Here’s a simple photo app that will help lift your pictures out of the amateur zone.

>> Name: Lumy

>> Available: iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple Watch. Requires iOS8 or later.

>> Cost: $1.99

>> What it does: Tells you exactly when a photographer’s coveted “morning magic hour” (sunrise) and “evening magic hour” (sunset) will occur at a specified destination around the world.

>> What’s hot: I’m an amateur photographer, so I know that the soft light at sunset and sunrise is best for taking photos. The attractive and easy-to-use Lumy app lets you set a calendar for your location and date and enables notifications alerting you to when the golden hours occur. It also gives you a heads up about the weather for even better planning. If you’re ready to step up your photography skills, you can double tap the main screen and get seven more photo-centric times such as morning astronomical twilight or evening nautical twilight, to name two. My favorite part? You can access the information offline.

>> What’s not: I accidentally missed a “morning magic hour” in Rome because it was too easy to sleep through the 4:30 a.m. notification. For me the information is incredibly useful, but I need to set an alarm. If I had one request for the developer, it would be a community home where Lumy app users could share their photos.
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Jay Leo, Los Angeles Times