4 pieces of technology that turn your smart phone into a darkroom, editing booth, and studio

Would you believe me if I told you that the most popular camera in the world wasn’t a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) or even a disposable camera, but in fact the smart phone camera? It makes perfect sense! There are hundreds of photo apps available to turn your snapshots into beautiful images in an instant, using your iPhone, iPad, or one of the many Android devices available. Smart phone apps for photography really do make capturing memories a snap! Here are the top photography apps for 2012…

1. Snapseed ($4.99 – for iPhone)

The Snapseed app offers users a variety of photo-editing tools—such as nifty vintage filters, adjustable frames, image brightening and contrasting effects, and more! Plus, this app offers a rare gesture-based interface that lets users enhance a photo by simply tapping and sliding a finger anywhere on screen. So you can get rid of those dreadful redeye shots and edit specific elements of an image right on screen in less than a few minutes.

2. HDR Camera+ ($3.94 – for Android)

The Camera+ app makes sure you are always picture ready—even when you take a lousy picture. This all-in-one photography tool features four shooting modes, separate exposure, focus locks, and uses your phone’s flash as a continuous light source to brighten photos automatically when needed. Plus, you can take images with vivid colors and rich detail in full HDR so they always look spectacular when published to your social networks and photo galleries!

3. CollabraCam ($2.99 – for iPhone)

You can snap pictures, edit them, and even make a movie! That’s right—there’s an app for that too! The Collabra Cam app is the ideal tool for independent filmmakers who want to shoot on a mini movie on a minimum budget. This fully-wireless, multi-camera production system doesn’t require any expensive equipment (no dongles or expensive receivers) to start a major motion picture house. Simply set up your iPad, jump in the director’s seat, and stream four to five video streams from multiple, connected devices for a moving camera feel. Plus, after you record on the fly—you can edit from the road as well.

4. Dramatic Black & White ($1.99 – for iPhone)

Create stunning black-and-white photography with ease thanks to the Dramatic Black & White app. This app effortlessly reproduces the result of a traditional darkroom when users choose between 3 easy –to-use presets: black and white, infrared, and dramatic black and white. This app is manipulated with simple slider controls to edit and fine-tune the effects of your most artistic images.

Jane Johnson is a writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone related news, commentary, reviews on popular providers and smart devices like the popular Android enabled LG phones.