# Open Skies PhotoForecast — Golden hour & photo weather

> Photography-focused weather and light forecasting app. (iPhone/iPad app by KEVIN DANIEL BELLOCK.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-skies-photoforecast/id6797729442 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [KEVIN DANIEL BELLOCK](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797729444)
- Category: Photo & Video, Weather
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 48 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-09-03
- Data updated: 2026-10-24
- Monetization: free

## What is Open Skies PhotoForecast?

Open Skies tells you exactly when the light and weather will be right for the photo you want to make — hour by hour, for any location.

Instead of a generic weather app, Open Skies scores each hour from 0 to 100 for seven kinds of photography, factoring in cloud cover, wind and gusts, precipitation, visibility, humidity, sun angle, and moon conditions.

SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHY MODES
Landscape, Portrait, Street, Wildlife, Astrophotography, Macro, and Fog & Mist. Each mode weighs conditions differently — heavy overcast is a softbox for portraits but flat for landscapes, and dead-calm air is everything for macro.

LIGHT THAT ACTUALLY MATTERS
Golden hour, blue hour, and astronomical darkness are calculated from the real sun position at your exact coordinates — not just a fixed offset from sunset.

BUILT FOR ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
Open Skies models the moon the way astrophotographers actually think about it: not just the phase, but the moon's altitude in the sky. A bright moon overhead floods the whole sky, but the same moon near the horizon barely dims the stars while gently lighting your foreground. Conditions right around moonrise and moonset — at the right phase — score highest, and a moon below the horizon means the darkest possible sky.

FIND WHERE TO SHOOT
- Best Conditions Nearby: scan a 50-mile radius for the clearest skies in the next few hours.
- Locations: a map of photogenic spots within 10 miles — viewpoints, parks, lakes and coastline, landmarks, museums and public art — each scored for current conditions.

KNOW YOUR SETTINGS
Tap any hour for suggested aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance tailored to the conditions and your selected photo type — plus contextual tips. A built-in guide covers exposure, the histogram, and how to use aperture- and shutter-priority modes.

REMINDERS
Get a heads-up when top-tier conditions are coming for your saved locations.

No account. No ads. No tracking. Your location is used only to fetch forecasts and is never sold or shared. Just better photos.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Hour-by-hour photography condition forecasts
- Seven photography modes (Landscape, Portrait, etc.)
- Golden hour, blue hour, and astronomical darkness calculations
- Astrophotography-specific moon modeling
- Find best conditions nearby and photogenic locations
- Suggested camera settings and exposure tips
- Reminders for optimal conditions

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open Skies Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Open Skies Premium Annual | $14.99 | per year |


## Is Open Skies PhotoForecast safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Open Skies PhotoForecast.

## Is Open Skies PhotoForecast legit?

Open Skies PhotoForecast has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Open Skies PhotoForecast is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Frequently asked questions about Open Skies PhotoForecast

### What photography types does Open Skies support?

Open Skies supports seven photography modes: Landscape, Portrait, Street, Wildlife, Astrophotography, Macro, and Fog & Mist. Each mode is scored differently based on how specific weather conditions impact the desired photographic outcome.

### How does Open Skies calculate light conditions?

It calculates golden hour, blue hour, and astronomical darkness based on the real sun position at your exact coordinates. This is more precise than generic sunset offsets.

### Does Open Skies have ads?

No, Open Skies is ad-free. The app explicitly states 'No ads' and focuses on providing a clean user experience without interruptions.

### Can I find good photo locations with Open Skies?

Yes, Open Skies includes a feature to map photogenic spots within a 10-mile radius. These locations are scored based on current conditions, helping you find the best places to shoot nearby.

### What devices is Open Skies available on?

Open Skies is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices. It is designed for iOS users.

### How often is Open Skies updated?

The app was last updated on September 7, 2026, indicating active development. The latest version is 1.0.1.

### What are the privacy features of Open Skies?

Open Skies does not require an account, track users, or sell/share your location data. Your location is used solely for fetching forecasts.

### Does Open Skies offer a free trial?

Open Skies is completely free to download and use. There is no need for a free trial as all features are accessible without payment.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.0.4 — 2026-10-20

Better map features, quality of life improvements, improved forecasting

### 1.0.2 — 2026-09-30

The photography guide is much bigger. Every style — landscape, portrait, street, wildlife, astro, macro, fog — now covers camera technique, lighting, composition, and step-by-step editing in Lightroom, with new diagrams for composition, light direction, focal length, and handheld shutter speeds.

Locations: search or pan the map to any area to find photo spots there, without changing the location your forecast is showing.

Wildlife scoring now tells you what to look for in built-up areas — deer and raptors on the greenways, waterfowl along river corridors — instead of only what isn't there.

Fixes: the forecast refreshes when it goes stale instead of showing hours-old data, locations in other time zones now show their own local hours, and the aperture diagram no longer overlaps itself on smaller screens.

### 1.0.1 — 2026-09-07

Continuous light-quality scoring: late afternoon and early morning hours are now rated on a smooth curve from the sun's angle instead of switching on abruptly at golden hour.

New Home tab with your saved locations at a glance, each showing the best photography style right now.

Seven-day forecast, severe-weather alerts, and a searchable photography guide.

Fixes: aperture diagram layout on smaller screens, location search suggestions, and duplicate location cards.

### 1.0 — 2026-09-03

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-24.*