With Apple’s iOS 15 on the horizon, we’ll have a ton of improvements at our fingertips. But while you wait for the new iOS version to come out, now is a good time to get ahead and download apps that will change the game for your mobile photography and videography.

So below, I will share my thoughts on the best iOS apps to have on your iPhone running iOS 14, iOS 15 or later.

Halide

Halide

Halide is the best of the best when it comes to camera apps for your iPhone. It boasts complete manual control, superior RAW files, and has a very natural photographer feel to it. It is also made by a small team, which I really like. So there is deep passion behind it.

Darkroom

Darkroom

Also made by a small team, Darkroom is the ultimate photo editing app for your iPhone. It’s lightweight and allows you to save presets for use on additional images. Darkroom also has integration with Halide, so you can have one app to capture and one to edit. Beautiful!

RTRO

RTRO

RTRO is made by Moment and is designed to capture video footage for vertical sharing like Instagram or TikTok. However, you can use it as a regular video camera, producing stunning vintage looks.

Moment also has Moment Cam (alternative to Halide and FILMIC Pro) and more recently Grain, which is basically a LUT creator on your phone.

FiLMiC Pro

FiLMiC Pro

For years FiLMiC Pro has been the gold standard for video recording on an iPhone. It expands on the built-in camera app using all the resources your phone has to offer. it even films in a LOG mode for better color rendering in post. The app keeps getting better with every iOS update.

Your camera’s app

This might sound silly, but you should have your camera app on your phone. Whether it’s Sony, Fuji or Nikon. As a Nikon user, I always have Snapbridge on my devices. With it, I can transfer photos, sync GPS and even date/time and control my camera from my phone.

Lightroom Mobile

This one might appear more obvious to some. But if you are a Lightroom user, then you need the Lightroom Mobile on your phone. Having your photos at your fingertips is brilliant. Being able to edit from anywhere is super helpful, and your edits sync to your catalog back on the computer.

Unscripted

The Unscripted app is a jack of many trades. It can help you pose your subjects without posing but rather directing and prompting. It can also track and manage clients, send invoices and so much more.

PhotoPills

Last and definitely not least is the powerhouse called PhotoPills. If you have ever needed to plan and visualize a photo session then this is the app for you. With pinpoint (literally) accuracy, augmented reality, sun and moon tracking, you can see exactly how your photo will look.