iPhoneography

Photojojo University has just opened its virtual doors to students interested in having fun with the fundamentals of mobile photography. The pros at Photojojo are offering a four-week course ($5 to enroll) on the principles of photography, sent right to your inbox.

Each "bite-size lesson" is taught in a magazine-like format optimized for mobile device, and the course starts on the first of each month. There's no homework (lucky you) but there is a challenge at the end of each lesson, prompting you to use the skills you just learned.

Master camera basics, composition, lighting, editing, and more, and earn a $5 Photojojo gift card when you finish. Ready to get schooled? Head over to Photojojo University's website to enroll in its first undergraduate course.

Now that it's available on iOS and Android (for free, mind you), Snapseed may eventually upstage Instagram as the primo mobile photo editor. It's a sophisticated app with advanced editing tools and beautiful filters. And, as of September's Google acquisition, it's working on its own social network.

Yesterday, the app shocked longtime users when it dropped from $5 to, well, nothing. The update includes a new icon and, of course, built-in Google+ sharing functionality. But there's lots more to love about mobile Snapseed, which also has a fantastic desktop app. Here are six reasons why Snapseed will be your next go-to photo editor. Plus, what do you have to lose? It doesn't cost a thing.

• Sharing — Like with any ol' photo editor, your edited images can be shared via all major social-media networks — Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ — and unlike the rest, Snapseed will open your photo in Instagram, iPhoto, Tumblr, and Dropbox.
• RAW file readability — You'll need a Camera Connector Kit, but this is a huge plus for professionals.
• Adjustment tools — Autocorrect, tune image, rotate/straighten, crop, and detail sharpening are at your disposal. There's Photoshop-grade granular controls for each tool too.

Are you still not satisfied? See more fantastic features after the break.

Each iPhone 4S and 5 camera is equipped with a really cool HDR setting that can dramatically improve your photos. HDR stands for high dynamic range, and it essentially takes a series of images, each shot with a different exposure from darkest to lightest. HDR combines the best parts of the three overexposed, underexposed, and balanced shots to create a dramatic image with beautiful shadowing and highlights.

Do: use HDR for close-ups and outdoor portraits.

Compare the normal photo of ice cream on the left with the HDR image on the right. Oftentimes, HDR images look crisper, and colors appear much richer than the normal photo. Try HDR for close-ups and outdoor portraits, especially if the subject and the background have a harsh lightening difference. Click here to read more about HDR.

This week, Tumblr unveiled Photoset (free), an iOS app that creates and shares high-resolution photosets — no Tumblr account required. In fact, you don't need to sign up for any new account to use Photoset.

In our test, we started taking photos right in the app, rearranged the images, slapped on a quick caption, and uploaded it to the Internet, just like that. Photoset creates a unique URL for a photo collage to share through email, Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr. The photos adjust as you resize your window (making it optimized for mobile devices), and clicking on individual photos prompts a Tumblr-style gallery to appear.

Read on for more ways to use Photoset.

It seems as though there are a million and one ways to make an iPhone image look like a Polaroid picture online, so why not take it one step further and make the snap a true Polaroid? In the latest concept from The Impossible Project, the mobile photo lab Impossible Instant Lab, you can transform any digital picture trapped in your iPhone into a physical, Polaroid-style photograph.

Similar to the science of the original Polaroid camera, images in the Impossible Instant Lab are exposed using only the light from the iPhone's display, then processed and developed by in-device chemicals into a physical photo. When used in conjunction with the Instant Lab app and photo base, you'll instantly develop your favorite mobile photos anywhere. Of course, a pack of Polaroid film (fit for the Polaroid 600 and SX 70 cameras, to be precise) is needed to make all this happen, but a purchase of the lab also comes with an Impossible Project film voucher.

An idea that began in the last operating Polaroid factory, the Impossible Project is still in the works on Kickstarter, but is set to unveil in February 2013. You can pre-order a camera now, starting at $189. Watch The Impossible Project's Instant Lab video to see all this instant photo gratification in action.