Best apps for professional photographers

This is a short but useful list of best apps that help me significantly during my job as professional photographer.

Nothing to do with editing apps, weather apps or must have photography apps like Instagram or Lightroom but tools, I'm sure, many photographers around would benefit from during their work. Some are free, others not. Some work for Android only others also with Apple iOS.

Certainly, there are more useful apps for professional photographers around and I would be really pleased if you would take your time to let me know. If you fly a drone, check also these useful apps for drone photography.

In the meanwhile, these are the best apps for professional photographers I have installed in my smartphone.

Available for both Android and Apple iOS. Sun Surveyor is one of the best existing apps to know in advance when sunrise, golden hour or twilight will be. The app makes sure the subject you want to photograph is shown in the best natural light available for the best photo.

Thanks to its Live Camera View and Interactive Map you have the double option to make use of your phone’s camera. Also you can see the overlays over Google’s Street View for other desired locations.

FUNCTIONS

The view augmented reality projections of the sun and moon paths. Pinpoint the time the sun or moon will be at a particular location in the sky;
Predict and plan for the golden hour, blue hour and every sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset;
Prepare night photography shots with the Milky Way & star trail features.

There’s also a feature-limited, free lite version. Anyway, I suggest to buy the pro edition as I consider it one of the best apps for professional photographers.

Android | iOS

Hyperfocal Pro is an ads free must-have app aimed for on-field photography calculations about hyperfocal distance, depth of field, field of view and more useful functions.

You can easily configure your shooting parameters and view all the relevant focus information right in one app only.

This must-have tool for the pro photographer ensures perfect focus & zone of sharpness and keep out the guesswork from focusing to framing. The app can also generates hyper-focal distance table for different f-numbers and lens focal lengths for your camera setup.

With the latest update available, now, you can obtain angle of view and field of view values for an even more accurate composition and preparing your photography gear for specific scenarios.

The app includes also a highly configurable hyper-focal distance table generator module in order to produce customized tables for your camera and lens combinations.

Android

Photographer's Companion is a free app that allows you to find a basic setting to refine to get the best image you have in mind.

This app offers the comprehensive tools to calculate the alternative/equivalent exposure (manages the ND filter and long exposures), the depth of field, hyperfocal and simulation of Bokeh, the shutter speed to freeze the motion of a subject and more useful functions.

Also, you can track sunrise and sunset, golden hours and blue hours or check the moon based on the phase of the day.

Android

Easy Release Pro is a must if you are into commercial photography and you need model release.

A model release is the proof that the person you took pictures of gives you his permission to sell the images. The document aims to protect the photographer from any legal problem when he uses the images for commercial purposes. Though not a cheap app (9,99 USD/EUR) you'll benefit of all its useful functions.

The app let you attach model photos to the forms. Also, it has a model database you can transfer via cloud in order to see the single files from any device.

Easy Release Pro lets you collect all the data and signatures you need right on your Android or Apple mobile device. Automatically, it saves the PDF and JPG of the release to your cloud storage. Its model release form is accepted by the world's leading stock photo agencies like Getty Images, iStockPhoto, Shutterstock, Alamy and more. The app includes 17 different contract languages, and 7 UI localizations. So you can get the release you need, no matter who, or where you are shooting.

Android | iOS

My GearVault is a free app. Designed to help photographers to store in their device all the information about their photographic equipment they have and what it’s worth.

This useful tool allows photographers to check any time purchase receipt, date of purchase, serial number and more information of every item. The app saves all of them into a specific category (such as cameras, lenses, etc.).

The app aims to protect your gear. If your camera is stolen, simply click the “stolen” button inside the app and your serial number will be entered into our stolen database.

If someone tries to verify your lens as their own, My Gear Vault will be notified.

Unfortunately, their full comprehensive insurance coverage is limited to residents in the USA only at the moment.

Android | iOS

This useful app is mainly aimed for night photography. It allows easily locate all those dark sites not affected by light pollution for shooting star gazing, milky way or other subjects for night photography. The app has an integrated light pollution map to find the darkest places for the best viewing of the night sky.

Also, you have an integrated cloud cover map and temperature indicator.

If you are going shooting Aurora Borealis then you get an Aurora overlay to see where the best viewing of the Northern Lights currently is. Also it has live Aurora webcams from around the world. The app is completed by other useful information such as a night sky calendar and the moon position tool.

Android

FotoTool is one of the best apps for professional photographers. It's really a must have app. It contains several useful tools for professional photographers. Coming for free, this app has many useful features. These include also:

A rich cameras database (over 3,800)
Parameters and values of flash
Calculation of stellar traces (startrails)
Calculation of exposure value (EV)
Comparison between different exposures
Calculation of long exposures
Calculations for night shots and BULB mode
Calculations for Timelapses
Moon Phase Calendar
Moon/Sun Rise & Set Calendar
Planner: Blue Hour, Golden Hour and Magic Hour
Neutral Density Filters (ND)
Depth of field (DOF)

Android