The old days of photography are over. Now, the world of taking pictures is changing at a never-before-seen pace, and with a whole world of apps out there that offer indispensable tools for the modern photographer. Whether you're just snapping some images of your friends for fun or whether photography is your life, here are five apps that will help you shoot, edit, and share your pictures.

PicSketch

This stylish app makes it simple to convert your photos to realistic pencil-style drawings. The available effects are quite stunning, and it only takes a few moments to turn a normal photo into something dramatic and eye-catching. With built-in social sharing features as well, get ready for your friends to be asking, "How'd you do that?"

KVADPhoto+Pro

If you're looking for something more in-depth than PicSketch, KVADPhoto+ Pro might be just right for you. It offers a wide variety of common photo-editing tools, including the ability to crop, adjust the brightness, and sharpen or blur the image. It also comes complete with a huge gallery of image filters and effects as well as an extensive selection of frames, including special holiday frames. Creating collages is also easy with KVADPhoto+ Pro, so you can combine several images into one sharable picture. For both amateurs and more serious photographers, this app delivers.

PhotoWhirl

PhotoWhirl takes advantage of geotags – the location information embedded into many digital pictures – to display photos from Flickr, Instagram, and other photo sharing sites directly on a map indicating where the photo was taken. This app is fantastic for people who are looking for photo ideas in their area, since it's quick and easy to find popular photos people have taken nearby. It's also a powerful tool for location scouting for photo shoots, enabling you to check out some of the most photogenic places in an area. Finally, this is a great app to use when you're travelling in a new city, as it will help you find interesting sights along the way!

LightTrac

If you're serious about outdoor photography, this app just might become your best friend. LightTrac combines information about the date, time, and location you're planning your photo shoot, and tells you exactly what the light conditions will be. If you want to make sure to take pictures during twilight, this app will tell you exactly when it will start and end. If you're looking for specific length of shadow, this app will help you find them.

500px

Once you've taken all these great photos, what do you do with them? 500px provides a great social platform for showing off your portfolio and interacting with your friends. You can easily browse through popular photos taken by others, add comments, and keep up to date with your favorite users. The Editors' Choice section is a great place to get started, as it will help you find fantastic photos and talented photographers to inspire you.