Apps for Photo Education
As many photography enthusiasts, photography pros, and artists experiment with mobile (cameraphone) imaging/iPhoneography, there seems to be a growing loss of connection to the basics of photography—not only the fundamental techniques, but also its rich heritage and culture.
This seems particularly true for younger photographers who grew up with digital cameras and smartphones. In this post, we highlight four iOS (Apple) apps that have been developed to help fill the photography knowledge gap. Note that most iPhone/iPodtouch apps also work on the iPad; they just appear smaller on the screen.
Compatible with iPhone/iPodtouch/iPad
Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
Free and Paid (Pro) versions.
PhoozL IQ is a cross between a game and an IQ quiz—a Photo IQ quiz, that is. According to Harald Johnson, an original contributor to this blog and the app's creator, it's the world's first photography IQ quiz created for the mobile app platform.
Both the free and pro versions feature a collection of easy-to-play quizzes with 10 shuffled questions covering many photo topics, including: cameras, composition, lighting, image editing, printing, color theory, and photo history. Each question is a package comprising: the question, alternative answers (True-False, Multiple Choice, Tap Choice), a hint, and a "factoid" for additional learning.
There's even a countdown clock, scoring, penalties, and a link to Apple's Game Center to submit or check out other scores. Best of all, it's Phun (a PhoozL term)!
Harald Johnson also runs the photo-gaming and photo-education website PhoozL.com.
LINKS
ITunes Preview: PhoozL IQ: A Photo IQ Quiz—Free Version
iTunes Preview: PhoozL IQ: PRO—Paid Version
Compatible with iPhone/iPodtouch/iPad
Requires iOS 3.0 or later. Free.
This app uses a very simple structure (a timeline and a description page for each camera milestone). The cool stuff happens when you tap on the blinking camera in the corner: You take a picture with the device you're holding in your hand, and using animation, the app emulates the process right on your screen with your photo capture! So you get a feeling for how much trouble it was to make, say, a Daguerreotype with mercury vapors, or how a Polaroid image appears like magic when you shake the mobile device. The only thing missing is the smell!
This app was created by software developer Yuval Perlov who runs the IT monitoring service R-U-ON. He says he has always been interested in the high precision and complex mechanics of cameras, noting that “Cameras have always been at the forefront of contemporary technology—pushing the envelope of mechanical engineering and electronics.”
He regards the iPhone as the perfect platform for telling the story of the camera’s evolution while preserving “a small chunk of the user-experience and look-and-feel of these technical marvels.”
LINK
iTunes: The History of Cameras
Compatible with iPhone/iPodtouch/iPad
Requires iOS 3.2 or later. Paid.
The Photography 101 app is a series of podcasts ("episodes") hosted by visual-arts teacher Scott Wittenburg who hosts one of the top photography podcasts on iTunes.
It’s like a TV show, in which Wittenburg speaks as you watch videos and stills on screen. The app is always being updated with new lessons, which is great! You can email the show your questions and comments and even enter photo contests on the related website.
NOTE: Some of the lessons are just too small to see on an iPhone screen, but because this is a "Universal" app, you can buy it one time and watch on the larger iPad screen.
The app was produced by Wizzard Media, a podcast network and hosting site.
LINKS
iTunes Preview: Photography 101
Photography Wisdom:
A Practical Guide to Successful Photography and Self-Expression
Compatible with iPad only.
Requires iOS 4.2 or later. Paid.
The six-chapter section on Psychology delves into subjects such as balancing intuition and intellect and different ways to expand your creativity (by restricting yourself or staying outside your comfort zone).
The section titled Make It Personal offers advice about seeking out peers, trusting yourself, and creating for you, not someone else.
Wayne Cosshall has taught adult-education courses in photography, art, and computers, and has been publishing the popular Digital ImageMaker International website since 2005.
LINK
iTunes Preview: Photography Wisdom
Any More Photo Education Apps?
If there is a photo-education app that you really like, but we haven’t mentioned it here, please tell us about it!
