Top 10 Apps for Self-Portraits

The digital photo trend took the world by storm a few years ago, and mobile manufacturers even began integrating cameras into their cellular models. Ever since, the technology of cell cameras has slowly but surely improved to the point that photos taken from mobile devices look almost as good as those taken from digital cameras. And this jump in quality has given birth to a new kind of self-portraiture: the smartphone photographer.

It seems those with smartphones and tablets can’t stop using the integrated cameras to take self-portraits, and the mobile application industry has been watching. There are now plenty of apps for both iPhone and Android geared towards helping those who can’t keep their faces out of frame to take the best shots possible.

Self Timer – Android (free -- $0.85)
This is a good app for those who want to be able to remove camera shake from the portrait equation. Simply set the timer, place the camera and when the digital clock winds down to zero the picture snaps. The free version of this app takes low-resolution photos while the paid version provides somewhat higher quality images.

Morpho Self Camera – Android ($1.29)
The traditional method of taking smartphone portraits is rather clumsy and involves the subject blindly sticking their arm out and blindly taking the picture. Morpho Self Camera points the user toward perfect image composition via a series of verbal prompts based on internal settings.

Camera Trigger – Android (free)
Camera trigger is another timer app that uses movement to trigger the camera shutter. It has three time delay settings, and once the time is up the camera will shoot a photo after detecting motion.

Volume Key Camera – Android (free)
This is a useful app for those with large-screened smartphones or tablets. It actually links the volume key or the whole of the screen so a simple tap of one of these areas will take the shot.

Sound Camera – Android ($0.82)
Geared for remote camera activation, Sound Camera operates by allowing the user to take photos remotely via sound prompts. Simply set up the camera, take a position and – like the as-seen-on-TV Clapper – clap hands to take the picture. Sound Camera will work for remote smartphone photography; it won’t work for turning on the house lights.

Camera ClickMe – iPhone ($1.99)
This is like the Morpho app in the sense it gives voice prompts to ensure accurate image framing on the part of the self-portraitist. But this app uses face-detection technology in order to ensure accurate results every time.

Arms Length – iPhone ($1.99)
Another app that directs the user where to point and shoot.

Faceplay -- iPhone ($1.99)
The more extroverted and goofy of self-portraitists should have a lot of fun with this particular app. That’s because Faceplay augments portraits with various digital props and costumes.

Photo Timer -- iPhone (free)
This is a standard photo timer app for iPhone that features multiple settings – from 2-300 second intervals – and includes a burst mode.

Light -- iPhone ($0.99)
This app is unique in that it adds artificial lighting effects to portraits. Users simply take a photo and then select various lighting options such as “Elizabethan” or “French Doors.” The user can also control the positioning, hue and saturation of the light.
These are just a few of the top app options for the obsessive self-photographer. And whether the user is working with iPhone or Android, one of these options is sure to provide the assistance necessary to take great portraits.

Ken McDonald is a photography enthusiast. In his spare time he plays around with different hd video cameras and loves toying around with Adobe Premiere. You can also find him on MTB trails with his GoPro Hero HD.