6 Must Have Photography Apps

          I have done many searches on Google and in App Stores for "Photography Apps". The results often disappoint because they show image editing and related apps. What I need are apps that help me prepare for shots. Over the last few years I have accumulated a collection of apps that really help me a lot. I hope they help you to make better images too. All the apps I use are free except for The Photographer's Ephemeris which is free for your desktop, but paid for mobile devices.

Sun and Moon Apps

          These apps tell you when the sun and moon will be where. They tell you when the sun and moon rise and when they set, for your location or the location of your shoot. Examples of such apps are: LunaSolCal, Sun Surveyor, Sunrise Sunset, Moon trajectory (Andriod), Sun & Moon (Apple).

Photographer's Ephemeris

          This app also tells you about sunrise and set (as well as the moon). You can drop a pin on any location in the world over a topo or satellite map and it will show you the rise and set times for that location on any date of your choice.  It also shows you the angle of the sun and moon from your pin's location. By moving the pin you can exactly see whether or not the sun will rise over that hill you want the sun next to. You can change the date to see on which day it will happen if at all.  You can also calculate the right time the sun will peak over any elevation on the topo map. This app is really great; I have been using it since it first came out.

Safety

          Since I often hike to where I shoot safety must also be a concern. I have a map and compass app and a few medical ones like iTriage which tells me what to do in case of a medical emergency. This app is useful for any medical emergency not just for photography.

Weather

          Nothing is more important to landscape photography than the weather. I use apps that give me live views from the current doppler radar. I need to see which way the clouds move so that I can position myself on the edges of storms rather than being in them. Sometimes there are multiple locations to choose from. Knowing which way the clouds and rain move helps you to go to the better location for the current weather conditions. I use Tempest Free (Andriod) and MyRadar (Apple). I also use weather forecasts on my phone.

Hyper Focal

          This app is called "Hyperfocal" (Andriod) and MyPhotoAssistant (Apple). It calculates the hyper focal distance to focus on for your camera, lens and current F.Stop to have your foreground in focus through to infinity. The Apple app also give you sun and moon information and twilight information.

Tides

          Tides (Apple) give me the tide table for any place of my choice. This way you can plan to be there when the tide is the way you want it for the rocks or shoreline you want to shoot.

          If you know of any apps that are useful to landscape photographers please mention them by leaving a comment for others to see.

          Happy shooting.