logo

9 Amazing Apps for Night Photography

Date: 15 Nov 2011
By: Jim Goldstein
Comment: 12

Photography tools are no longer just confined to what is in your camera bag. One of the most important tools I use in my photo shoots is my mobile phone, home to numerous reference and feature rich applications. Being able to reference and use the following applications for my adventures in night photography has made it easier for me to plan photo logistics and successfully capture  high impact photography. If you don’t have these applications on your phone or tablet computer yet be sure to add them.

After you check out the following apps for night photographers be sure to check out Jim’s iPhone/iPad App List for more mobile applications worthy of your attention.

GoSkyWatch

An amazing application that allows you to point your device to the night sky and see a real-time display of what planets, stars and constellations are in your field of view.
iPhone GoSkyWatch Planetarium - the astronomy star guide - GoSoftWorks   iPad GoSkyWatch Planetarium for iPad - the astronomy star guide - GoSoftWorks

Moon Seeker

Is an application that all you to track and/or project the path of the moon at any time of day. The application includes an augmented reality feature “3D view” that activates your camera to overlay the trajectory of the moon and the moons current location on your device display in relation to the scene before you.
iPhone Moon Seeker - ozPDA

StarMap

A powerful resource that includes a detailed map of the night sky including planets, constellations, starts, galaxies, clusters, nebulae and more. Each of these points of interest include detailed information about their rise timek set time, brightness and more
iPhone Starmap - Fredd  iPad Starmap HD - Fredd

Satellite Visibility

Displays predictions for when satellites (including the Hubble telescope, International Space Station, etc.) will be visible based on your location.
iPhone Satellite Visibility - Psychic Psquirrel Psoftware

ISS Visibility

A very cool app that displays 10-30 day predictions of where and when the International Space Station will be visible based on your location.iPhone ISS Visibility - Psychic Psquirrel Psoftware  iPad ISS Visibility HD - Psychic Psquirrel Psoftware

Penki

Penki allows you to use your iPad or iPhone to create 3-dimensional light painting messages. This was featured in a video by Dentsu London in 2010, Making Future Magic: iPad Light Painting.
iPhone / iPad Penki - Dentsu London

Aurora Forecast

If you’re fortunate to live in an area that you can see the Aurora Borealis during the winter months this app is for you. This app shows daily Auroral activity forecast from the Geophysical Institute of UAF.
iPhone Aurora Forecast - Grigo

The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE)

Is an incredibly powerful planning tool that calculates sun and moon positions in relation to a user specified location for any time of day, any location, any altitude, etc.
iPhone / iPad The Photographer's Ephemeris - Crookneck Consulting LLC

FocalWare

Not nearly as powerful as TPE this application provides a quick an dirty mechanism to see sunset/rise and moonset/rise information along with elevation data over the course of the day/night all with the flick of your thumb.
iPhone Focalware - Spiral Development Inc.

[tags]photography, app, application, mobile, device, phone, tablet, computer, technology[/tags]

  1. Alistair Keddie November 15, 2011 at 10:53 am

    Thanks for this Jim, I would add DSLR Companion to the list, a useful calculator for figuring out exposures settings at night.

  2. Alistair Keddie November 15, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Thanks for this Jim.  I would add DSLR Companion to the list, a useful calculator that helps figure out exposure.

  3. Joshua At Bigshotdigitalphoto November 15, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    I would add FLASHLIGHT because my buttons are not backlit and I’ve had to use my phone many a times to light up the control panel to see the adjustments I’m doign when I shoot at night.

  4. udijw November 15, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Great post Jim.
    I would add moon phase app for calculating the moon phases: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moonphase-moon-info/id287526650?mt=8

  5. Joanie November 15, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Thanks for this. I have SkyMap and found it intriguing – nice to hear about these other cool apps too!

  6. Anonymous November 15, 2011 at 5:11 pm

    Thanks Joanie. I hope that you find a few more you like from the list.

  7. Anonymous November 15, 2011 at 5:12 pm

    Good tip. Funny I just deleted this app off my phone because I just use the browser and open a new tab. The tab is all white and quite bright in the dark.

  8. Anonymous November 15, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    Thanks for the tip Alistair. This is the first I’ve heard of DSLR Companion. I’ll check it out.

  9. Anonymous November 15, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    Great tip! I just bought it. I’ve been using a web based site to date, but this is perfect for planning when in the field. Thanks

  10. Pingback: Today’s Shared Links for November 15, 2011 @ Chuqui 3.0

  11. Ron Niebrugge November 16, 2011 at 5:20 am

    Great list, thanks!  Couple I’m not familiar with on it.  By the way, I love Star Walk.

  12. Pingback: Top 10 JMG-Galleries Blog Posts of 2011 » JMG-Galleries – Jim M. Goldstein Photography

Copyright © JMG-Galleries – Jim M. Goldstein Photography, All Rights Reserved