Know which of your spots will be good, and when

Seven ways to chase light

Each kind of photography needs different things from the sky. ShutterTime knows the difference.

• Landscape photography planning — we watch high cloud, a clear horizon and still air. Colour in the sky and a gap for the sun to get under.
• Astrophotography and Milky Way planning — we watch moon down, galactic core up and dark skies. Galactic centre altitude, moon phase and light pollution.
• Seascape photography planning — we watch tide timing, swell and golden hour. Know exactly when the rocks are exposed.
• Waterfall photography planning — we watch recent rain, soft overcast and no wind. Flow levels before you hike in.
• Aurora photography planning — we watch the KP index, a clear southern sky and moon phase. Clear-sky windows when the aurora is up.
• Woodland photography planning — we watch fog chance, temperature drop and low sun. Mist and morning light, called ahead.
• Cityscape photography planning — we watch blue hour, calm water and lights on. The window when city lights and sky balance.

28 conditions. Zero tabs.

Weather forecasts, global tides and precise astronomy, rolled into one answer: go, or don't. Conditions tracked include clear horizon, high cloud, low cloud, wind speed, low tide, rising tide, swell, golden hour, blue hour, civil twilight, astronomical twilight, moon phase, moonrise, galactic centre, KP index, fog, recent rain, humidity, temperature drop, storm and lightning, visibility and sun position.

It knows when a morning is rare

ShutterTime learns how each of your spots usually looks, and flags the days that are unusually good. When a forecast shifts, it tells you why — for example, "score dropped, low cloud moving in from the south."

Borrow a local's eye

Install a location pack of spots from someone who knows the area, or a profile (their recipe for perfect light), and it starts working for you straight away.

Keep the story of every shoot

Log each visit with your frames and the conditions you got. Your timeline builds itself, and awards turn up along the way: first aurora, ten sunrises, a new region.

Frequently asked questions

What is ShutterTime?

ShutterTime is your personal photography conditions assistant. Save your favourite locations, tell us what conditions you're after (golden hour with clouds on the horizon, low tide at blue hour, fog at sunrise), and we'll watch the forecasts 24/7. When conditions align, you'll know.

How does ShutterTime help photographers?

Instead of checking multiple apps (weather radar, tide charts, sun calculators, moon phases), ShutterTime analyses all conditions automatically and tells you exactly when to shoot at your saved locations.

What types of photography is ShutterTime best for?

Landscape, seascape, coastal, waterfall, woodland, cityscape, aurora and astrophotography — any genre where weather, light quality and natural conditions are critical to success.

Is ShutterTime free?

Yes. Free forever: unlimited saved locations, scores for your first 5, 1 future plan. Alpine (A$4.99/month or A$49.99/year) scores 50 locations and adds condition alerts. Prices are for the web. In-app purchases on iPhone are priced by the App Store and may differ slightly.

How accurate are the weather predictions?

ShutterTime scores from Meteosource forecasts, with Open-Meteo filling in high-altitude wind, and tides from WorldTides predictions for any coastline, Australia included. Scores cover the next 7 days and refresh as new forecasts arrive.

Where does ShutterTime work?

Works anywhere in the world: weather, astronomy and tides for any location.

Is there a mobile app?

Yes. iPhone and iPad app on the App Store (App Store), and everything syncs with the web app. Android app in closed beta; use the web app in any mobile browser until it ships. Every plan gets push reminders for your planned sessions. Condition alerts for watched locations come with Alpine and above.