I turned 72 this year and have been enjoying photography for close to 50 years. I started with a Pentax 35mm film camera and while taking photos of my children one day in the living room with a wonderful light coming in my south window, I captured several images that were accidentally extraordinary. With that experience, I was hooked. Fast forward 30–40 years, and now I enjoy an incredibly rich universe of photographic capabilities I can carry around in my pocket.
EMBRACING THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM
I adopted the iPhone as soon as it came out in 2007. Over the years, I have usually bought the latest phone for its updated photo capabilities and have become an Apple fan with a Mac mini desktop, two MacBooks, an iPad, and an Apple Watch Ultra. All of these devices have their place in the enjoyment and processing of my photography.
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE POWER OF THE CANON R5
I also enjoy nature photography and have acquired a Canon R5 mirrorless, full-frame camera with several long lenses for getting close shots of birds, flowers and all things natural. I find that it helps me see the world with fresh eyes and by capturing the experiences in images I can enjoy and share them with others.
At the center of this universe is my iPhone with its almost unlimited capabilities. It is my core device for capturing images, minor edits, managing my library, and sharing with the world. Here are some of the apps that enhance my iPhone photography experience:
Apple Photos
(Free)
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LOCK YOUR APPLE ID WITH A PHYSICAL KEY
Security keys are physical items that can be used to verify your identity when logging into your Apple ID. If you are planning to use security keys, make sure you have at least two. Apple requires you use two, so that if you lose one, you will have another as a backup. At iPhone Life, a brand we recommend is the Yubico Yubikey 5Ci ($75).
IT'S TIME TO USE YOUR APPLE WALLET!
Apple Wallet lets you virtually store your credit and debit cards, rewards cards, boarding passes, movie tickets, and more all in one secure place.
END-OF-LIFE PLANNING
APPS & RESOURCES FOR PEACE OF MIND
PHOTO SHARING FACE-OFF: ICLOUD VS. GOOGLE PHOTOS
If there’s one thing that keeps me hooked on Google Photos, it’s sharing.
MY PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
TIPS, APPS & GEAR FROM A LIFELONG LOVE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SMART OUTDOOR LIVING
CREATING A HAVEN FOR YOUR FAVORITE POLLINATORS & PEOPLE
FROM ZERO TO GYM BRO
GET FIT AT HOME WITH THE SPEEDIANCE GYM MONSTER
WHY I DITCHED MY APPLE WATCH FOR THE OURA RING
Every morning for the past three months, I wake up wearing a shiny gold ring on my right pointer finger. If you look closely, you can see beams of red or green light leaking out the sides as it scans my heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. I roll out of bed, grab my phone, and open the Oura app.
THE BEST APPS OF 2024
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked by friends and family is “Which app should I download?” With millions of options out there, choosing which apps to use is a task that stumps many people. Will a free version overload you with ads? Is the paid version worth it?
OPINION: I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE WITH APPLE VISION PRO, AND IT SUCKS.
Color me a virtual-reality optimist. Alongside writing for iPhone Life, I’m a video game developer, 3D artist, and sci-fi author. I own a Meta Quest 3 and use it all the time to play games and view 3D models as I work.
