What app can show the sun’s position and path over time for planning outdoor shoots?
Asked 2/23/2016
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2 answers
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I’m photographing an outdoor event and want a simple way to predict where the sun will be at different times so I can avoid strong backlighting. Ideally I’d like an app that shows the sun’s direction and path through the day, such as a compass-style view with sunrise/sunset and time markers. A full map isn’t necessary. Are there apps that can help me decide where to place the camera or tripod based on the sun’s position?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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There are a number of Apps available for this
Photo.net has an article with a listing of apps
The ones that appear to be what you're after are http://www.lighttracapp.com/ or possibly http://photoephemeris.com/
Lighttracapp is a simpler option to do what you're after so I'd start there. Photoephemeris has some more robust features but is also more complicated from a user interface and ease perspective. I'm only looking at ones that are available for both iOS and Android since you didn't specify a particular platform.
Originally by user27243. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27243
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. Several apps can do this.
Based on the suggestions here, the closest matches are LightTrac and The Photographer’s Ephemeris. LightTrac was recommended as the simpler option for quickly seeing the sun’s path over time, while The Photographer’s Ephemeris offers more robust planning features but can be more complex to use.
If you want an augmented-reality style view, Sunshine Compass for Android was suggested: it overlays the sun’s path and time points on the live camera view, which makes it easy to point your phone around and visualize where the sun will be.
For iPhone, Digital Photo Calculator was also mentioned; it can show sun and moon position, shadow length, angles, and elevation.
So yes—tools like these are specifically useful for deciding when a scene will be front-lit or backlit and where to place your camera for outdoor shoots.
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