Is it worth shooting tonight?
Why I built Shutter Scout.
Advanced features require Shutter Scout Pro.
I love the stars. I love a good sky. And I never wanted to miss out.
That’s really where Shutter Scout began.
After a decade of photography, I still found myself asking the same question: Is it worth shooting? Would tonight be a good night for the Milky Way? Was there a chance of aurora? Would sunrise be worth getting up for? And which of my favorite places looked most promising?
I wanted an app that helped me prepare for a shoot and helped me decide where to go in the first place.
The questions behind every photograph
Anyone who photographs landscapes or the night sky knows how much planning can happen before the camera ever leaves the bag.
Is the moon out? Will clouds get in the way? How’s the weather on the mountain? What are the tides doing at the coast? Does sunset have potential, or would tomorrow’s sunrise be the better bet?
I built Shutter Scout to bring that information together around the places I actually wanted to photograph. Today, tonight, sunrise or sunset: which of my favorite spots might be worth the trip?
A really well-informed guess
That’s how I think about it. A super-educated guess.
Shutter Scout brings together weather, moonlight, sky conditions and photography planning tools to help me make that call. I can plan for the Milky Way, follow aurora activity, consider sunrise and sunset potential, and check the conditions at my favorite locations.
The sky still gets the final say. Forecasts change. Promising conditions don’t guarantee a great photograph. But understanding what might happen gives me a better starting point for deciding when to head out and where to point the camera.
More than 700 hours later
I went down the rabbit hole and came out the other side with the photography tool I’d wanted for myself.
More than 700 hours of my time went into Shutter Scout. We tested it, put it in the hands of other photographers, listened to their feedback and kept refining it. Their experiences helped turn something personal into a tool that could help other photographers, too.
It’s replaced about half a dozen apps for me. The information I used to piece together now comes together around one simple question: Is it worth shooting?
For the skies we don’t want to miss
Whether you love photographing the Milky Way, watching for the northern lights, chasing a colorful sunset or getting up before dawn, you probably know that feeling. You want to be out there when something happens.
That feeling is why I made Shutter Scout.
I hope you get the same enjoyment from using it that I do, and that we’ve had making it the best it can be.
See what’s possible at your favorite spots.
Download for iPhone · Download for Android.
Advanced features require Shutter Scout Pro.
Explore the Field Manual