Photo · Everysky
What is golden hour and how to find it
Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise and before sunset when the sun is low and its light is redder and softer than at midday. It lasts about an hour at mid latitudes, less near the equator and longer toward the poles. Find it by taking today's local sunrise and sunset times and working an hour in from each.
Why the light turns gold when the sun is low
When the sun is close to the horizon its light passes through far more of the atmosphere than at noon. The atmosphere scatters short blue wavelengths more than long red ones, so by the time the light reaches you the blue has been stripped out and what remains is yellow, orange and red. Wikipedia gives the resulting colour temperatures as about 2,000 K shortly after sunrise or before sunset, about 3,500 K during the golden hour, and about 5,500 K at midday.
The second effect is direction. Adobe's guide describes the light as softer because the rays arrive at an angle rather than from overhead, and as directional, which makes rim lighting, backlighting and silhouettes possible. Shadows are long and fall sideways, so texture in landscapes and faces is revealed rather than flattened.
The third effect is contrast. With the sun low and much of its energy scattered, the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of a scene is smaller than at midday, which Wikipedia notes reduces the harsh shadows and blown highlights that make noon photography difficult. Phone cameras in particular handle this range well without any special settings.
How long golden hour really lasts
The name suggests sixty minutes, but the real length depends on how fast the sun climbs, and that depends on your latitude and the season. Wikipedia describes golden hour in terms of the sun reaching roughly 10 degrees above the horizon, and gives Los Angeles as an example where the sun is at about 10 to 12 degrees one hour after sunrise or before sunset, so there the hour is about right.
Near the equator the sun rises and sets almost vertically, so it reaches 10 degrees in well under an hour and golden light is brief. Far from the equator it climbs at a shallow angle and takes longer, so golden hour can stretch past an hour. At high enough latitudes in winter the sun never reaches 10 degrees at all, and Wikipedia notes that the whole short day can have the qualities of golden hour.
Season changes it too. Near the summer solstice the sun's path is longer and shallower at sunrise and sunset, so golden hour lasts longer than it does in the same place near the winter solstice. If you photograph the same street in June and December, expect the warm light to hang around noticeably longer in June.
Golden hour, blue hour and twilight are different things
Golden hour happens while the sun is above the horizon. Blue hour happens after it has set or before it has risen, when the sky is lit only indirectly. Wikipedia describes the blue hour as the period when the sun is at a significant depth below the horizon and the light takes on predominantly blue tones with minimal shadows.
Astronomers divide twilight by how far the sun's centre is below the horizon. Civil twilight runs from the horizon down to 6 degrees, nautical twilight from 6 to 12 degrees, and astronomical twilight from 12 to 18 degrees. Blue hour sits inside civil twilight and the early part of nautical twilight. After 18 degrees the sky is fully dark.
For sky photography this ordering matters. An evening gives you golden hour first, then sunset, then blue hour as civil twilight fades, then darkness. A morning runs the same sequence in reverse. Adobe suggests staying out after sunset to shoot the blue hour rather than packing up when the sun goes, because the deep blue period is short and often overlooked.
How to find today's golden hour where you are
The reliable inputs are your location and today's sunrise and sunset times, which any weather app or search engine will give you. At mid latitudes take the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset as your working window. Nearer the equator shorten that window to well under an hour, and at high latitudes in summer allow well over an hour.
For a precise start, use a sun position calculator that shows the sun's altitude in degrees. Golden hour is under way from the moment the sun is up until it reaches about 10 degrees on Wikipedia's definition, and mirrors that in the evening. Adobe recommends using a golden hour calculator or app that identifies exact sunset times and sun positions so that you can be in place before it starts.
Then set a reminder. The light changes every minute, as Adobe puts it, and the most common mistake is arriving when the sun is already on the horizon. Apps that alert you before sunset help here; Everysky, for instance, notifies you thirty minutes before sunset at your current location, which is enough time to get outside and frame a shot before the warmest light arrives.
Shooting the sky during golden hour
Scout the spot in advance. Adobe's first tip is to plan ahead and visualise compositions, because the window is short and you will not have time to wander. Know which direction the sun sets from your spot, and whether buildings or hills will block the last few degrees.
Shoot a lot and keep shooting. The colour shifts from yellow to orange to red across the window, and the sky opposite the sun changes too, often turning pink. Adobe's advice to shoot frequently applies doubly to skies, where clouds can light up for only a minute or two.
Manage the contrast when shooting toward the sun. Adobe suggests raising shadows and pulling down highlights in editing, shooting in RAW where your camera allows it, and using fill light or a reflector for faces. For a plain sky shot, expose for the bright part of the sky and let the foreground fall to silhouette, which is usually the more striking picture.
Keep a daily record. Golden hour looks different every day because clouds, haze and season change it, and one photo a day at the same time builds a useful archive of how your local sky behaves through the year. A sky diary that stamps each photo with the date and place does the bookkeeping for you.
Frequently asked questions
What time is golden hour
Roughly the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset at mid latitudes. Look up today's sunrise and sunset for your location and work an hour inward from each. It is shorter near the equator and longer near the poles.
Is golden hour before or after sunset
Before. Golden hour is the warm light while the sun is still above the horizon. After sunset comes blue hour, when the sky is lit indirectly and turns deep blue.
How is golden hour defined in degrees
Definitions vary, but a common one used on Wikipedia is the period from sunrise until the sun reaches about 10 degrees above the horizon, and the mirror of that in the evening. Colour temperature during that window is about 3,500 K compared with 5,500 K at midday.
Why is golden hour so short where I live
Near the equator the sun rises and sets steeply, so it climbs through the golden range quickly. Golden light there can last well under an hour, while at high latitudes in summer it can last much longer.
Do I need special camera settings for golden hour
Not for a phone. If you are shooting toward the sun, expose for the sky and accept a silhouette, or shoot RAW and lift the shadows later. Otherwise the reduced contrast of low sun makes exposure easier than at midday.
