Golden hour calculator

How to read the numbers

Golden hour is the stretch when the sun sits within about six degrees of the horizon: roughly the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise. Light is warm, soft and directional, and shadows are long. Most portrait photographers plan sessions to finish at sunset.

Blue hour runs from sunset to civil dusk (and from civil dawn to sunrise). The sky is still bright but the light is cool and even. It is lovely for moody couples work and city backgrounds, and it goes dark fast.

The recommended start time for an evening session is set so you finish ten minutes after sunset. For a morning session it starts ten minutes after sunrise, once the sun clears the horizon.

Why the exact spot matters

Sunset times change with latitude and longitude, not just with the city. A location twenty miles west of town sets a minute or two later, and hills or tree lines can cut your usable light short. Use the pin on the planner to mark the actual meeting point.

Send it to your client

The session planner turns these times into a client page with the map, the light, a weather check and what to wear. It is free.