalent of the desktop edition of Photoshop. Express has fewer features than desktop Photoshop, but it does provide the tools you need to sharpen, brighten, and crop photos directly on your phone or mobile device. So you get great photos before they even leave your phone. Adobe Photoshop Express is available free for Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, as well as for Android.

Impression

impression.pngUploading photos to the Internet, or sharing photos with other people, can be a risky business. The Internet has become a hotbed of creative thievery, and once your digital photos start traveling through cyberspace, there’s no telling where they might end up. That’s why many photographers choose to put watermarks on their photos. When done well, watermarks mark photos to a point that they are hard to steal, while still allowing the underlying image to be seen without too much difficulty.

Impression, available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch provides a simple tool to watermark your photos directly on the device, so that you can upload them directly to the Internet without having to pass through a desktop computer. You can downloaded the app for $1.99

Photoaf Panorama

photoaf-panorama.pngIf you’ve always wanted to be able to capture those incredible panoramas that you’ve seen online or in stores, Photoaf Panorama is the app for you. The free Android app works by using the camera’s built-in sensors to determine the angle of each shot, allowing you to match the angles of each picture you take of a cityscape or landscape. Once the photos are taken, the app pulls the photos together into a single seamless image, giving you a 360-degree view of the place you’ve been. The panorama can then be viewed by scrolling across on the screen of the Android device. It’s an ideal app for travelers who encounter a lot of beautiful scenery.

When it comes down to it, most cameras built into cell phones, MP4 players or tablets don’t have the features to compete with quality digital cameras. With a few upgrades to your mobile device, though, you can enhance the quality of your onboard camera, bringing it closer to par with external digital cameras, or enhance your photography experience with your external camera by keeping useful tools, like model releases and a light meter, right at hand.

What’s your favorite photography app?

Lisa is a Salt Lake City native who loves a great sunset photo. When she isn’t hiking around the Wasatch mountains, she is blogging for SatelliteTV.com home of the best Dish TV specials.

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