{"id":1927,"date":"2016-06-29T10:00:39","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T08:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.stage.westend61.com\/blog\/?p=1927"},"modified":"2024-06-03T14:26:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T12:26:56","slug":"being-out-and-about-with-sun-surveyor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westend61.de\/blog\/en\/being-out-and-about-with-sun-surveyor\/","title":{"rendered":"Being out and about with Sun Surveyor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u00a9 Andreas Pacek\/Westend61<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the work of photographers, light is a fundamental component, it even makes up part of the name of our profession: photo means \u2018light\u2019 in Greek. Studio photographers have a broad range of technical possibilities for lighting at their disposal, such as light shapers and various lighting sources, which they can precisely implement to suit their purposes. Armed with these options, they are always able to apply, influence and adjust lighting for their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation is different, however, for travel photographers and other photographers who work without applying artificial light sources (available light photography). They mostly have to rely on how the largest light source, the sun, is shining (or not) at the moment. They can only partially control this light source, perhaps by using light reflectors, and have to adjust to each lighting situation accordingly. This can potentially factor in expenses for the production, for instance, if the sun isn\u2019t shining from where you\u2019d like to have it while taking the shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 Rainer Berg\/Westend61<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So you can bury yourself in astronomical textbooks and delve into studying the science of the sun\u2019s path, or you can learn how to use a sextant, or\u2026you might turn your attention to a modern technology, which almost all of us are carrying around right in our pockets: apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are significant changes in the sun\u2019s position according to season, especially in countries located further away from the equator. Sometimes the sun is high above the horizon, sometimes lower. What would be better than to be able to know in advance when and where the sun will be? Travel costs and time are important issues for travel photographers, and these could be optimized with planning. Answers to questions like \u201cWhen will the sun be behind the tower?\u201d or \u201cIs it bright here at all at this time?\u201d would make the organization of a trip much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sun Surveyor<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\"Bildschirmfoto<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are many helpful \u2018travelling companions\u2019 out there, for instance, the \u201cSun Surveyor\u201d app (www.sunsurveyor.com), which I\u2019ve thoroughly tested out and would like to present here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Available for IOS and Android, this app offers a simplified visualisation of the paths for both the sun and the moon according to your location.  Aided by GPS, a compass, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a camera, you can precisely measure when and where the sun and moon will be positioned, and in which direction they are moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The navigation is actually quite intuitive, featuring the following main menu items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ansicht\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n