One of my favorite hobbies is photography, specifically landscape photography. I have a nice camera, a Pentax K20, that I use most of the time. But occasionally, I see an opportunity for a shot and I don’t have my camera handy.

Fortunately, the cameras on most mobile devices have become quite good. And with several key apps, I can capture a shot with my phone that is almost as good as one shot with my camera.

Due to the overwhelmingly large amount of quality apps out there, this list contains more than my top five apps. There are several that I use frequently. And, even though some overlap somewhat, each one is a quality app that does things that other apps just don’t do as well.

Each of these are used primarily on my iPhone 5s, but the bonus app at the end of the list is on my iPad.

My Top 5 (8) Photography Apps

Camera +

The camera app that comes on the iPhone is good, Camera + is even better. With several tweaks to the editing and sharing aspects of the camera, this app adds so much improvement to the process, it’s hard to describe. This should be the stock app for the iPhone. It’s currently priced at $1.99 in the App Store.

Snapseed

Snapseed is a complete photo editor. There are multiple pre-built effects that you can use to edit images, or manipulate them to your own tastes. From fine tuning to significant changes, this app gives your photos that extra touch. You can download it for free in the App Store.

TouchRetouch

TouchRetouch is the app you need when you have portions of your images that you need to remove. I find it extremely handy for removing things like power lines or other distracting objects from images that otherwise would be great shots. It is currently $.99 in the App Store.

Scratchcam

Sometimes, you want to add some dramatic effects to your images. Scratchcam allows you to create that vintage look, or a very distressed effect to your photos. Plus, it’s extremely easy to use, with numerous presets. It is currently $1.99 in the App Store.

Filterstorm

The professional photographer gets that unique look often by using filters on his lenses. That’s what Filterstorm does for the iPhone. It creates the look of many different filters, allowing you to apply them easily for a unique look. It is a bit pricier than most of the rest of these app, listed at $3.99 in the App Store.

Hueless

Many times, black and white is the way to go. There are some images that just look better that way. Rather than take the image to Photoshop convert it, Hueless allows you to do that right from your device. And while some of the other apps can accomplish this in editing, Hueless does it much better. It is currently $1.99 in the App Store.

Flickr

What better way to share your images than with a website dedicated to image sharing? Flickr is a great way to find and share some great photos. It is free in the App Store.

Bonus: FolioBook

Over the past few years, I’ve sold a few of my shots. In my spare time, I’m building a library of my best shots, and hope to build a web presence to showcase and sell some of them. That’s a long range dream right now, because I have so much else on my plate currently. One of the best ways to showcase my photography though is through FolioBook. This is a clean and simple look, allowing your images to speak for themselves. This is not something I use everyday right now, but will as my dream progresses. It is somewhat pricey, currently at $9.99 in the App Store.

There are tons of other apps out there that do amazing things. I utilize several more, such as Photoshop Express, Color Effects, Pro HDR, Hipstamatic, and more. The ones listed above, though, are my top go-to apps for taking photos of the scenery, my family, or whatever else I may want to capture.

Question: What photography or other hobby apps do you use more than any others? You can leave a comment by clicking here.