Photo Academy Makes it Easier to Take a Good Picture. In Theory

Photo Academy, from the makers of PhotoCaddy, is a nifty little photo app that's just been released on the App Store. Why is this worth mentioning? Because it's looking to be a must-have for amateur shutterbugs, that's why.

This is no mere camera filter. No, Photo Academy is a massive cross-referenced database absolutely full of tips, tricks and techniques for almost any imaginable photo-op situation. Within reason, of course. Users simply have to choose a topic, then can browse through a number of sub-categories that range from how to handle different lighting situations to what equipment to use. Useful tips can even be bookmarked for later/repeated use.

Photo Academy also includes a "Photo 101" guide for total greenhorns, example photos and a Shoot Diary for more adventurous users. The Shoot Diary lets them keep track of almost all the details surrounding a particular image, including weather, time of day, location and, of course, the photo itself. Diary entries can even be posted online through Twitter, email and Facebook in order to document personal achievements (i.e. brag) or offer up pointers for other users. I'm honestly quite interested in seeing if and how a community forms around this app.

Again, this is no mere iOS camera app. This is a full-blown how-to encyclopedia of photographic knowledge. These tips apply to actual cameras, with aperture settings, shutter speeds and the like. Some of the basics can be applied to the little hole that sits in the corner of a given iOS device, but it's meant more for the real thing. Which is something that all amateur photographers are probably more interested in anyway.