Case Study
Designing the missing companion app for street photographers
Street photography is mostly walking and waiting. You cover ground, watch the light change, and if you're lucky something happens in front of you.
At a glance
- A native iOS app, designed and built end to end
- Built entirely on Apple APIs, so there's no server, no accounts and no third-party code
- In beta on my own iPhone
The problem
Fitness apps answer the wrong questions. A photographer out chasing the light wants to know:
- How do I find that back street again?
- How do I come back to a great scene when the light is right?
- Which way should I head to catch the best light before it's gone?
- How can I keep motivated when there's nothing to shoot?
The solution
The companion app for street photographers you never knew you needed.
1. A map with nothing in the way
- Stripped-back map. No shops, landmarks or traffic, just the streets and the route you're walking.
- Press play and go. StreetPal starts plotting your walk straight away, with nothing to set up.
2. Reading the light
- Keep the sun behind you. A compass shows which way to head so the light falls on your subject, not into your lens.
- Weather with a tap. Tap the compass for current conditions and when golden hour starts, so you can decide whether to head out now or put the kettle on first.
3. Capturing a scene to come back to
- Jot it down on the spot. Tap the note button to record a field note before the moment slips your mind.
- Add the details. Write a description for later, like "wait for someone to walk past the red door".
- Snap a reference shot. The in-app camera is built for one hand, so the other can hold your real camera.
- Find it again. Save the note and a marker drops onto your route where you were standing.
4. Every walk in one place
- Walk totals. Kilometres covered and time spent out, for any year you choose, above a list of every walk you've recorded.
- Relive the route. Tap a walk to see where you went, the notes you made and the conditions on the day.
- All your notes together. Every field note from every walk in one tab, for planning the next route.
5. Keeping inspired
- Projects to warm up with. The projects tab comes loaded with prompts for days when you're not sure what you're looking for.
- Catch ideas as they come. Had an idea on the bus? Add it as a project so it's waiting next time you head out.
6. Made entirely from Apple APIs
Using Apple's own tools means there's no server to run, no passwords or keys to keep safe, no accounts, no sharing data with other companies and no third-party code to keep updated.
- Position from GPS and the iPhone's motion sensors, matched to real streets with Apple Maps
- Real-time weather from Apple WeatherKit
- Sun-position compass and golden-hour time worked out on the phone
- Walks saved to Apple Health through HealthKit
- Pause and resume walks from the lock screen
Work in progress
The name (StreetPal) and branding were stitched together rather quickly. If the app ever makes it beyond my own iPhone, both will get a proper rethink.
Fancy being a beta tester? Drop me a line!
