LightCast Suite · Photography Trip Planning

Best App for Planning Photography Trips

LightCast covers every condition a photographer needs to plan a trip: sunset quality, night sky scoring, drone flight windows, fog forecasts, and camera calculators. Six tools in one app, alerts for every shoot type.

Download LightCast — iOS App Try free on web →

iOS app: $2.99/mo · 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime

Every condition in one place

Six Tools Built for Photographers

Planning a photography trip means checking multiple things at once: will the sunset be good, is the night sky dark enough, can I fly a drone, might there be fog in the valley? LightCast brings every one of those questions into a single app, scored specifically for photography — not general weather watching.

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StarCast: Night Sky Scoring

Moon phase, Bortle class, atmospheric transparency, and cloud cover scored together for any location. Save your planned shooting locations and get push alerts when the night sky forecast looks strong. Essential for astrophotography trip planning.

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GoldCast: Sunset and Sunrise Quality

Cloud altitude, horizon clarity, and humidity scored for golden hour. GoldCast tells you whether tonight's sunset is worth setting up for — not just whether the sky is partly cloudy. Push alerts before exceptional evenings.

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DroneCast: Drone Flight Windows

Wind speed, gusts, visibility, and precipitation scored for drone safety. Know whether you can legally and safely fly at your destination before you pack the drone. Push alerts when conditions clear.

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FogCast: Fog Formation and Burn-Off

Fog forecast for valley shots, coastal photography, and sunrise mist over rivers. FogCast predicts formation probability and burn-off timing so you know whether to be at the viewpoint at dawn.

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Alerts for Every Shoot Type

Set push alert thresholds for each tool independently. StarCast alerts you when the night sky looks strong. GoldCast alerts you before an exceptional sunset. DroneCast alerts you when wind clears. All from one app, all at your saved locations. Exclusive to the iOS app.

Common Questions

What is the best app for planning photography trips?

LightCast. It covers sunset quality, night sky conditions, drone windows, fog forecasts, and camera calculators in one app. Save your planned locations, check all conditions in one place, and get push alerts for the shoot type you care about. Download here. $2.99/month after a 7-day free trial.

Can LightCast check conditions at a specific location I'm traveling to?

Yes. Search any location by name and save it. LightCast shows conditions for your destination across all six tools — so you can check the sunset forecast, night sky score, and drone conditions for your trip location before you leave home.

Does LightCast include camera calculators for trip planning?

Yes. TriCast includes exposure calculators, NPF Rule for star sharpness, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, and more. Useful for pre-calculating settings for a new location or lens before you're in the field trying to do it in the dark.

How far in advance can I check conditions for a trip?

StarCast and GoldCast show 3-day outlooks. Beyond 72 hours, use moon phase as the planning anchor — it's known months in advance. Build your trip dates around the lunar calendar first, then confirm weather in the days before departure.

What does LightCast cost?

$2.99/month or $29.99/year after a 7-day free trial. All six tools are included: StarCast, GoldCast, DroneCast, FogCast, CloudCast, and TriCast. Cancel anytime in App Store settings.

Every condition a photographer needs. One app.

StarCast · GoldCast · DroneCast · FogCast · CloudCast · TriCast
Push alerts · Saved locations · 3-day outlook

Download LightCast for iOS

Try StarCast free on web →

$2.99/mo after 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime in App Store