REVIEW: Easy Release by ApplicationGap (UPDATED)

Those who know me, know that I love my iPhone – I carry it with me everywhere (yes, there too). However, as a Photographer, I’ve not really been excited about the offerings I’ve seen in the AppStore. Sure, I’ve been contacted by some vendors to try their apps, but I was so underwhelmed that I didn’t feel it was worth spending the energy to write about them – until now.

When one of the members of my former photography club pointed out this cool app called Easy Release by a company called ApplicationGap, I immediately thought – hum, this could be good. Fortunately, I was right as this is the kind of game changing app that every photographer with a iOS or Android device will want to have!

Seriously, how many times have you been out shooting and found yourself ending up doing an impromptu shoot of a pretty girl, college kids playing volleyball, a couple in love, etc…? The rule of thumb is to shoot first and ask questions later, but one of those questions you SHOULD be asking is - “can you sign a release”? If you are like me you frequently discover “crap, I’m out of releases” or  “dammit, I left my releases in the other bag”. While you may have just scored a great shot for your personal collection, there’s not much you can do with it without that release so you are SOL!

Finally a solution

This problem has plagued photographers for as long as lawyers and photographers have co-existed, but now there’s a great solution – Easy Release. If you have an iOS or Android device, then you probably don’t go any place without that thing, so having a program that can conjure up a release on the fly is a godsend! Of course, when I first heard about it I immediately thought:

1. Yeah, but the contracts must suck
2. It’s going to be a pain to fill out all the data
3. It’s probably faster to just do it the old way
4. How am I going to get this thing off the phone?
5. It’s probably not flexible enough for my needs
6. It’s probably way too expensive
7. How are people going to sign it?

Good news, I quickly got answers to all my questions and the results were exactly as I wished they would  be! Of course, they have most of the answers right here on their web site, but I’ll enumerate my skepticisms along with what I discovered.

1. The contracts are very good and cover both adults and minors as well as property releases. They were better than the ones I use and better than the templates on iStockPhoto, etc…
2. The first time is a little cumbersome, but it remembers past data so it’s easier moving forward (especially if you work with a previous model). In the future it will also draw from the address book so it should get even better.
3. Perhaps the typing and signing part, but the nice thing is that you can do this on the fly and in the field. You can even send an email with a PDF of the contract right there on the spot, so your model can have their copy on their phone instantly – that’s pretty slick!
4. Easy – it creates a PDF that you can mail to yourself and/or the model.
5. Sure there’s some features I wish it had, but it has almost everything you’d want including localized contracts! I frequently work with Asian models, so having a contract in their native language is a BIG plus!
6. Get this – it’s only $9.99! That’s dirt cheap, because you know if it were on a computer it’d be like $99 or more! This is a no brainer impulse buy!
7. Simply put – with their finger! Yes, that’s right and it works much better than you’d think! Using a Pogo Stylus you can have a much better experience, but the finger method works much better than I thought it would. See below for an example (a little crude, but about the same as I give UPS and FedEx for package deliveries – WITH a stylus):

It’s more than a template

One cool thing I discovered when using this app is that it is much more than a template - it is actually smart! For example, for illustrative purposes I just chose the current date for my model’s age and it figured out this must be a newborn and that a parents signature would be required. I thought that was pretty clever, and I discovered other cases where it actually applies logic behind the scenes, so that helps limit some of the useless questions you might get from a simple template app.

Conclusion

The above animation was jacked from http://applicationgap.com/apps/easyrelease/

Overall, I’m very pleased with this app. It’s a dream app for photographers and definitely a MUST OWN. If you own a iOS or Android device then do not delay – get it today! It’s a fantastic value for what you get, and on an iPad it totally rocks!

I do wish they offered it for Windows Mobile phones, and easier contract editing would be a welcome addition. Better integrated support for TFCD/TFP, compensation, etc… would be a nice touch as well. Overall, I expect those features to come with time, so this app has my highest recommendation!

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• REVIEW: Imagenomic Noiseware for iOS
• Snapseed announcement article (with videos)
• Imagenomic Noiseware Discount & Tutorial
• Imagenomic Portraiture Discount & Tutorial
• iPad for Photographers 2nd Ed – if you own an iPad and care about photography this is a must own book
• REVIEW: Lightroom Magazine (Kelby Media) for iPad

Here's some other useful apps you might enjoy:

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• Eye-Fi
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• 100 Cameras in 1 HD - Stuck In Customs
• Trey Ratcliff's Wallpaper Menagerie of Curious ... - Stuck In Customs
• The Light Camera - Mark I - Stuck In Customs
• Photo Voyages of Trey Ratcliff - Stuck In Customs

Disclosure

I was provided a review copy by ApplicationGap. If you make a purchase using links in this article, I may make a commission.

Photography Tips at your fingertips – Photo Buffet for iPhone / iPad Review

When I was at the Nik Summit in San Diego this past May I had the pleasure of getting to know Canon Explorer of Light and Photography legend Rick Sammon. At that time Rick had just released his new iPhone app called Rick Sammon’s 24/7 Photo Buffet and was excited for me to get a chance to check it out and review it. He also wanted me to do a podcast with him and here it is mid November and I’m just now getting around to writing this review and Rick still hasn’t had 5 minutes to spare for the podcast! Yes, we are some very busy guys!

Anyway, there’s tons of apps on the iPhone and quite honestly many of them suck. It also seems to be in vogue these days for every photographer on the planet to release their iPhone app which frequently ends up being nothing more than a tool for them to boast about their photography adventures that mere mortals never get a chance to take.

I liked Rick and wanted to check out his app, but I was a bit skeptical! I also was quite frank with Rick in saying that I wished some of his books had a bit more depth and less overlap with each other which got a good belly laugh out of him. However Rick convinced me that Photo Buffet was worth a look so when I found myself in long lines in airports or other annoying situations I would fire up his app.

Why this App Doesn’t Suck

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking – I’ve read Field Guide X and it sucked or I’ve got a iTunes library full of crappy photography apps, so why is this one any different?

I’m pleased to report that this one is different because it isn’t trying to be your Photography bible, but more like your visual photography field guide (a term frequently misused but very applicable in this case).

Photo Buffet is organized into five major categories:

Seeing – This section starts with an excellent intro (I wish all apps had something this good) and then goes into tips on “seeing” People, Composition, Framing the shot, and Backlighting. Each section has many topics with a easy to digest page of text and then a interactive photo or video to demonstrate the concept discussed. I found this section much more entertaining than the put me to sleep composition books I’ve tried to read in the past.

Making – Rick always likes to say don’t take a picture, make a picture. This is where Rick gets into the technical details of expressing your artistic intent using your camera. This section includes groups for Technology, Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance, Exposure, Flash, Filters, Close-Up Photography, and iPhone Photography.

Editing – This is where Rick gets into the tips of what to do once you’ve got that picture and you plan to edit it Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, so this section emphasizes the use of those tools. It includes too many topics to list, but it is safe to say that for the beginner you’ll find much to learn and enjoy in this section. Advanced users will find much of this content to be too basic, but I always read everything just in case there’s a tip or something I hadn’t run across before.

Tips – This has my favorite part of the app – the A to Z On-Location tips where you can get last second tips on how to shoot from a helicopter to underwater photography. This is where the beginner to intermediate photographer who is traveling with the family is going to find this app to be priceless as there’s tips for most scearios you’d encounter on vacation. He also covers HDR, Snow & Cold, Special Situations (i.e., sunsets, fireworks, etc…), file management, gear and a handy  homework group. Honestly this is the part of this app that is worth well beyond the $1.99 purchase price. This is my favorite section to pick up and read when I’m killing time.

Help – This is where you can get to all the movies quickly as well as searching the text of the book. You can also send feedback and learn more about who made this product.

Additional Features

Notes - One of the great new features of version 1.2 (free upgrade) is that you can now take notes with your content using the notes button shown above.

Before/After Photos – Much like I do on this blog, Rick offers before/after photos using a little button. Hover over the image below to see the before and mouse out to see the after.

Conclusion

In the slim chance that the links in this article work, I might make a few pennies so this is one article that you can rest assured that I won’t get rich from. I am writing because I honestly believe this is a cool app that beginners should love and intermediates will enjoy (especially the Tips section). I’d consider myself advanced, but even I enjoy it so who knows – maybe it is for everyone.

It’s only $1.99, so it’s a no brainer iPhone app purchase. Click here for a microscopic chance of me getting like 3 cents for your purchase, otherwise don’t bother and just go use the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. :) While you are at the App Store also pick up my #1 favorite app - ApplicationGap Easy Release – it rocks and I don’t make a penny from your purchase.

Disclosure

Rick provided me with a free copy of this app and there’s a chance I might get a tiny commission if you purchase the app using the links in this article (it’s never worked in the past).

ALL screen shot content in this article is copyright Rick Sammon – ALL Rights Reserved. Do not link, save or otherwise re-use the images featured in this article.