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Sun & Moon Compass for Landscape Photography

Once on location, a live compass showing exactly where the sun and moon sit right now helps fine-tune a composition in real time, rather than relying on a plan made from home.

Sun & Moon Compass for Landscape Photography

Open the Sun & Moon Compass

Recommended settings

  • Use the live compass to confirm the sun's exact position matches what was planned before committing to a tripod position.
  • Check the moon's position too if it's visible — a well-placed moon can add a secondary point of interest to a wide landscape.

Tips for this niche

  • Weather and terrain can shift the actual best vantage point from what was planned — the live compass lets you adapt on the spot.
  • Recheck as the shoot progresses; both sun and moon move enough over 20-30 minutes to matter for a tight composition.

Got your Landscape settings dialed in?

Turn your landscape shoot into ready-to-post captions, hashtags and matching audio — free to try, no signup.

Want the full lesson?

This topic is covered in depth in Lesson 6: Shooting for a Genre.

Example scenario

Arriving at a planned viewpoint, the live compass shows the sun sitting slightly further right than expected due to a small change in vantage point from the original plan — enough to reposition a few metres and recover the intended composition before the light window closes.

Common mistakes

  • Relying entirely on a pre-trip plan without checking on location. terrain, trees or buildings not accounted for from home can block a planned sun position — the live compass catches this before you've set up and waited.
  • Not rechecking position during a long session. the sun's azimuth shifts meaningfully over 20-30 minutes — a composition that worked when you arrived may need adjusting later.

FAQ

Why use a live compass if the sun position was already planned in advance?
Terrain, obstructions and small changes in vantage point aren't always obvious from planning at home — a live check on location confirms the plan still holds before you commit to a composition.

Guides for this tool, by niche

Sun & Moon Compass for Architecture Photography

Troubleshooting

Why Can't I Line Up the Sun and Moon the Way I Planned?

Before the shoot

Landscape Photography shot list