Top 10 Photography Apps and Resources
Top 10 Photography Apps and Resources
I share my top 10 Photography Apps and Resources that can make your photography better, easier, more efficient and more fun.
Lightroom Mobile – https://goo.gl/YznzDv
OS Maps – https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/osmaps/
500px – https://500px.com/firstmanphotography
Instagram – http://instagram.com/adamkarnacz
Photopills – https://www.photopills.com/
Medium – https://medium.com/@AdamKarnacz
Website – https://www.firstmanphotography.com/
I often get asked about what apps I am using and why. In the crowded world of photography apps it can quickly get overwhelming. So i’ve curated this list of my best apps 2017 and 2018 that I use most often that solve a variety of different problems I encounter on a day to day basis.
Adobe Lightroom
First up is Lightroom. I talked about the Adobe Lightroom ecosystem a couple of weeks ago but having the ability to do photo editing, or tweak your images on the go, is a very nice feature and often saves time. One of the best features of the phone app though is the built in camera that will shoot Raw DNG files. I use this a lot and it’s impressive how much control you have of the image in post production.
Photopills
Next up is Photopills. I’ve mentioned this a few times before. It’s an absolute must for nearly all photographers, especially landscapers. You can plan your shoots, work out exposure times, arrange time lapses, measure hyperfocal distances and it’s got a brilliant AR mode that shows where the sun will be setting. It is also perfect for planning milky way shots, subject distances and a lot more. I like it because it brings lots of things into one place and is like a Swiss army knife of photography.
Canon Connect
Next is the Canon camera connect app. A lot of the new Canon cameras now have built in WiFi which means they will connect to a phone, tablet or laptop giving you remote control of the camera. I’ve found myself using this more and more in the field. If the camera is low down I can stand and fire the camera from a more sensible position. If I need to change exposure, that can all be done from the app. It is also perfect for video. I used it to monitor myself with the iPad while creating this video and also to focus and stop and start the record. It can be used in situations like weddings. I might have one camera set up to record video whilst I’m taking pictures with another. Its a level of control and multi tasking that just did not exist before.
Weather App
4th on the list is a weather app. If you ever shoot outside, you’ll need one. I use the BBC weather app. It is not always the most accurate but it’s easy and you can monitor multiple locations. I also like that it’s not always accurate because as a landscape photographer, good images can be captured in every condition. If you only went out when you knew it was going to be nice you’d miss out on a lot.
Ordnance Survey Map App
Next is the OS Map app. This is a mapping app for the UK. When you’re out shooting landscape photography it’s vital for safety to know exactly where you are. I’m going to be talking about this more in future videos, but for a small annual fee you have access to a the OS maps and your GPS position shows exactly where you are. It has helped me out of a few jams this year!
500px
Next is 500px. I recently, and finally, started uploading to the photo sharing site 500px. This is a good social platform for photographers where you can see good quality photography without the huge amount of rubbish you see on Instagram. There is also a range of new features for enthusiasts and professionals wanting to sell their work and overall it seems like a good community. Flickr is dead so please check out my 500px page at First Man Photography.
Next up is Instagram. You know why. If you’re not, you should.
Hyperlapse
Another app from Instagram is Hyperlapse. This is designed primarily to easily capture a Hyperlapse as you walk. It works by digitally stabilising the footage whilst you shoot, giving a smoother shot at the end. You can slow the Hyperlapse down to real time so it’s a great way to capture stabilised footage straight onto your phone. It is free and definitely worth a try.
Medium
Medium is a blogging platform that puts the written word front and centre. It has great content from from the newest writers, to the best writers in the world. I have been writing and contributing to the Vantage publication for a couple years now. It is one of the biggest photography platforms on Medium and has some great articles to get stuck into.
Traditional Websites
Finally we have the humble website. There are some amazing photography resources out there that I consume and contribute to on a regular basis. Blog slights like PetaPixel and FStoppers, Canon Rumours is always fun, Skippy sky, the OS website, Google maps for planning and getting to places, and of course the First Man Photography website.
Most of the above have android app and iphone apps.
Really good video Adam – well executed and good tips! 👍
Again, very nice video. Didn’t know photopills before you mentioned it in an earlier video, but then I already had TPE, also works great for planning.
A great app is clear outside
Flickr is not dead what are you on about? I love it. 500px is good and you get more likes if you’re into that kind of thing but Flickr is still top dog imho. Weird thing about 500px is all the top photos/photographers seem to have the same look – that sort of washed out film look. Gets a bit tedious.
Awesome suggestions Adam, thanks. One app I use constantly and I recommend to anyone who uses ND filters, is the Lee ProGlass app. It will tell you what settings you need for all ND’s including a combination of 2 filters and then even gives you a timer if you need it for longer exposures than your camera can do. Check it out. 😁
I use an app named, Bimostitch, on my android phone. It stitches together panoramas – you can use the built-in camera or any photos on the phone. The quality of the stitching is terrific. I also use a camera app named, OpenCamera, and I use Photoshop Express, in addition to Lightroom for Mobile.
for us Nikon users Nikon wireless mobile utility works great
Lots of great information on this video Adam.
Great job and a load of thanks. But I just wonder why didn’t you mention Snapseed?
Adam, followed your recommendations on a few of the apps you’ve featured to date and have photopills and the OS apps on my phone. Will check out the others I haven’t looked at.
Loved Canon Connect when I had a 750d but moved to a 5d Mark ii and don’t have wifi and certainly when I change my camera the next time, will be looking for the wifi feature as I miss it
I’ve been using flickr for years, yes it changes. Sometimes for the good.
Great vlog by the way, easy to follow and understand.
nice one adam
hi adam great vid you should also check clear outside and snapseed apps they are both free and really helpful
Great ideas Adam and I’ll look into a few of those apps. Cheers thanks for this video 👍🏽
Instagram as I have said before is a pain on windows. You have to download Instapic to upload from windows to Instagram and it is slow and a pain in the ……… I would like to know more though Adam about the OS map system. I looked briefly when it was first announced but £20 per annum is a lot of money.Await with interest.
A couple I use quite frequently; SKRWT for quick edits and My Gear Vault for managing and recording my equipment
Thanks Adam helpful stuff
Jumped all over Photopills after hearing you mention it in an earlier video Adam. Great app and worth the money, it does just about everything but take the shot for you!
Thanks, Adam. I also use TPE and PhotoPills but hadn’t come across Hyperlapse. Must check it out.
Also, it would be nice if some of the apps would work (OK, maybe with reduced bells and whistles) in areas without a phone / data signal.
OT – are you going to do a My Little Pony video with your cute guest presenter? :-))
I also use the OS maps app and have the annual subscription. The app is great, but one of my favourite features of the subscription is that I can print out custom maps for my trips. I print my required area onto an A4 sheet of waterproof paper and it saves me carrying a full OS map sheet.
*I’m a Nikon user😑…*
Nikon has a transfer app that runs off Bluetooth
great
so this episode was sponcered by my little pony.
The TPE app (The Photographers Ephemeris) is good for plotting Sun and moon directions etc but fairly advanced and expensive. I’ve also been impressed by GoldenHour (iOS) that gives predictions for light at Sunrise and Sunset as a score out of 10 for next seven days. It’s proved to be a fairly accurate guide for me. That said, it needs a iOS11 update as a few UI issues.
Hi Adam. Thx for the video. Good information. Question… how do you organize your photo images on your computer. I use Lightroom classic and because it does not really copy my images I always copy my images into a file. I then import into Lightroom. Problem is the picture file is getting massive and organization a bit sloppy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I almost need a asset management software…..
Damn, where was this video two weeks ago when I was doing video in Disneyland 😞😞. Could of done Wiggett the Hyperlapse app. Good video again matey
Great suggestions! Keep up the great work!
Hi Adam, I shoot a lot of seascapes & find a tide app absolutely essential, not just for photography, but safety.
Really helpful vlog Adam. Thanks for highlighting the apps that work for you as there is so many out there you can never be too sure what’s good and what’s cr#p! Also just wanted to add that I’m really enjoying the direction your channel is taking as the quality is superb. Thanks for sharing.
Nice! Downloaded 500px, Hyper lapse and Medium. Thanks for the recommendations.
Very helpful. Had to laugh cos I went to the holy building yesterday and I’m just doing the shot I took in lr whilst watching this.
Nikon has a wifi app. my d5500 has wifi. I don’t ever use it though
Another good app that I use pretty frequently is Snapseed. Not quite all the functions of the Lightroom app but still a good app that can process DNGs and is pretty fun to use.
Good app selection. A new one for me is Hyperlapse. I just downloaded it and will give it a go later today. PhotoPills is one I often see UK vlogers favoring. I have a few other apps that overlap some of the features of PhotoPills. Maybe I will just give it a go as well. And I am a Nikon user, sadly missing out on remotely controlling my camera with my iPhone. SnapBridge is not worth anyone’s effort. Thanks for your insights, again.
Thanks for the tip on Hyperlapse, hadn’t heard of it but it does look interesting.
For weather I love Dark Sky. Wherever I’m at it tells me what’s going on down to the minute. If it says it’s going to rain in 5 minutes, it does!
Nikon has a remote app for these models
http://download.nikonimglib.com/archive3/mLYnk00KRSMa02TWMu782kAVJJ92/D-WMUI__-010500BF-___EN-ALL___.pdf
Great help Adam. I’ll take a look at some of these – especially the LR & Hyper app which I’ve been meaning to check out for some time. I LOVE Photopills and use it often. Adorable daughter!!! Cheers!