Sure, YouTube and online courses are popular for learning smartphone photography, but what if your best teacher was already in your pocket? These apps don’t just help you sharpen your skills—they inspire your next great shot while you practice.
1
500px
Browsing other photographers’ pictures in the 500px app has taught me a lot about leading lines, contrast, and other smartphone photography essentials. The Mood Gallery categorizes various styles and moods, such as perspective, travel, and black-and-white photography. For specific smartphone pictures, look for your device’s name in the search bar (e.g., “iPhone”).
I usually save any pictures I like for future reference. Besides using the tool to learn about new photography styles, I also turn to 500px if I need new inspiration in familiar categories.
The 500px blog includes more comprehensive photography resources, but you have to go to the website as these aren’t available in the app.
Browsing the 500px app is free. You can get paid subscriptions, but I don’t think these are necessary if learning is your sole objective.
I used to like the 500px subreddit, but the subreddit is more or less dead now (nobody has posted anything new in over a year). I suggest joining r/photography as an alternative to receive more feedback on your photos and improve your learning.
Download: 500px for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
2
Lightroom
Besides using Lightroom to edit my smartphone photos, I have learned much from its community. Like 500px, you can browse multiple categories. I’ve found that Lightroom has a better mixture of smartphone and professional photos, and I like seeing the exact editing process for each picture. This is an excellent way to learn if I want to achieve a particular style or experiment.
Lightroom also lets you see remixed versions of people’s photos, making it easy to explore different editing styles even further. I’ve also learned a lot about choosing subjects and color theory, while also realizing what my phone is capable of. To access Lightroom, you’ll need a subscription.
In addition to editing other people’s photos and gaining inspiration, the Lightroom app lets you save user-created presets that you can later apply to your own pictures.
Download: Lightroom for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
Many photography-specific mobile apps are ideal for getting hands-on photography and editing experience. I use these tools to learn more about composition, gain inspiration for my next photoshoot, discover the best times to photograph, and improve my editing skills. All of them are excellent companions for long-form editing resources.
3
Unscripted
Though largely geared toward professional photography, I use Unscripted to help me discover unique poses for portrait smartphone pictures. The app has a comprehensive suite of posing styles broken down into multiple categories, with information on the correct camera settings. This is particularly helpful if changing the aperture in Portrait Mode or when downloading a smartphone camera app with the option to change the ISO, etc.
Unscripted’s Suntracker feature is also handy. On the homepage, I can see the weather for my location and sunrise/sunset times. So it’s much easier to prepare for different conditions and know when to go out for better lighting. If you get a paid subscription, you can see when Blue Hour and Golden Hour are in your current location.
I’ve used the Unscripted app for resources on color theory, social media marketing, and numerous other applicable smartphone photography topics. Its catalog of photographer interviews helps you get additional advice and also get inspired to level up your photography game.
Download: Unscripted for iOS/iPadOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
