Week 4 EOC: There's An App For That

If there was one application that I wish my phone had, it would be an app that could examine a photo and determine the settings used to produce the photo, or that could automatically configure settings for you prior to a photo shoot – although this app would most likely not be 100% reliable and may even turn some photographers off of the product – imagine the time that could be saved trying to figure out your lighting setup, aperture, and shutter speed!

            By far the most inconvenient (or fun, however you choose to look at it) part of being a photographer is the big set-up before a photo shoot: if you're limited on time, you could very well spend most of that time scouting your location, putting together your equipment, or applying hair and make-up to your model. Therefore, I recommend figuring all of these things out prior to the big event, because then you will know exactly how much time you have to take photos. Of course, the trickiest part is lighting – without light, there would be no photography! Outdoors are the most difficult locations to shoot, because depending on the time of day and the weather, you will be adjusting your settings regularly throughout the shoot. These days, however, anyone with a camera on their phone likes to consider themselves a photographer – and although that makes my job harder as a professional, it also helps me to strive to be the best at what I am doing.

"iPhone photography has come a long way in the last three years since the advent of the App Store." (Panzarino, The Top 30 Best Photography Apps for iPhone: http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/04/17/the-top-30-best-photography-apps-for-iphone/)

            There are many apps in existence that allow you to edit your images for enhancement, or to create interesting effects – but none of them go as far as to choose settings for you – and while any experienced photographer or enthusiast may tell you that they know what they’re doing without the help of a computer chip… it would just minimize the amount of time you’d be spending worrying about correct exposure, and allow you to focus on obtaining the image you want. Of course, results may vary.