I am currently struggling with PhotoPills, an app that has everything I need to do all kinds of photo things, if only I knew how to work it. Its manual is 223 pages, has lots of links to videos, and I’m wilting under the information overload. So I’m going to create some easy SOPs, bit by bit, so I can reference them later, and I thought I’d post them, too, to help you.
First, what is PhotoPills? PhotoPills (which is a strange name) is an app that incorporates sun set and moon data, has a Nighttime AR, and a bunch of calculators so that, in theory, I can plan the type of shot I want – say, the moon rising over a UNC parking deck, and figure out when that will happen. I can also use it to see where the moon will be at any given time on any given day. I’ve been trying to shoot the moon each night at 9pm, but haven’t had a lot of confidence that the moon is even visible at 9 and I have no idea what PhotoPills is trying to tell me. Thus, I’m trying to read the manual. Again.
Second, why do I care? I care about this because the moon gives me joy and I want to do a short project on it. Summertime means no structure – I don’t really do photo projects too often but I’m trying to have some short-term goal that will make me happy given the chaos, and I’ve lit upon this. At the moment it’s just stressing me out, so there is work to be done.
I’ve taken a million moon photos (and regret missing some like the moon over Miami at 11pm over spring break, it was huge), some with a zoom lens, some with a wide-angle lens, and I didn’t think too much about the differences until I read this from The Photographer’s playbook :
Are the photographs about the object or about the environment around it? What is your relationship to that environment and why does it matter? Are any poetic images or notes evoke by the moons, or romantic associations? Conversely does a cynical side emergent reaction to these associations? Are there any political and environmental issues that arise? Does the notion of time or change or mortality come up during the exercise? What is the most impactful way to arrange and present the result in photographs and notations? Is the process more important than the outcome?
For a subject I’ve photographed many times, I just have never thought about it beyond ‘In focus – good.’ So I’m going to try to take a moon photo every day, and see what it says to me. I’ll try different lenses, and different compositions, and see what emerges. And hopefully, PhotoPills will help me do that.
Do you use something like PhotoPills to make photo plans?
*if this post looks wonky, it’s because I’m trying a new way to publish. Be patient with me 🙂
