These are five free and simple mobile apps every landscape photographer should install

A smartphone can be a great companion when you’re shooting landscape photos, and it’s not just because of its camera. There are some apps that can help you plan ahead and make the best of your photos. However, some of them are not user-friendly or they offer you too much unnecessary information.

So, in this video, Mark Denney suggests five apps that landscape photographers should have on their phones. They are simple, easy to use, and accurate. And almost all of them are free. Do you already use some of them?

1. Clear Outside

For landscape photographers, the weather is one of the most important criteria for getting the look they want in their photos. Clear Outside (Android / iOS) is a weather app. But, what’s especially useful for landscape photographers is that this app tells you how cloudy it is on particular days, as well as the type and the position of the clouds. You can also check when there will be fog.

All this enables you to plan ahead more efficiently where and when you will take your photos. Mark notes that the app has a simple user interface, it’s free from unnecessary information, and it’s also very accurate.

2. MeteoEarth

Mark notes that MeteoEarth (Android / iOS) is similar to Clear Outside because it also covers cloud cover. But, there’s a more realistic view of the clouds as they cover the area and move through it. It can help you to visualize the clouds and plan your shoot accordingly. It’s also simple and easy to use, and accurate.

3. LightTrac

LightTrac is the only paid app on the list and it costs $8.99 for iOS and $4.99 for Android. This app tells you about the time and position of sunrise and sunset and moonrise and moonset. And like the previous two apps, it helps you plan the shoot beforehand. The user interface is super-simple, so you can get the information you need in a few seconds.

4. WeatherBug

WeatherBug (Android / iOS) is a very popular app. Mark likes to use it to check some basic weather info, especially hourly forecast, which is spot on with this app. It also has a cool lightning tool if you want to go out and chase storms.

5. Google Earth

Google Earth (Android / iOS) is one of those apps everyone has used at some point. Mark recommends it because it’s great if you want to explore the surroundings of your location so you can plan the shoot better and get the general idea of the composition.

Do you have any apps you like using for landscape photography? And do you use some of these?

[5 Simple APPS for LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY | Mark Denney]