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Android Beta: You're In

Welcome to PhotoWatch.

Hi again and thanks for being one of the 12 Masters assisting in this android 'inner sanctum'. This page has everything you need to get started. It'll take just a couple of minutes to set up and you'll be up and running from there.

So, what does this app actually do?

Here's the background:

I've had this idea in my head since last year. It came about due to me being increasingly annoyed at myself for checking my usual social media groups (the Masters is at the top of that list of course) and seeing that someone had gone out the day before or even as recently as that morning and had got an epic shot with great conditions. I hadn't checked the night before of course, so as usual I missed it.

As we all know, the key is having the discipline and energy to check the conditions every night and if you're anything like me, I sometimes struggle with that due to being busy or distracted etc.

So I came up with the idea of having an app which could monitor the conditions: weather channels, clouds, tides, swell, winds, etc (you know all the usual stuff that we look at when we go out for a shoot) and if the conditions were good, the app could send me a text or a notification to my phone to say "it's looking good for tomorrow" without me having to do all the searching.

So after a few months of learning how to do this and going through the pain of getting it all wrong multiple times, I'm very close to being able to launch it now.

It's called PhotoWatch and the app is your personal 'conditions-watcher' for landscape, seascape and astro photography. You enter your shot locations and what good conditions look like for you: high cloud, a low tide, a new moon, and so on. Then it quietly monitors the forecasts around the clock and sends a notification straight to your phone the moment a spot is lining up for a great shoot.

The whole idea is "set and forget." No more having to check five different weather and tide apps at 4am. Just set your alerts once, then just keep your batteries charged and wait for the buzz on your phone.

So here's how you can assist by becoming a bona-fide app tester and how you get a heads up on the whole concept before everyone else.

6 simple steps below

Important

Please keep the app on your phone for the duration of the two-week test. The more you open it and use it in real situations, the better. Have a play around with adding locations. I have set up different alerts for spots that suit a low tide vs a high tide and it has been working a treat for me. Try to open it at least a few times a week, or whenever you are planning to head out.

Getting started

1

Accept the Google Play invite

I've sent a Google Play testing invite to the email address you registered with. Here's what to do:

  • Open the invite email on your Android phone
  • Tap the link inside, which takes you to the Google Play listing
  • Tap Become a tester, then tap Download
  • Once it installs, open PhotoWatch and continue to Step 2
2

Upgrade to Pro

You might recall that I said I would try to make it worth your while. As a tester I have organised for you to get full Pro access free for 6 months. You'll need to go through the upgrade step to unlock everything, including astro conditions, tide and swell alerts, the Galactic Core planner, and unlimited saved locations.

  • Tap Pro Features in the top right of the Home screen
  • The PhotoWatch Pro sheet will appear showing everything included
  • Tap Upgrade now. I have arranged free access for you as a tester so you won't actually be charged anything
  • If prompted, sign in with your Google account to complete the upgrade
PhotoWatch Pro upgrade screen
3

Sign in with your Google account

Head to Settings and sign in. This backs up all your locations and alerts so nothing gets lost if you reinstall or change phones during the test period.

  • Tap Settings in the bottom nav (the gear icon)
  • Tap Sign in with Google at the top
  • Choose the Google account you registered with
  • While you're here, set your preferred units, such as metric or imperial, km/h or knots etc
PhotoWatch Settings screen
4

Add your shooting locations

Tell the app which locations it's going to monitor for you.

  • Tap Locations in the bottom nav
  • Tap + Add location then Find a place to search for a spot by name
  • Add as many locations as you like. As you are on the Pro level, you can enter unlimited locations here, anywhere around the world (handy for o/s trips)
  • Tap any location to open it and tap Set as Home Location to pin it as your default in the Home screen. You can also tap the yellow location pill in the Home screen next to HOME LOCATION to choose your default.
PhotoWatch Locations screen
5

Set up your first alert

Alerts are the heart of the app. Set one up for a shoot type (sunrise, sunset, astro or customise your own) then add one or more of your locations to be included in this alert and the app notifies you when conditions are worth getting up for.

  • Tap Alerts in the bottom nav
  • Tap + New alert
  • Give it a name and choose the alert type
  • Pick your location(s) for this alert
  • Choose what conditions trigger this alert, such as cloud cover, wind, rain, or a combination
  • Select which days of the week the app should monitor
  • Set your advance notice. I'd suggest 12 hours to start
  • Save the alert and you're all set
PhotoWatch Alerts screen
6

Check conditions on the Home screen

The Home screen gives you a quick read of current conditions at your home location, including high, medium and low cloud cover, wind, rain, fog, and sunrise/sunset times. Hit Check now any time for a fresh update.

  • Cloud layers split into High, Mid and Low
  • Wind direction and speed give you a feel for conditions right now
  • Tap the star badge next to your location name to switch spots
PhotoWatch Home screen
7

Bonus: explore the Galaxy Planning Tool

If you shoot astro, the Tools tab has something a bit special. The Galaxy Planner shows you exactly where the Milky Way core and moon will be at any time of night, on a live map with a timeline scrubber.

  • Tap Tools in the bottom nav
  • Tap the Astro Galaxy Planner tool
  • Select a location or move the map and tap and hold to set a new location
  • Set the date by tapping the Night Of field
  • Drag the timeline slider to move through the night hours
  • The dotted arc shows the core's path across the sky
  • Scroll down to create an astro alert for this location
PhotoWatch Tools - Galactic Core
8

The Tools tab

The Tools tab contains a series of useful photography tools when you're out in the field. Feel free to have a play around with the Timer, Exposure / ND calculator, Time-lapse photography calculator, Star Exposure tool (lets you know your max shutter speed when shooting the galaxy), Colour temp tool (lets you set your white balance manually according to the scene), Astro and Tide planners. There's also a User Guide button which will send you off to a detailed page on the web site but Shh, don't tell anyone yet!

The idea of the Tide planner is that you can be standing at a great seascape location where the tide is perfect for the shot, but the sky isn't. By using the Tide planner, you can instantly set up an alert for that location with the current tide level and in the alert, you can add the sky conditions you want. Then later, when it all lines up, the app will give you advance notice.

Tools tab screenshot
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