Guide to Using Golden Hour Now

Golden Hour Now is built for speed: search your location, pick a date, and the page converts sun position into a clean, color‑coded timeline (Blue AM → Golden AM → Daylight → Golden PM → Blue PM). A big “Next event” countdown tells you what’s coming up and when.

Think of it as a light assistant. Use it to call meet‑ups, time your setup, and decide when to pivot from warm golden hour to cool blue hour without guessing or digging through menus.

• Location & date: Search a city or use your location; pick today, tomorrow, or a specific date.
• Timeline: Bands show the usable light windows for photographers, not just sunrise/sunset.
• Next event: A live countdown so you can call, “we start in 12 minutes” with confidence.
• Event list: Sorted times (start/end) for Blue AM, Golden AM/PM, and Blue PM in local time.

A simple plan that works almost everywhere: arrive 30–45 minutes before Golden PM starts, shoot backlit while the sun is higher, pivot to side‑light as it drops, then switch to tripod for blue hour as city lights balance the sky. If you’re up early, do the same in reverse for morning light.

Why guides matter: Even though Golden Hour Now makes it easy to read light windows, the real art happens in how you use them. That’s where our guides come in. Each one is built from countless field sessions and aims to translate numbers into creative decisions. Below is a closer look at what you’ll find in each section.

Golden Hour vs. Blue Hour

The difference between golden and blue hour goes beyond colour: during golden hour the sun sits low on the horizon and bathes scenes in warm, soft light【569093861045080†screenshot】. Shadows stretch, highlights roll off gently, and skin tones glow. Blue hour begins once the sun dips below the horizon; skylight turns cobalt and artificial lights start to balance. This guide explains when to switch, how to adjust exposure, and why you might prefer the calm of blue hour for cityscapes and long exposures. It also includes sample camera settings for portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, and even mobile shooters so you’re never guessing in the field.

City Guide

Every city has its own golden‑hour rhythm—layers of architecture, traffic patterns, and public‑access rules. Our city guides are curated lists of 10 or more locations in a metropolitan area, complete with why each spot works, where to stand, and practical notes on parking and safety. The Los Angeles guide, for example, covers classic lookouts like Griffith Observatory and Santa Monica Pier, while also suggesting lesser‑known parks and roof‑tops. Each spot includes suggested focal lengths, exposure ranges, crowd and parking tips, and blue‑hour backup plans. Future guides will feature cities around the world; feel free to send us your favourites via the contact page.

Mobile‑only Golden Hour

You don’t need a DSLR to capture stunning golden‑hour photos. Modern smartphones have excellent sensors and computational photography features, but they require a different approach. This guide keeps things simple with recommended ISO ranges, shutter speeds, and white‑balance settings for both golden and blue hour. It explains how to stabilise your phone using body bracing, mini tripods, or improvised supports, and when to use Night mode versus manual control. It also covers compositional tricks like using reflections and silhouettes to add depth when you can’t zoom optically.

Drone Golden‑Hour Shoots

Aerial photography during golden hour opens up entirely new perspectives. Warm side‑light sculpts landscapes, long shadows reveal topography, and the changing sky adds drama with every minute. Our drone guide begins with safety: checking airspace, setting return‑to‑home altitude, and managing battery performance in cooler morning temperatures. It then explores reading shadows for texture, choosing camera settings, and composing like a filmmaker in the sky. Whether you’re flying over fields, forests, or city blocks, the guide teaches you how to work with movement, use ND filters, and grade footage for a cinematic feel. Blue hour has its own section too, with tips for long‑exposure aerials and balancing city lights against the fading sky.

Next: dive deeper with these short guides