Photography · LightTide
When is golden hour for photography
Golden hour is the period just after sunrise and just before sunset when the sun is low and its light is warm and soft. Most planners define it by sun elevation, ending around 6 degrees above the horizon, rather than a fixed 60 minutes. Its length depends on latitude and season: short near the equator, long toward the poles.
What golden hour actually is
Wikipedia defines the golden hour in photography as the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset during which daylight is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. PetaPixel describes the same thing from the camera side: when the sun is low, its light passes through more atmosphere, which scatters the blue and leaves the gold, orange, and red, and diffuses the light so highlights and shadows are less harsh than at midday.
For a photographer that means three things at once. Lower contrast, so a scene fits in the sensor's range without blown skies or black shadows. Warm color without a filter. And long shadows that show texture in landscapes and shape in faces. Wikipedia notes that the 1978 film Days of Heaven was praised for cinematography shot almost entirely in this light.
It is a sun angle, not a clock hour
The word hour is figurative. Wikipedia points out that duration depends on latitude and season, and gives Los Angeles as an example: about one hour after sunrise or before sunset there, the sun reaches an altitude of roughly 10 to 12 degrees. Closer to the equator the sun climbs steeply and the warm light is gone in well under an hour. Farther from the equator it climbs at a shallow angle and the light stays low for longer. At extreme latitudes in the right season, Wikipedia notes, the effect can last all day.
Because of this, planning tools define golden hour by the sun's elevation above the horizon rather than by minutes. PetaPixel observes that while the rule of thumb is about one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset, most apps default to roughly 40 minutes on either side, and the exact window is a matter of taste. A common convention is the stretch from the sun at about 6 degrees above the horizon down to sunset; some photographers start earlier.
The US Naval Observatory's definitions anchor the other end. Sunrise and sunset are the moments the upper edge of the sun's disk reaches the horizon, which for calculation purposes is the sun's center at 50 arcminutes below the horizon. Civil twilight runs from there until the center is 6 degrees below, nautical twilight until 12 degrees below, and astronomical twilight until 18 degrees below.
Blue hour comes next
After the sun sets, golden light gives way to blue. Wikipedia's article on the blue hour says the blue color spectrum is most prominent when the sun is between 4 and 8 degrees below the horizon, which places it around civil twilight and the start of nautical twilight in the Naval Observatory's terms. The same article gives a typical duration of about 20 to 96 minutes after sunset or before sunrise, depending on time of year, location, and air quality, and notes that it is shorter near the equator and longer toward the poles.
PetaPixel recommends blue hour for cityscapes and long exposures, because artificial lights balance against the sky and the sky itself still has color rather than going black. In the morning the order reverses: blue hour first, then golden hour, then flat daylight.
So a single evening session has a sequence: golden hour ending at sunset, a few minutes of transition, then blue hour running until the sun is roughly 8 degrees down. Knowing the times of both lets you plan two different kinds of photograph from one location without moving.
Working out the times for where you are
You need three inputs: your latitude and longitude, the date, and the sun elevation you consider the edge of golden hour. From those, the sun's position can be computed for any minute of the day, which is what every planning app and website does. PetaPixel names the common tools, and any of them will give sunrise, sunset, and golden and blue hour windows for a pinned location.
A planner that shows the sun's direction on a map is more useful than a list of times, because golden hour light is directional. Knowing that sunset is at 19:42 tells you when; knowing the sun will be at 285 degrees tells you which ridge it will light and which face of the building will be in shadow. LightTide is one such planner that computes the sun, the moon, and the Milky Way position on the phone without a connection, and a printed sun chart for your latitude gives the same direction information the slow way.
Check the times the day before, not the morning of. Golden hour moves by a minute or two each day, and by much more across the seasons at higher latitudes. In midsummer at 55 degrees north the evening golden hour starts late and blue hour never fully ends; in midwinter the whole sequence runs before most people finish work.
Making the most of the window
Arrive early. PetaPixel's advice is to plan the session so you are not rushing, since the best light may last twenty minutes and you cannot pause it. Be at the spot with the composition worked out before the sun reaches your chosen angle.
Use the direction. Backlight subjects for rim light on hair and edges; PetaPixel suggests a reflector to fill faces when shooting into the sun, and a narrow aperture such as f/16 to turn the sun into a starburst. Side light shows texture in landscapes. Front light is the flattest of the three, but it is still warmer and softer than midday.
Stay after sunset. Many photographers pack up when the sun goes down and miss the best sky color, which often comes ten to twenty minutes later during blue hour. If you are set up with a tripod, the transition from golden to blue is the cheapest second shoot you will ever get.
Frequently asked questions
Is golden hour really an hour long?
No. Wikipedia and PetaPixel both note the term is figurative. Its length depends on latitude and season: short near the equator, long toward the poles, and at extreme latitudes it can last most of the day in some seasons.
What sun angle defines golden hour?
There is no official standard. Planners commonly treat it as the period when the sun is below about 6 degrees above the horizon. Wikipedia notes that one hour after sunrise in Los Angeles the sun is at about 10 to 12 degrees, so a strict 6 degree definition gives a shorter window there.
What is the difference between golden hour and blue hour?
Golden hour is when the sun is low but up, giving warm directional light. Blue hour is after sunset or before sunrise when the sun is roughly 4 to 8 degrees below the horizon and the sky is a deep blue. Blue hour typically lasts 20 to 96 minutes according to Wikipedia.
Is morning or evening golden hour better?
The light is the same physics. Morning is usually calmer and clearer with fewer people; evening is warmer after a day of haze and dust, and easier to schedule. Pick by the direction you need the light to come from.
How do I find golden hour times for my location?
Use a sun calculator or planning app with your location and date. Tools that show the sun's direction on a map, not just the time, help you decide where to stand.
