In this digital age, there are a myriad of apps that can dramatically improve your experience with landscape photography. In this article, I’d like to look at these six applications that have proved useful for my own landscape photography.
The multitude of photography-related applications makes it difficult to pick the right one for your needs. From simple depth-of field calculators to sophisticated planning tools, the possibilities are endless.
With the number of apps available that are available, it’s difficult to identify the most beneficial ones. There’s often a heavy focus on appealing visuals that don’t provide any real worth or data that’s presented in a confusing style, making it difficult to understand.
I believe that a great application must provide the needed information, without clutter or visuals. The information must be easy to access, simple to understand and be trustworthy. Although I would prefer apps which are free however, I realize that the development of apps takes the time and effort. This is why I’m not averse to paying for apps, provided that the price is affordable and doesn’t require an annual subscription.
Using Photopills to see where the sun will set. The augmented reality option is quite convenient to have available, but this is only a fraction of the possibilities the app has to offer.
I’ve used a variety of apps in the last few years, but I’ve come to the conclusion that there are just six apps that have proved useful for my work as photographer of the landscape. These apps offer many useful information, but they are mostly focused on photography. This includes weather conditions, of course. Also, timetables for the sun, moon and tides. They can direct you to specific spots or help identify the most intriguing locations for landscape photography.
There are many other apps that claim to provide more details however, this is typically included in my six favorite apps that I utilize. Let’s review the apps I would recommend to all landscape photographers out there.
PhotopillsFour screenshots from the pills in Photopills. The one at the right shows the points of interest that are provided with the app.
It’s widely known as the most popular application to use for photographers who shoot landscapes. Photopills provides a variety of options, including depth of field calculation fields of view information hyperfocal distance tables time-lapse support as well as star trail design and many more.
It also includes precise plans features that can be used to prepare for Sun, Moon, Milky Way as well as meteor showers. You can also make a list of places that you’re interested in that are a feature that is included in Photopills which is frequently overlooked.
The application is so comprehensive that you must go through the manual available or follow the videos of instruction to fully grasp its capabilities. Although Photopills isn’t free, the reasonable price is well worth the cost.
- Tides
Three screenshots of the app Tides. It also offers a weather prediction, and it shows the Moon fase as well since it’s related to the tides.
Photographers who spend a lot of time at the shoreline knowing tides is vital. The application Tides is a straightforward but efficient app that gives the essential information about tides for taking photos in a safe manner along the shoreline.
While it displays some ads, these can be removed by paying the payment of a small amount. The app is easy to use with a simple user interface, and utilizes GPS coordinates to locate the closest the tide station. Although there are more comprehensive apps, they tend to be developed with naval usage in mind. They also include the option of monthly membership plans.
The application Tides is developed by 7th Gear, in case you are having trouble getting it.
- Clear Outside
A simple but extensive table with atmospheric conditions. Clear Outside is nothing more. But it shows a lot of valuable information for the landscape photographer.
Contrary to the typical weather apps which provide basic temperature and rainfall forecasts Clear Outside offers detailed information on weather conditions, made with the photographer in mind. It covers clouds over various altitudes, temperature information fog probability, dew point and much more.
There aren’t any fancy animations or icons this makes it less appealing than other apps for weather. The app provides a simple table with probabilities that fulfills its purpose well.
A small issue is that it will default to a location within Alphington, Devon, UK So you’ll have to specify your address before you use it in case you’re in Devon in the first place. It’s a good thing that it’s just one tap in the current location button, to change this app for your exact place of residence.
