Monitor water levels for your coastal photography with the My Tide Times app

Watch video: Monitor water levels for your coastal photography

The weather isn’t your only environmental consideration when shooting a seascape, as tides can be an equally important factor. The position of the sea can impact your composition and what you’re able to shoot; if you’re planning to use rock pools as foreground interest, for example, you’ll need to shoot at low tide, but if you want your subject surrounded by water then you might have to wait until it rises.

This isn’t just about photography, either. For safety reasons, anybody visiting the coast should be aware of tidal conditions, as water levels can change surprisingly quickly and differ from day to day. You certainly don’t want to have to abandon your camera kit as you rush for higher ground! 

• Read more: 5 essential apps for photographers

Photographers are particularly susceptible to shifting tides, as it’s all too easy to ignore your surroundings while you focus on capturing the perfect shot. Simply put, researching tides could save your life. The BBC’s tide tables are a great place to start and can be found online, but if you’re out in the field an app like My Tide Times is a useful asset. 

According to the developer: “The app uses information from the UKHO (UK Hydrographic Office),” but it isn’t just limited to use in the UK – it contains tidal information for over 40 countries. It features plenty of additional information that’s of use to photographers, like the moon phase, and times for sunrise and sunset, too.

How to use the My Tide Times app

(Image credit: My Tide Times)

1. Nationwide tides

My Tide Times isn’t just useful in the UK – it works in over 40 countries, and the app's main interface is a surprisingly detailed map of the world. Red markers are present along coastlines that can be selected to reveal a plethora of information on that specific location.

(Image credit: My Tide Times)

2. Set your location 

To find a location you can use the search bar or scroll around and zoom into the map to find places manually. You can also allow the app to track your location so that it will send you a list of the nearest tidal spots, which you can select to retrieve data quickly.

(Image credit: My Tide Times)

3. Information overload

Once you’ve selected a location, you’re presented with a plethora of information – including times and depths for low and high tide, as well as the moon phase, its distance and the zodiac sign. It even tells you when the sun and moon will each rise and set.

(Image credit: My Tide Times)

4. Planning ahead 

You can access future predictions via the arrows either side of the location name, and the data will change accordingly. The UK doesn’t allow predictions as far in advance as other countries – which, according to the developer, is to comply with UKHO rules. 

(Image credit: My Tide Times)

5. Mapped out 

Although My Tide Times probably won’t replace the more detailed map-related apps you have on your smart device, you’ll find a surprising amount of detail when you zoom in on the digital map. It details settlements, roads and even a few places of interest, which is certainly useful in a pinch. You’ll even find tidal information for major bodies of water that travel inland, like the Thames and River Severn.

N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine

N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine is a monthly publication that's entirely dedicated to Nikon users. For the best news, reviews, projects and more, subscribe to N-Photo today! 


Read more:

The best tripod for photographers 
Best cameras for landscape photography
The best camera bag for travel

Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...

Read more
Black-and-white landscape photograph of Porthcawl Lighthouse being battered by crashing waves during a storm
"The wind was ferocious and the sea spray was relentless, making it difficult to keep my lens clean," says photographer caught in one of Britain's wildest storms
A landscape photograph of waves crashing against craggy rocks during a storm on the County Kerry coast in Ireland.
"I photographed a fierce storm raging along the rocky coast of Ireland with my Nikon Z9 and a super-telephoto lens"
Mountain valley during sunrise. Natural summer landscape
9 landscape photography tips I think every photographer should know
Colourful trees frame a small river, photographed with a long exposure
I love to shoot long exposures in the rain – here’s why I head to the woods!
A misty morning at Glastonbury Tor with cows heading home and the sun rising
I got up at 6am to capture this landscape – and the misty conditions made it totally worth it
Best lenses for landscapes
The best lenses for landscapes: wide-angle zooms for capturing sweeping vistas
Latest in Apps
Blackmagic Camera App
I think the Blackmagic Camera app is a perfect tool for content creators – here's why!
The mobile Photoshop app on an iPhone
Photoshop for free? I'm impressed by the new Photoshop iPhone app, but here’s what’s missing compared to the real thing
The Panasonic Lumix Flow app displayed on a smartphone
Lumix Flow looks like an intriguing app for storyboarding and shot lists – and you don't need a Panasonic (or even a camera) to use it
Animation of a pianist using Canon's Live Switcher Mobile app to change the camera angle of their livestream
This FREE Canon app enables you to use iPhones and iPads as multi-angle cameras
The Halide iPhone camera app icon with the roman numerals for three behind it
Photography app Halide is about to get a major overhaul – and the one feature users are asking for the most
Original image (left) and Lentil AI: Photo Art Generator generated image (right) made to look like characters inspired by Minecraft
iPhone camera app turned me into a Minecraft character and my surroundings into a scene from the Lego Movie
Latest in Tutorials
Total lunar eclipse
How I’ll photograph the blood moon total lunar eclipse tonight, one of the best astrophotography events of the year
Wildlife portrait of a gannet in front of a clean green background
10 tips for wildlife photography from birds in flight to insect close-ups
Mountain valley during sunrise. Natural summer landscape
9 landscape photography tips I think every photographer should know
Bride and groom hold hands aloft backlit against the sun on their wedding day
Want to be a wedding photographer? Here are my 11 tips that will help you get there the RIGHT way
Colourful trees frame a small river, photographed with a long exposure
I love to shoot long exposures in the rain – here’s why I head to the woods!
What is ISO in photography?