Apps have undoubtedly revolutionized modern life and there are few areas untouched by them. Photography is no exception and with the help of the right app, your shoots and your workflow can improve tenfold. Here are four apps one photographer reaches for when planning his next shoot.
I have used three of the four apps in this video, but rather than cover the same ground OpticalWander does, I'll offer my favorite: The Photographer's Ephemeris. TPE is an app available for desktop, IOS, and Android (though Android is missing some features at the moment and the pro version cannot be bought.) The app is a dream for landscape photographers and astrophotographers as it offers the times, direction, and angles of the sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and moonsets. It has a lot of functionality that can make planning shoots a lot easier, however, it's the PRO features that take it up a level.
With TPE PRO, you get Google map integration, Milky Way positioning, augmented reality, 3D terrain models with dynamic lighting, and so on. It didn't take me long after downloading this app some years back to realize it was going to be integral to all outdoor shoots I plan going forward. There are apps that can do similar jobs — some are in this video — but I found TPE to be the best and easiest, though it can go far deeper than my meteorological understanding does!
What apps do you think are the best for planning photoshoots?
I have a strong preference for PhotoPills, Clear Outside, Stellarium Plus, and SkyView for outdoor photography. Light Pollution Map is also quite helpful.