The more you improve as a photographer, the harder it becomes to take photographs you’re happy with. This is an unfortunate paradox most creatives have to endure as they hone their craft, and the psychology can impede your progress if you don’t re-evaluate and manage your expectations along the way.

As this video from Adrien Sanguinetti discusses, the Dunning-Kruger effect partly explains the phenomenon of feeling less competent as your photographic skills improve. Essentially, the Dunning-Kruger effect describes a cognitive bias where people with limited competence overestimate their abilities.

As you start to make early progress, it’s easy to think you’ve cracked photography until you learn enough about composition, lighting, timing, etc. to understand how little you really know. Suddenly, the flaws jump out in every image you take, and you feel disproportionately small compared to the inflated ego you briefly enjoyed through no fault of your own.

The more you learn about photography, the more you realize there is still yet to learn. This can be overwhelming, but it’s a sign that you’re making progress as a photographer and still have room to improve. While it’s easier said than done, the trick is to keep your focus on the progress itself, so you can keep going out, shoot as often as possible, and continue improving.

How do you manage your own expectations as your photography improves and your perspective of what makes a successful image changes?

For astrophotographers, there is a huge need for finding an important balance between the landscape or foreground, and the amazing interest in the sky. Whether you are photographing the Milky Way, Aurora Borealis, or the Winter Circle, the fundamentals of composition are still just as important as they are in normal landscape photography. In this video by Jeroen Linnenkamp, he provides three tips that will help you improve your compositions. 

When choosing a subject in astrophotography, an argument can be made for the stars themselves to be the subject, but in reality, you need that anchor in the image such as an interesting building, tree, or object to first capture the audience’s eye. 

To add balance in the image, a good tip is to use the rule of thirds. The four points around the frame are where the human eye tends to go first when viewing an image, so you can use the rule to compose your image by having an element of interest in these intersections. 

Lastly, we have depth, which you can use by trying to find leading lines such as a path, river, or road that leads you further into the image and increases that depth. Patterns can also work well and creates that 3D effect which can elevate your image. 

These tips from Jeroen are not just helpful for astrophotography, but can be used in many other styles of photography too. I highly recommend watching the video, and you can let us know in the comments below if you have any additional tips.

In today’s digital age, there are numerous apps available that can significantly enhance your landscape photography experience. In this article, I want to take a look at the six apps that have proven invaluable for my own landscape photography.

The abundance of photography-related apps can make it challenging to choose the most suitable ones for your needs. From straightforward depth-of-field calculators to comprehensive planning tools, the options are vast. 

Given the sheer abundance of available apps, it can be challenging to pinpoint the most valuable ones. Often, there’s a strong emphasis on visually appealing designs that add little real value or information that’s presented in a cluttered manner, making it hard to decipher. 

For me, a good app should provide the necessary information without unnecessary clutter and visuals. The information should be easily accessible, easy to read, and the app must be reliable. While I prefer apps that are free of charge, I understand that developing these apps requires time and effort. That’s why I don’t mind paying for an app, as long as the price is reasonable and not tied to a monthly subscription.

I’ve tried a lot of apps in recent years and I’ve concluded there are only six that have proven to be invaluable for me as a landscape photographer. These six apps provide a wealth of information that is mostly focused on photography. This includes weather conditions of course. But also timetables for sun, moon, and tides. They can guide you to specific locations or help you discover the most interesting spots for your landscape photography.

Although there are plenty of other apps that appear to give even more information, often this is already covered in the six apps I use. Let’s take a look at the ones I can recommend to every landscape photographer out there.

1. Photopills

This is widely recognized as the go-to app for landscape photographers. Photopills offers a plethora of features, which include depth of field calculations, field of view information, hyperfocal distance tables, time-lapse assistance, star trail planning, and much more. 

It also provides detailed planning tools for Sun, Moon, Milky Way, and meteor showers. You can even create a list of points of interest, which is a feature in Photopills that is often overlooked. 

The app is so extensive that you need to read the available manual or follow the instruction videos to fully understand its potential. While Photopills is not free, its reasonable cost is well worth the investment. 

2. Tides

For photographers spending a lot of time near the coastline, knowing the tides is essential. The app Tides is a simple yet effective app that provides the necessary tide information for safely photographing at the shoreline. 

Although it does display some advertisements, these can be removed with a small fee. The app is user-friendly, has a simple interface, and it uses GPS coordinates for the nearest tide information station. Although there are more detailed apps available, these are often designed with naval use in mind and come with monthly subscription plans. 

The app Tides is made by 7th Gear, in case you have difficulties finding it.

3. Clear Outside

Unlike typical weather apps that provide basic temperature and precipitation forecasts, Clear Outside offers detailed weather information, specially designed with photographers in mind. It includes cloud cover at various altitudes, temperature data, dew point, fog probability, and much more. 

There are no fancy icons and animations, which makes it perhaps less appealing compared to many other weather apps. The app shows a simple table with probabilities, which serves its purpose effectively. 

One small caveat is that it defaults to a location in Alphington, Devon, UK, so you’ll need to set your own location before using it, unless you happen to be in Devon, of course. Fortunately, it only requires one touch of the button Current Location to set the app to your specific location.

4. Yr.no

Although Clear Outside works for weather forecasts, a normal weather forecast app offers a fast indication of what to expect. Especially in situations when you don’t need the detailed information that Clear Outside offers.

Yr.no is a straightforward weather forecasting app with a clean and uncluttered design. While its accuracy depends on various weather forecast stations, it generally provides reliable information. Additionally, it offers extra warning alerts, which can be particularly useful.

5. Maps.me

While Google Maps is excellent for typical navigation, it falls short when it comes to off-road or hiking adventures. Maps.me, on the other hand, is a great choice for such situations. 

The app doesn’t make use of online maps. You need to download the map of the area you’re in, making it possible to use the app when you’re completely offline. This makes it a valuable tool for exploring remote areas, as long as you have GPS available. 

The app also allows you to set points of interest and allows you to add additional information. Because it also displays hiking trails, you can use it for navigation purposes while hiking.

6. SpaceWeather Live

Aurora forecasting apps often prioritize visual appeal over providing precise information. SpaceWeather Live takes a different approach, offering a simple Kp index forecast along with detailed graphs illustrating solar activity and magnetic field measurements. 

While it requires a bit of diving into the details, this app provides a deeper understanding of the predictions.

How About Other Apps?

The world of smartphone apps for landscape photographers is vast and continually evolving. While these six apps have proven indispensable in my photography journey, there may be other hidden gems out there that I’m not aware of. For instance, I’m searching for a good detailed light pollution app without unnecessary clutter.

If you know of any no-nonsense photography apps that have greatly benefited your work, please share them in the comments below. Describe their purpose and what makes them great for your landscape photography. I’m looking forward to your suggestions.

Kraków, Poland

The Copernicus March organised by the KTO theatre passes through the city. The event celebrated the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus and the 45th anniversary of entering Kraków on the Unesco list. About 150 performers took part in the show – actors, dancers, musicians, stilt walkers and extras

Photograph: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto/Shutterstock