The Photographer's Ephemeris

An article in this month's Outdoor Photographer turned me on to a new tool that can help you plan your shoot.  While I'm an admitted "geek" when it comes to technology, you owe it to yourself to check out "The Photographer's Ephemeris". 

My previous tool set for planning a shoot consisted mainly of daytime visits to the site, a peek at the weather forecast, and looking up sunrise/sunset times to know when to arrive.  The rest was left to a lot of trial and error. The Photographer's Ephemeris, or TPE, helps to remove much of the guesswork that was left by allowing you to pin point your location on the map and identify exactly how the sun or moon is going to impact your shot. 

The PC based version of the tool is free (consider donating to show your appreciation) and there are also paid versions for the iPad and iPod.  If you find yourself wishing you could invest more time scouting and planning your shots, TPE may be just the tool you need.  To get the most from the tool, take a look at the OP article "X Marks the Spot" for even more information.