Free shoot planner for iPhone

Plan every shoot around the light.

Golden hour for any spot, a brief for the day, and quotes and invoices that look the part. Umbra is the shoot planner for photographers and videographers who run the business from their phone.

Download on the App Store
  • Free
  • No accounts
  • Works offline
A shoot brief in Umbra for Mia Calder's portrait at Barangaroo Reserve: leave by 6:36 pm with a 14-minute drive in traffic, directions, and the evening light with golden hour at 6:54 pm and sunset at 7:29 pm.

The light

A golden hour calculator that knows where you’re shooting.

Sunrise, sunset, golden hour and blue hour, worked out on your iPhone for the exact spot and date. No signal needed.

One day of light

Example times. Umbra works them out for your spot.

See where the light falls

The sun map shows where the light falls at your location at any time of day, so you can plan where to stand before you arrive.

Umbra's sun map over Sydney, showing the sun's direction from Barangaroo Reserve at 7:00 pm in golden hour, with a vivid sunset glow forecast.

Glow forecast

A rating for the chance of a colourful sunrise or sunset, so you know when it’s worth staying out a little longer.

Rain watch

A heads-up the evening before a shoot if rain is on the way, with time to move it.

Light check when you book

Booking a portrait at midday? Umbra flags the harsh light and offers to move the shoot to golden hour.

The day of the shoot

Everything for the day, in one brief.

Book a shoot in seconds. On the day, Umbra tells you when to leave, what the light and weather are doing, and what you still need to capture.

The shoot brief

One screen for the whole shoot.

  • When to leave, with traffic
  • The light and the forecast
  • A shot list you can tick off
  • Your notes and mood board
Further down the shoot brief: a mood board of six reference images, the client's contact details with a button to send the prep card, and the job's price and stage.

On your Lock Screen

On shoot day, a Live Activity keeps the shoot in view on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.

The iPhone Lock Screen with Umbra's shoot-day Live Activity: leave by 12:35 pm, a countdown to the shoot and golden hour from 6:54 pm.

A prep card for your client

Send your client the time, the place, the light and what to wear, so they arrive ready and relaxed.

Client records keep your notes and important dates, with reminders when it’s time to rebook.

The business side

Quotes, invoices and the tax-time pack. Done on your phone.

A photographer invoice app and client manager in one. Look professional to clients and spend less of your evening on admin.

Quotes with deposits and payment plans

Split a wedding into a deposit and instalments. Each payment becomes an invoice when it’s due.

Clean PDF invoices

Tidy PDF invoices you can send to clients straight from your phone.

Expenses and receipts

Scan a receipt with your iPhone camera and it’s filed against the expense.

Finance at a glance

Revenue, profit and progress towards your financial year goal.

Tax time

A tidy pack for your accountant when the financial year ends.

Set up for where you work

Each country has its own currency, tax name, tax rate and financial year, so GST and VAT come out right.

  • Australia AUD
  • New Zealand NZD
  • United Kingdom GBP
  • Ireland EUR
  • Canada CAD
  • United States USD
An accepted quote in Umbra totalling $5,550 including GST, with a payment plan: the $1,665 deposit has been invoiced, and the $2,220 second payment and $1,665 balance are not yet due.
Payment plans turn into invoices when each part is due.
Umbra's Finance overview for the financial year: revenue received, progress towards the yearly goal and a plain-English summary.
Revenue, profit and your financial year goal at a glance.

Private by design

Your clients’ details stay yours.

Everything lives on your iPhone and in your own iCloud. There’s nothing to sign up for, and I never see your data.

  • No accounts
  • No ads
  • No tracking
  • Your own iCloud
  • Works offline
Read the privacy policy

Tools

The small things that make a shoot run smoothly.

Posing guide

A posing library with cues to say and setup notes for each pose.

Shot list templates

Start every wedding, family or brand shoot from a list you trust.

Widgets

Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets keep the day’s shoots a glance away.

Smart help

On Apple Intelligence iPhones, a morning brief and plain-English finance summaries, written on the device.

Questions

Good to know

Is Umbra really free?

Yes. Umbra is free, with no in-app purchases, no subscriptions and no ads.

Does it work without signal?

Yes. Sun times, golden hour and blue hour are worked out on your iPhone, and your bookings, clients, quotes and invoices are stored on it, so they all work at beaches, parks and venues with no signal. The weather forecast needs a connection.

Where is my data stored?

On your iPhone and, if you use iCloud, in your own private iCloud account. There are no accounts, and I can’t see your data. Read the privacy policy.

Which iPhones does it need?

Any iPhone running iOS 17 or later. Smart help, the morning brief and finance summaries, needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.

Does it work outside Australia?

Yes. The light planning works anywhere. The business side is set up for Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US, each with its own currency, tax name, tax rate and financial year.

Can I export for my accountant?

Yes. Tax time puts together a pack for your accountant covering your revenue and expenses for the financial year.

Does it have an iPad or Mac app?

Not yet. Umbra is iPhone only for now.

How do I get support?

Email hello@nathandarma.com. I read and answer every email myself. There’s more on the support page.

Catch the light. Leave the admin.

Download on the App Store
  • Free
  • No accounts
  • Works offline