Dave McLean Photography: 3 Must Have Apps to Boost Productivity

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3 Must Have Apps to Boost Productivity

via Digital Photography School by Elizabeth Halford on 6/25/10

We were in the Dr's office last week and my son was playing on his iPod touch to keep him busy. Until he decided he neeeeeeded a new app noooooow. The Dr. said it perfectly: "Apps are the new pocket money." Right on, Dr! Right on.

Applications (or 'apps' for short) are the biggest craze to hit the planet and clearly, they're here to stay. And for those scratching their head, apps are little programs that can be downloaded into an Apple iPod touch, iPhone or the new iPad. They range from games to maps to train times. So much more than a fad, apps can either waste hours of your time or help you make the most of it. And for photographers, both hobby and professional, this can be a very good thing indeed.

So here are my favorite apps at the moment to maximize my time and organize my brain.

1. Second Shootr £3.99/$6.99 – This is seriously like having an assistant in your pocket. Second Shootr is the wedding/event/portrait photographer's dream come true. You create an event, store all of your clients' information, create a check list so you don't forget stuff and have a list of must-haves. The must-have list is a must-have for me because my biggest fear is forgetting something at a wedding which can't be re-created. Like the dress hanging up waiting for the bride or a shot of the rings. This app will remind you of all those things and more! Downside? You'll have to explain to your clients that you're not just playing around on your phone during their wedding.

Second Shootr can even help you before you've nailed the gig because you can keep lists of easily forgettable questions to ask at your first meeting. And this can be especially comforting for beginners who need to keep all their ducks in a row.

Second Shootr has a really great web site too! Check it out.

2. Golden Hour £2.99/$4.99 (lite version is free) – Golden Hour is an app to calculate where you are in the world and tell you the golden hour that day! So want to schedule an engagment session next month and want to do it during the golden hour? This handy little app will tell you what time you need to meet to catch those last golden rays of sun. It wont, however, stop the rain. Pooo :(

Oh that note, there are other apps out there to tell you the sunrise/sunset times if that's more up your alley.

3. Exposure Calc £1.19/$1.99 – I love this one! Exposure Calc helps me choose my settings depending on the scene and the ISO I desire to use. And if it isn't perfect, it still gives you an excellent place to start which is sometimes the hardest thing to figure out, especially if you're only just getting into using your manual settings.

There are literally hundreds or thousands of apps out there but these have just been three that I actually use.

How about y'all?

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