Must have Photography Apps for any nature photographer

Why are photography Apps Vital?

Research plays a significant role in obtaining that perfect image. The less you leave up to “chance” the better the results will be.  Here a just a few photography Apps that I use to make my life just that little easier.

#1 – Photo Pills

One of my favourite photography Apps by far. Sure there’s a bit of a learning curve, and it can seem a little daunting at first, but once you’ve gotten past all that, this little beaut is a cracker.

This App allows you to plan your shot in advance., hours, days, weeks, months, even up to five years in advance. And you can do all this in the comfort of your own home.

Here are some of the excellent functions available:

1. Instant exposure and depth of field calculators.

2. Hyperfocal table

3. Predicts position of the sun and moon at any time anywhere on earth

4. Exact times when “Blue” and “Golden hours” will occur for any given location.

5. Times for sunrise, sunsets, civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight for any given location.

6. Ability to store plans

7. Lunar calendar, especially useful for astrophotography

8. An augmented reality which allows you to pre-visualise your composition.

There is a fee, however, $10*, which I think is fair.

The photographer’s ephemeris is one of the other favourite photography Apps, which is free. It has similar applications although it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that photo pills have.

#2 – NOAA weather (USA) &  Yr.no (Global weather)

Knowing what the weather is going to be like on any particular day helps me decide what I am going to be photographing.  Knowledge of weather conditions allows me to plan.

Here are a few things that go through my mind.

If it’s going to be overcast with the possibility of rain, I head for the forest, waterfalls, or do macro work. Cloudy days will give me beautiful even lit scenes.

50% or so cloud cover will give me beautiful dramatic skies at sunrise or sunset.  In these situations, I head for the mountains or the coast.

0-20% cloud cover is ideal for photographing the night sky, so I might catch a snooze during the day knowing that I am probably going to be up late….

Knowing what the weather is going to be doing helps in organising and preparing yourself.

#3 – Google Earth

Scouting an area before actually going there can be a huge time saver. A bonus is that people often upload photos onto Google earth, so it’s great to get a feel for a particular place and get some ideas before actually going there.

#4 – Dark skies

This one is particularly useful for night photography and finding a beautiful dark area without any light pollution.

#5 – Easy Release – Model Release

When photographing people and using these images on FaceBook, or on your photographic website, for personal or commercial use, you need to cover yourself.  This app is an absolute must. (Or something similar)

I like this app because it’s quick and easy, can be amended to suit both parties right then and there, and best of all it’s electronic.

Personally, I like to cover my “soft lily-white you know what.”  Rather than have someone bite me in the “soft lily-white you know what” just because I was too damned lazy to get the paperwork done, and they seemed like such friendly people at the time.  If yours ain’t soft, and yours ain’t lily-white, cover it anyway!

It’s quick and easy, and best of all it’s electronic.

It does cost $14.99*

Let me know if you have other great apps out there that are worth mentioning.

*That is the price for these apps at the time of writing this blog and may change at the providers’ discretion at any time. Those costs also refer to Aussie dollars,  so do your conversions)