Golden Hour Calculator

Chasing the Light Instead of Guessing at It

Golden hour gets its name from the warm, low-angle sunlight that occurs when the sun sits close to the horizon — photographers and cinematographers rely on it for the softest shadows and warmest color temperature of the day. Its exact clock time shifts every day and with location, so anchoring it to that day's sunrise and sunset time is the only reliable way to plan a shoot around it.

The Formula

This calculator uses the standard clock-time approximation for golden hour, built directly from your local sunrise and sunset times:

This tracks the widely used definition of golden hour as the period when the sun is roughly between 0° and 6° above the horizon — near the equator and around the equinoxes the sun crosses that band in close to an hour, which is why the one-hour window is the standard rule of thumb. At high latitudes or near the solstices, the sun can linger in that low band far longer, so treat the one-hour estimate as a planning baseline rather than a fixed law.

Where This Timing Matters

• Outdoor portraits — low sun angle fills in shadows under the eyes and brow without a reflector or flash.
• Landscape and architecture — warm, raking light adds texture to terrain and building facades that flat midday light erases.
• Wedding and event scheduling — couples and planners often build the outdoor portrait slot around the evening golden hour window months in advance.
• Film and video production — call sheets frequently list golden hour explicitly since crews have only a narrow window to capture it.

How to Use This Calculator

1. Enter today's sunrise time, in 24-hour format (06:45) or 12-hour format (6:45 AM).
2. Enter today's sunset time in the same format.
3. Select Calculate to see the morning and evening golden hour windows.

Related Calculations

Once you know your shoot window, plan depth of field for the shot with the Depth of Field Calculator, or dial in exposure for the lower light with the Camera Exposure Calculator.