Golden Hour / Blue Hour Planner

Nearby Photography-Friendly Places

Early test using Google Places. These are suggested scenic or landmark-style places near the selected point, not guaranteed photography spots.

How the Golden Hour and Blue Hour Work

The golden hour is the time just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the sun sits low in the sky. Its light passes through more of the atmosphere, so it reaches you warmer, softer and from the side. Shadows get long, contrast drops and skin tones look flattering. The blue hour comes before sunrise and after sunset, when the sun is below the horizon. The sky is lit only by scattered light, so it turns a deep, even blue, and city lights balance nicely against it.

This planner works out both from the sun's height above the horizon at the place and date you choose:

• Golden hour: from sunrise until the sun is 6° above the horizon, and from 6° down to sunset in the evening.
• Blue hour: while the sun is between 12° and 6° below the horizon (nautical twilight), before sunrise and after sunset.
• Sunrise and sunset: when the top edge of the sun meets the horizon.

The sun times are calculated in your browser, so they work even if you don't enable Google Maps. The map only helps you pick a spot and suggests places nearby.

Why the times change with place and season

"Golden hour" is a name, not a fixed 60 minutes. Near the equator the sun rises and sets steeply, so the golden hour can be over in 20–30 minutes. Further north or south, and especially in winter, the sun moves at a shallow angle and the warm light can last well over an hour. In high summer at high latitudes the sun may never drop far enough for a true blue hour. Always check the exact date and place instead of relying on a rule of thumb.

Tips for shooting in golden hour and blue hour light

• Arrive early. Be set up 20–30 minutes before the window opens. The best colour often lasts only a few minutes.
• Check where the sun will be. Low sun from behind gives rim light; from the side it shows texture in landscapes and faces.
• Set white balance by hand. Auto white balance tends to cancel out the warm golden tones and the deep blue. Shoot RAW so you can fine-tune later.
• Bring a tripod for blue hour. Light levels drop fast, so expect exposures of several seconds at low ISO. Use the ND filter calculator if you want even longer exposures for smooth water or clouds.
• Plan your depth of field. Wide apertures help in fading light. The depth of field calculator shows how much of the scene stays sharp.
• Watch the weather. A few high clouds catch colour beautifully; a fully overcast sky or a thick bank on the horizon can block it entirely.

Plan a shoot from a photo you already took

Found a spot in an old photo? Open it in the EXIF viewer. If the photo has GPS data, you can send its location straight to this planner and see when the light will be best there.