I just got back from a photo trek to Lone Pine, California. It’s a location with striking landscapes, and it’s been used for hundreds of movies, TV shows and commercials. Classics like Bad Day at Black Rock, The Lone Ranger from the fifties, and most recently one of the Iron Man movies used Lone Pine for its striking scenery.
I do most of my photography starting just before dawn and just before sunset, but when you are surrounded by high mountains you don’t want to just guess when the sun will be just clearing that peak or sinking behind a butte or mesa.
Using Sun Scout
That’s where Sun Scout ($9.99) comes in. It uses the compass in your iPhone and puts markers where the sun will be at any given minute. So you don’t have to guess, the app uses your iPhone camera superimposing sun symbols on your live landscape. The app will easily find your location via the GPS feature of your iPhone, or you can use the app for planning, and find out when and where the sun will be at your location on another date.
Standing with my DSLR on a tripod and waiting for the sunrise, Sun Scout told me the sun would just start to shine through on a distant peak I was focused on at 6:14 AM. And at the appointed moment, down to the minute, the sun was there.
Like any compass, Sun Scout needs accurate data, and you can easily calibrate the iPhone compass in the field. If you are standing near a metal structure things might not be perfectly accurate, so have some awareness of where you are. As a practical matter, standing in the wilderness was not a problem.
For DSLR users, this app is a no-brainer. But even iPhone photographers wanting the best lighting will find this app very, very useful.
Another nice app that is nice to have for landscape photographers is Magic Hour for iPhone (free). It gives you the local times for ‘Magic Hour’ or ‘Golden time’ when the sun gives it’s best warm light. Pairing Sun Scout and Magic Hour is the perfect toolbox for planning and shooting under the best possible lighting conditions.
Sun Scout requires iOS 8. It’s universal, and even though it has been available for a long time, the latest version supports the latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
The Bottom Line
I can’t recommend this app highly enough. It is simple to use, highly accurate in its predictions, and it takes the guesswork out of knowing exactly where the sun is going to be. The best feature of all is the augmented reality view that actually lets you see where the sun is going to be at your location.
While the app is not cheap, it does things that no other app does as well. So in actual utility, I think it is a bargain.
Download Sun Scout:
App Store link: Sun Scout – BenJohn Barnes
– Mel Martin
Sun Scout 1.40
Toolbox
User Interface
Price/Value
Highly Recommended
Highly accurate in its predictions. Augmented reality view that actually lets you see where the sun is going to be at your location. Does things that no other app does as well.
