The 6 Most Valuable Smartphone Apps for Landscape Photographers

In today's digital age, there are numerous apps available that can significantly enhance your landscape photography experience. In this article, I want to take a look at the six apps that have proven invaluable for my own landscape photography.

The abundance of photography-related apps can make it challenging to choose the most suitable ones for your needs. From straightforward depth-of-field calculators to comprehensive planning tools, the options are vast. 

Given the sheer abundance of available apps, it can be challenging to pinpoint the most valuable ones. Often, there's a strong emphasis on visually appealing designs that add little real value or information that's presented in a cluttered manner, making it hard to decipher. 

For me, a good app should provide the necessary information without unnecessary clutter and visuals. The information should be easily accessible, easy to read, and the app must be reliable. While I prefer apps that are free of charge, I understand that developing these apps requires time and effort. That's why I don't mind paying for an app, as long as the price is reasonable and not tied to a monthly subscription.

I’ve tried a lot of apps in recent years and I’ve concluded there are only six that have proven to be invaluable for me as a landscape photographer. These six apps provide a wealth of information that is mostly focused on photography. This includes weather conditions of course. But also timetables for sun, moon, and tides. They can guide you to specific locations or help you discover the most interesting spots for your landscape photography.

Although there are plenty of other apps that appear to give even more information, often this is already covered in the six apps I use. Let’s take a look at the ones I can recommend to every landscape photographer out there.

1. Photopills

This is widely recognized as the go-to app for landscape photographers. Photopills offers a plethora of features, which include depth of field calculations, field of view information, hyperfocal distance tables, time-lapse assistance, star trail planning, and much more. 

It also provides detailed planning tools for Sun, Moon, Milky Way, and meteor showers. You can even create a list of points of interest, which is a feature in Photopills that is often overlooked. 

The app is so extensive that you need to read the available manual or follow the instruction videos to fully understand its potential. While Photopills is not free, its reasonable cost is well worth the investment. 

2. Tides

For photographers spending a lot of time near the coastline, knowing the tides is essential. The app Tides is a simple yet effective app that provides the necessary tide information for safely photographing at the shoreline. 

Although it does display some advertisements, these can be removed with a small fee. The app is user-friendly, has a simple interface, and it uses GPS coordinates for the nearest tide information station. Although there are more detailed apps available, these are often designed with naval use in mind and come with monthly subscription plans. 

The app Tides is made by 7th Gear, in case you have difficulties finding it.

3. Clear Outside

Unlike typical weather apps that provide basic temperature and precipitation forecasts, Clear Outside offers detailed weather information, specially designed with photographers in mind. It includes cloud cover at various altitudes, temperature data, dew point, fog probability, and much more. 

There are no fancy icons and animations, which makes it perhaps less appealing compared to many other weather apps. The app shows a simple table with probabilities, which serves its purpose effectively. 

One small caveat is that it defaults to a location in Alphington, Devon, UK, so you'll need to set your own location before using it, unless you happen to be in Devon, of course. Fortunately, it only requires one touch of the button Current Location to set the app to your specific location.

4. Yr.no

Although Clear Outside works for weather forecasts, a normal weather forecast app offers a fast indication of what to expect. Especially in situations when you don’t need the detailed information that Clear Outside offers.

Yr.no is a straightforward weather forecasting app with a clean and uncluttered design. While its accuracy depends on various weather forecast stations, it generally provides reliable information. Additionally, it offers extra warning alerts, which can be particularly useful.

5. Maps.me

While Google Maps is excellent for typical navigation, it falls short when it comes to off-road or hiking adventures. Maps.me, on the other hand, is a great choice for such situations. 

The app doesn’t make use of online maps. You need to download the map of the area you’re in, making it possible to use the app when you’re completely offline. This makes it a valuable tool for exploring remote areas, as long as you have GPS available. 

The app also allows you to set points of interest and allows you to add additional information. Because it also displays hiking trails, you can use it for navigation purposes while hiking.

6. SpaceWeather Live

Aurora forecasting apps often prioritize visual appeal over providing precise information. SpaceWeather Live takes a different approach, offering a simple Kp index forecast along with detailed graphs illustrating solar activity and magnetic field measurements. 

While it requires a bit of diving into the details, this app provides a deeper understanding of the predictions.

How About Other Apps?

The world of smartphone apps for landscape photographers is vast and continually evolving. While these six apps have proven indispensable in my photography journey, there may be other hidden gems out there that I'm not aware of. For instance, I’m searching for a good detailed light pollution app without unnecessary clutter.

If you know of any no-nonsense photography apps that have greatly benefited your work, please share them in the comments below. Describe their purpose and what makes them great for your landscape photography. I’m looking forward to your suggestions.