iPhone App of the Week : Nikon Learn & Explore

Traveling is the perfect environment for the burgeoning photographer. Breaking free from what is known and commonplace stokes a traveler’s sense of adventure and a desire to capture and record those moments is only natural.

While I may find using my camera equipment second nature having spent my teenage years learning to be a photographer and my entire adult life as a professional photographer … there are far more travelers who are first picking up a camera as they set out on new adventures.

Photography allows us to not only record what is in front of us, but also make artistic choices about how we create those images. These creative choices are all derived from the basics of understanding light, composition and exposure. Learning these skills takes patience and practice … something eager first time traveling photographers don’t often possess.

This week’s iPhone App of the Week is not a replacement for learning the basics of photography or a short course in learning everything that takes years of experience to achieve, however it does offer a crash course in turning off the auto-features in a camera and gaining a better sense of what a beginning photographer can achieve with their equipment be it a neighbors backyard barbcue in Ohio or traipsing through Jordan’s Wadi Rum at sunset.

This week’s iPhone App of the Week is Nikon Learn & Explore, created by the Nikon School.

The type of camera you shoot is irrelevant, the fundamentals of photography are same whether you have a Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Leica, etc. A camera and a lens are merely a tool, and once you realize this fact the faster you can start using the Nikon Learn & Explore App on your iPhone as an excellent Photo 101 Tool.

Nikon’s Learn & Explore App breaks learning photography down into three primary categories. These are Image Editing, Shooting Techniques and Fundamentals of Photography. While I personally would suggest a beginning photographer start reading this content in the reverse order Nikon has presented it, the 25 lessons presented in these three basic categories are fantastic.

Each section has multiple easy to follow lessons as written by some fantastic well-known and respected professional photographers.  These lessons include both text content and sample photo galleries for users to view to better understand the concepts being explained to them.   Educational video content is also available throughout the App … however if you’re traveling internationally I’d say skip the videos since viewing the videos requires internet access and international data roaming is expensive with the iPhone.

As you scroll through the lessons created by the Nikon School for the Nikon Learn & Explore iPhone App, Nikon has included an excellent detailed Glossary within the App so there is no confusion on terminology and beginning photographers can better understand the information that is available to them.

For you experienced photogs, the Nikon Learn & Explore App gives you easy access to the Nikon World Magazine. The work featured four times annually in Nikon World has been a great source of enjoyment for me, even after switching from being a Nikon photog to a Canon photog, and is a great source of visual inspiration.

The cost of the Nikon Learn & Explore App … FREE!

Below are 12 screen shots of this week’s iPhone App of the Week, Nikon Learn & Explore, from my iPhone.

Happy Flying!