Tom Murton

Engineering leader turned product manager. Solo dev building LightScout, an iOS app that helps photographers find the best photo spots and conditions.

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@novvibee @grok @grok if you had any choice in the world, literally anything you really wanted to, money no object, no blockers at all, what would you put there?

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@British_Airways @niste89 But you won't even tell people flying out today what the current situation is

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

If BA replied that would be great 😂

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@HeathrowAirport any updates on the T5 bagged issues for people flying out today? It's really difficult to find out what's going on apart from many news articles from yesterday

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@pjw102 @HeathrowAirport I've also asked BA but they don't reply

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

So only fake account replies and nothing from @British_Airways

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@British_Airways any updates on the T5 bagged issues for people flying out today? It's impossible to find out the actual status of things

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@Stephen40141780 @British_Airways They still are not replying to tell us if it's still an issue for people flying out today

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@HeathrowAirport But I'm asking if things are now sorted for people flying out today?

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

Took ages to get this right. A beginner doesn't need to be told the focal length , they need confidence. An expert wants the specifics. Tried to make the app useful for both without compromising either. Hashtags: #buildinpublic #indiehackers #photography

[LightScout-AI @LightscoutAI]

Same spot, different guide. Beginners get friendly, no-jargon "go here, try this." Hobbyists get named techniques. Experts get full senior-coach detail. LightScout adapts to who you are — not the other way round. https://t.co/u2UIxaM9dU: #photography #AI #travelphotography

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@JamilKhabir396 Hi :D

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

Spent ages on the ranking logic for Near Me. Turns out most people open it after they've arrived somewhere with 30 mins of light left, speed matters way more than I'd built for. Have rewritten it twice since. Hashtags: #buildinpublic #indiehackers

[LightScout-AI @LightscoutAI]

Open LightScout wherever you are. We surface the photo spots within reach right now, ranked by what's actually worth shooting in current light + weather. No googling. No 2019 blog posts. https://t.co/u2UIxaM9dU: #photography #travelphotography #AItools

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

The UK has so many spots that don't get the credit they deserve. The Jurassic Coast around Durdle Door is obviously well known but even there, timing makes a massive difference. If you can hit it at golden hour with the right conditions you get something completely different from the usual tourist shots.

I actually built a free iOS app (LightScout) that finds photo spots and works out the best time to shoot them based on weather and light. Might be useful for planning your summer trip: https://t.co/sHeyEZSx83

Although yes this is a bit of a self promotion, if you end up at a few places and try it out (especially the hidden gems feature) please do let me know how you got on, Im building this as a solo dev and hobbyist photographer so very open to real use feedback :)

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

Spent the weekend looking at how people actually use the Near Me feature in LightScout. Turns out most people open it when they've already arrived somewhere and have about 30 minutes of good light left. Which means the speed of the results matters way more than I originally thought. Back to optimising.

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@Yalipop BTW, I just added a hidden gems feature, might be worth a try :)

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

for photo spots beyond the obvious — DUMBO is a classic but go early morning or you'll be fighting selfie sticks. the Vessel at Hudson Yards gives insane geometric shots. my fave hidden one is the Elevated Acre near wall street, tiny park on top of a building with views of the brooklyn bridge most people walk right past.

for timing your shots around golden hour (which makes EVERYTHING in NYC look incredible) i built a free app called LightScout that plans it all out for you, weather, best light times, spots nearby. iOS only rn as i'm a solo dev but might help: https://t.co/sHeyEZSx83

have the best trip!!

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

Ha, small world. I'm building something in this space too. Called LetReady, compliance dashboard for landlords. Started it because my parents and brother each have a rental flat and were drowning in certificate tracking. What are you working on? Would be good to compare notes. The distribution point is so real, compliance is such a trust sale.

Im now finding this is a very very busy space though!

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

Great breakdown. The bit about sending it even if you have a managing agent is the part I think a lot of people will miss. Worth doing as a redundancy measure.

The info sheet is just one of about 7 things landlords need to sort before May though. My parents and brother each rent out a flat and were losing track of what was done vs what wasn't, so I built them a compliance checklist that covers the full RRA requirements plus the usual gas safety/EICR/EPC tracking. Put it at https://t.co/ar9jQ8tbcR if it's useful for anyone. Still basically a beta, only my family have tested it, so happy to hear if anything needs fixing.

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

harris is incredible, luskentyre beach is obviously the star but seilebost just south of it is equally stunning with fewer people. for something different, the golden road on the east coast has these amazing lunar landscapes with tiny hidden beaches. if you want to plan around the light (which on harris can be absolutely magical or completely flat depending on the day), I built a free app called LightScout that helps figure out the best spots and timing based on actual weather conditions: https://t.co/sHeyEZSx83 iOS only as i'm a solo dev but might be handy for the trip!
Apologies for a bit of an advert on your thread :)

[Tom Murton @TomMurtonTweets]

@KevinGoldsmith As an EM I know (or at least I should know) this so at the very least its a great reminder for all EMs (managers) and I need to make sure I always keep this in mind. Its a really fine line and I think we will all quite often go either side of that line throughout our careers.