You can listen to my reviews every Monday on Moore in the Morning at 6:45 am and follow me on Twitter here for more great apps.

Large, high resolution screens that you can zoom deep into with a simple gesture have of course sparked an understandable love affair between photographers and tablets. While sifting through the new releases over the past month, I’ve picked out this collection of free apps that celebrate the story-telling craft of cameras across a number of different approaches including world news, wildlife protection, photo manipulation, and the eloquent pursuit of truth and beauty.

The Wider Image

iPad

Free

World news agency Reuters employs a number of photojournalists who aspire to tell more ambitious stories and this app hopes to give them a platform for doing just that. There are photo essays from all over the world, capturing the drama of Mother’s Day celebrations in prison, tent city protests in Tel Aviv, and volcanic eruptions in Chile. Each photo set is accompanied by comments and details for context and some go even farther, using special techniques such as panoramic views or before-and-after comparisons to deliver more insightful views.

Blood Ivory – A Special Report From National Geographic Magazine

iPad

Free

There’s an astonishing photograph in this app of a wealthy Filipino man whose home is decadently filled with ivory carvings of religious figures. That the ivory that fuels his fervor might one day become disappear forever doesn’t seem to register with him, nor does he care that his purchases come from the mass poaching of elephants in a way that might conflict with his faith. This photo essay from the National Geographic offers a startling look into the irrational and illegal ivory trade which was responsible for more 25,000 elephants being slaughtered last year alone. Yes, there are stark images of elephants being killed, but also revealing glimpses into the Chinese factories that pump out the little carvings that so many are willing to pay the highest price for.

Faking It

iPad

Free

Not everyone is happy with what a camera reveals. Since the beginning of photography there have been attempts to fix or change the images they produce. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art comes this exploration into photo manipulation as it existed before computers made it easy, offering up fifteen examples with a quiz and test that asks if you, knowing what you know today, can spot the fake.

Looking At Ansel Adams

iPhone/iPad

Free/$2.99

A behind-the-scenes look at one of the most celebrated American photographers, Looking At Ansel Adams offers a slideshow and album of his most iconic work with audio commentary, biography videos, scans of his personal correspondence letters, map locations, and comparison between different prints. It reveals as much about his techniques, both in the field and in the darkroom, as it does about his life and while it may be designed as a companion to the book by the same name, the app stands easily by itself.

Hasselblad Masters

iPhone/iPad

Free

For ten years now, camera maker Hasselblad has been holding an annual photography competition to celebrate the art and science of the medium. After picking their winners this year, they gave them each H4D medium format cameras and commissioned them to create new works around the theme of “evoke”. This iPad art book is the results. You’ll find interactive albums across eleven diverse categories such as portraiture, weddings, architecture, wildlife, and editorial commentary. Each album includes biographies on the shooters and some even feature a behind-the-scenes video. More than a digital gallery, the app manages to offer a dialogue as to how a wide range of different photographs are created.