It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve shared another iPhone Essentials. This is the one I’ve really been looking forward to sharing with you because there are some GREAT apps out there to turn your iPhone into a portable photo lab cranking out pictures that will leave your jaw on the floor. Here are the photography apps that I personally use and recommend:

Camera+ ($1.99)

Out of all the photography apps out there, the Camera+ app from TapTapTap is one of my favorites because of its ease of use and great photo effects.  Who would have thought you could achieve photos like this with an iPhone?

Camera+ allows you to take photos right from within the apps interface or import them for processing from your camera roll. After you have the image you want to work with the real fun begins. You can apply beautiful post-processing effects like Magic Hour, Redscale, Grunge, So Emo, Hipster and many more. It even does a rather impressive job of HDR depending on the source image. The user interface was very intuitively designed and easy to use.

Out of all my photo apps on my iPhone, this one gets used at least 80% of the time. Even with the great photo quality of the iPhone 4 untouched, I can’t resist the urge to apply a little post-processing magic. This app is a must-own for all iPhone owners who want to take their photos from drab to fab.

Note: Camera+ got pulled from the app store (full story here). Keep an eye open for when it re-appears.

Hipstamatic ($1.99 + Lens/Film)

The tagline on the Hipstamatic web site says it all: “Digital Photography Never Looked So Analog.” The Hipstamatic app is by far the artsiest photography app out there (and also #2 on the top Photography apps) with the ability to achieve gorgeous vintage effects that will leave people exclaiming, “That was shot on your iPhone!?!?”

The Hipstamatic app comes with a couple of virtual “lenses,” flashes and film with the ability to purchase more for $.99 each (once you start playing around you’ll want to buy all four). You can mix and match different lens with film or flash to achieve an amazing variety of beautiful vintage and lo-fi looks. I love using this app to capture unique photographs. The only qualm I have with Hipstamatic is that it’s pretty slow, especially when you’re shooting at the best quality. The onboard processing time to achieve the different looks can take between 10-25 seconds per picture so this isn’t the app you’ll want to use to snap quick shots of the kids. The user interface, while pretty to look at, is a bit slow and clunky as well requiring you to make multiple taps and swipes just to perform simple tasks. That being said, I still love this app and highly recommend you check it out.

view this app in iTunes

Pro HDR ($1.99)

This app more of a novelty app that I’ve only used a couple of times. It takes High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos the real way by shooting 3 photos at different exposure and then merging them. The on-board HDR processing engine gives you some control over the final image similar to what you would see if you were editing a HDR photo on your computer.

Since the app takes 3 separate images and then merges them together, you’ll achieve the best final shot if you have some type of stable surface to shoot from or, if you’re lucky, an actual iPhone tripod.

This app isn’t for everyone but it’s worth a look for those photographer iPhone owners who just love tinkering with images on their phone.

view this app in iTunes

Photoshop Express (Free)

I’ve used Photoshop on my Mac since 1995 so when I heard that Adobe was making a mobile version of Photoshop for the iPhone I was as excited as a nerd at Comic-Con. What Adobe released however, fell far short of my expectations. You would think the geniuses over at Adobe would be able to whip up an app that does more than basic image adjustments and cropping.

I still recommend and use it on some of my pics (heck, you can’t beat free) but I’m really hoping that this app is just a teaser to hold us over while they work on the real thing. Perhaps they might adopt the “freemium” model of having a free app and a premium paid app available with more higher end features. *fingers crossed*

That being said, it’s free and it’s a quick and easy way to make some fine-tune color adjustments when the lighting or saturation needs a little more work.

view this app in iTunes

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Here is a sampling of some of the photos I’ve taken on my iPhone over the last month or so:

“Sunset” taken with Camera+ using the HDR setting

“Morning Retreat” taken with Camera+ using the HDR and Miniturize setting

“Traveling Easy” taken with Hipstamatic using the “John S” lens and “Ina’s 1969″ film

“Condos In Sunset” taken with Camera+ using the HDR setting

“Garden Fresh” taken with Hipstamatic using the “John S” lens and “Ina’s 1969″ film

“Going Fishin” taken with Hipstamatic using “John S” lens and “Alfred Infared” film

“Painting In The Clouds” taken with Hipstamatic using the “Lucifer VI” lens and “Ina’s 1969″ film

“Ready for School” taken with Camera+ using the Hipster setting and Polariod border

“Colts Fans” taken with Camera+ using the HDR setting

“Riding my bike” taken with Camera+ using the Redscale filter and the Vintage border

Have you tried any of these apps? Which photography apps do you use on your phone?