Privacy Policy

1. Scope & Operator

This Privacy Policy applies to GoldenHourNow.com, including its planner, destination pages, guides, articles, and contact form. In this policy, “GoldenHourNow,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the owner/operator of GoldenHourNow.com.

GoldenHourNow does not require a user account, does not process payments, and does not provide a feature for uploading photographs. Some information is processed automatically when your browser requests a page. Other information is processed only when you search for a place, select a map point, choose “Use my location,” request forecast data, or submit the contact form.

2. Information We Process

• Planner inputs: A place-search term, latitude and longitude, selected date, place label, and resolved time zone.
• Device location: If you choose “Use my location” and grant browser permission, the browser may provide coordinates that are precise, depending on your device and settings.
• Contact information: If you send a message, the form collects your name, email address, reason for contacting us, subject, and message.
• Technical and usage information: When your browser connects to GoldenHourNow or an integrated service, request data may include an IP address, browser and device information, operating system, requested page or resource, referring page, date and time, and interaction or advertising data.

Please do not enter confidential or sensitive personal information into the location search or contact form.

3. How Location Selection Works

Searching for a place

When you enter a city, landmark, address, or other place name, the browser sends the search text to a GoldenHourNow serverless geocoding function. That function forwards the search to OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim service and returns a limited set of matching place labels and coordinates. Selecting a result makes those returned coordinates the active planner location.

Recent search results may be kept temporarily in the open page’s JavaScript memory to avoid repeating the same request. The current browser implementation keeps those results for up to five minutes. The serverless and content-delivery layers may also cache a response temporarily under their HTTP cache settings. GoldenHourNow does not use those search results to create a permanent account-level location history.

If you enter a valid latitude and longitude directly, the browser recognizes the coordinates locally rather than sending them to the place-name search service. The coordinates then follow the same planner-processing flow described below.

Using “Use My Location”

When you choose “Use My Location,” the browser asks for location permission. If you grant permission, the browser supplies latitude and longitude to the page. The precision depends on your device, browser, network, and location settings. If permission is denied, unavailable, or times out, the current production system does not substitute an IP-based location.

The selected coordinates are used in the browser to update the marker, resolve the geographic time zone, calculate solar events, and render sun-direction information. The time-zone library file is delivered through jsDelivr, but the coordinate-to-time-zone lookup itself runs in the browser; GoldenHourNow does not send the coordinates to jsDelivr for that lookup.

To populate Photography Weather and the 7-Day Photography Forecast, the selected coordinates, requested forecast time or dates, and unit preference are sent to a GoldenHourNow serverless weather function. That function requests forecast data from Google Weather and may use Open-Meteo as a fallback when usable primary-provider data is unavailable.

Selecting or moving a map point

When you click the map or drag its marker, the map supplies the selected latitude and longitude to the browser. The current production flow does not send a separate place-name or reverse-geocoding request merely because a map point was selected. The coordinates are processed through the same browser-side time-zone and solar-calculation flow and, when forecast panels are used, through the same weather-function flow described above.

When the interactive map is displayed or moved, the browser requests map tiles from OpenStreetMap for the area being viewed. The tile coordinates identify the viewed map area, and OpenStreetMap receives ordinary request information associated with those tile requests.

Planner URLs and browser history

For a non-default planner selection, GoldenHourNow may place latitude, longitude, place label, selected date, or time-zone values in the page URL so the current planning state can be copied or shared. The page normally updates that URL without reloading the document. Even without a reload, the URL may remain in browser history. If the page is reloaded, bookmarked, copied, shared, or later measured by an integrated service, the URL and its values may also appear in ordinary hosting, content-delivery, analytics, or recipient records.

Use a nearby city, public landmark, or approximate point instead of an exact home or other private address when precise coordinates are not necessary.

4. Browser Storage, Cookies, Analytics & Consent

GoldenHourNow planner state

The current planner keeps active coordinates, the place label, selected date, resolved time zone, calculated light windows, and recent results in JavaScript memory while the page is open. GoldenHourNow’s planner code does not write a persistent history of selected coordinates to localStorage, sessionStorage, or IndexedDB, and the site does not provide an account-based location-history feature.

Recent place-search results may remain in page memory for up to five minutes, and recent weather responses may remain in page memory for up to ten minutes. Those entries are intended as short-lived performance caches and ordinarily disappear when the page is refreshed or closed. Browser, hosting, serverless-function, and content-delivery caches may separately retain requests or responses for limited periods under their own settings.

URLs, browser history, and ordinary browser caching

Selected latitude, longitude, place, date, or time-zone values may appear in the planner URL. Those values can remain in browser history, bookmarks, copied links, hosting or security logs, analytics records, or records held by a recipient of a shared link. Your browser may also cache ordinary site files such as HTML, JavaScript, stylesheets, images, and map resources.

Google Analytics

GoldenHourNow uses Google Analytics to understand page usage and improve the site. The Analytics tag may load after a short delay or after a visitor interacts with or scrolls the page. Depending on Google’s configuration, consent state, browser settings, and applicable law, Analytics may use first-party cookies or similar identifiers and may process page URLs, referring pages, browser and device information, operating system, language, approximate geographic information, and interactions with the site. GoldenHourNow does not provide a user account identifier to Analytics because the site has no user-account system.

Network requests necessarily include an IP address. Google states that Google Analytics does not log or store IP addresses, although IP information may be used during collection for service operation, security, and approximate geographic reporting. Analytics data is retained according to the settings of the GoldenHourNow Analytics property and Google’s policies; aggregate reporting may be retained differently from user-level or event-level data.

Consent and privacy controls

GoldenHourNow uses Google’s Privacy & Messaging service for regional advertising consent and privacy choices where a message is configured and applicable. A European-regulations message may ask eligible visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland to make choices about cookies, local storage, advertising purposes, and participating vendors. A United States state-regulations message may offer an opt-out from activities described by applicable law as sale, sharing, or targeted advertising. The message and Google’s systems may store and communicate a consent or opt-out signal so those choices can be applied to supported Google advertising services.

Consent and privacy messages do not replace browser controls. You can also delete or block cookies and site data, clear browser history, revoke browser geolocation permission, and use the advertising controls described below. Blocking some technologies may affect analytics, advertising, consent messages, or parts of the site experience.

5. Advertising & Google AdSense

GoldenHourNow includes Google AdSense code and may display advertising served by Google. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a visitor’s prior visits to GoldenHourNow or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables Google and its partners to serve ads based on visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.

Google and other authorized advertising providers may place or read cookies on a visitor’s browser or use local storage, web beacons, IP addresses, device identifiers, or similar technologies as a result of ad serving. This information may be used for ad delivery, personalization where permitted, contextual advertising, frequency capping, aggregated reporting, measurement, security, and fraud prevention. Non-personalized or limited ads may still use cookies or similar technologies for functions such as frequency capping, aggregated reporting, security, and fraud prevention.

You can manage personalized advertising through Google Ads Settings. You may also review industry opt-out choices through the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page. Opting out of personalized advertising does not necessarily stop all advertising; ads may instead be based on factors such as the page being viewed, general location, or non-personalized signals.

Learn more about how Google uses information from sites and apps that use its services in Google’s partner-sites privacy information, Google’s Privacy Policy, and Google’s Analytics data safeguards information.

Where a Google Privacy & Messaging consent or opt-out message is displayed, use that message to make or revisit the choices it offers. The message may identify participating advertising vendors and the purposes for which data is requested. Other approved advertising vendors may process data under their own privacy policies and the choices made through the applicable consent interface.

6. Service Providers, Forms & Data Sharing

GoldenHourNow uses service providers to operate the site. A provider may receive the information needed to perform its function together with ordinary request data such as IP address, browser or user-agent information, requested URL or resource, referring page, and request time.

• Netlify: Website hosting, content delivery, HTTPS delivery, security functions, deployment, and GoldenHourNow’s serverless geocoding and weather endpoints.
• OpenStreetMap and Nominatim: OpenStreetMap supplies map tiles for the viewed area. Nominatim receives place-search text through the GoldenHourNow geocoding function and returns matching place labels and coordinates.
• Google Weather and Open-Meteo: The selected coordinates, requested time or dates, and unit preference are processed through the GoldenHourNow weather function. Google Weather is the primary forecast provider, and Open-Meteo may be used when usable primary-provider data is unavailable.
• Google Analytics: Site-usage measurement, which may include page URLs, referring pages, browser and device information, interactions, approximate geographic information, and cookie or similar identifiers where used.
• Google AdSense and participating advertising providers: Advertising, consent signaling, measurement, reporting, frequency control, security, and fraud prevention.
• jsDelivr: Delivery of the time-zone lookup library file. The coordinate-to-time-zone calculation itself runs in the browser.
• FormSubmit and email services: The contact form is submitted directly from the visitor’s browser to FormSubmit. The submission includes the entered name, email address, reason, subject, and message, together with ordinary request data. FormSubmit delivers the message to GoldenHourNow’s customer-service email address, after which the applicable email provider also processes the message.

GoldenHourNow does not sell a standalone database of planner searches or contact messages. Service providers process information under their own terms, privacy policies, account settings, and legal obligations. GoldenHourNow may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to valid legal process, protect the site or its users, investigate abuse or security incidents, enforce applicable terms, or complete a transfer of the site or its assets.

7. Consent Choices & Privacy Rights

• Location permission: You can deny or revoke browser geolocation permission and use a place search, direct coordinates, or the map instead.
• Location precision: You can select a nearby city, public landmark, or approximate point instead of an exact private location.
• URL and browser data: You can open the planner without its query string and can clear browser history, cookies, cached files, and site data through browser controls.
• Analytics and cookies: Browser privacy settings, cookie controls, tracking protections, and extensions may limit Analytics or other technologies. Some settings can affect site functionality.
• Regional consent messages: Where a Google Privacy & Messaging notice is available, use it to accept, reject, or adjust the choices shown. In some regulated U.S. states, the message may include a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” or targeted-advertising opt-out choice.
• Advertising: You can manage personalized ads through Google Ads Settings and may use applicable industry opt-out tools.
• Contact information: You may ask GoldenHourNow to access, correct, or delete personal information it directly holds, subject to applicable law and legitimate security, fraud-prevention, legal, and recordkeeping needs.

Depending on where you live, privacy rights may include access, correction, deletion, portability, restriction, objection, withdrawal of consent, an opt-out from targeted advertising or sale/sharing as defined by applicable law, or an appeal of a privacy-request decision. To submit a request, email customerservice@goldenhournow.com. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify the request, locate responsive records, and prevent unauthorized access or deletion.

GoldenHourNow can address only information it controls. Requests concerning information controlled independently by Google, Netlify, OpenStreetMap, Nominatim, Open-Meteo, FormSubmit, an email provider, or another service provider may need to be submitted directly to that provider.

8. Data Security

GoldenHourNow uses reasonable technical and administrative measures intended to limit unnecessary collection and protect the information it controls. The production site is delivered over HTTPS, serverless provider credentials are kept outside public page source, and access to operational accounts and received contact messages is intended to be limited to authorized use.

The contact form includes a hidden anti-bot field, but automated-abuse controls do not guarantee that every unwanted submission will be blocked. No website, browser, transmission method, email system, service provider, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Do not send passwords, payment-card information, financial-account details, government identifiers, health information, precise private-location information that is not needed, or other sensitive material through the location search or contact form.

9. Data Retention

GoldenHourNow does not maintain a dedicated database of individual planner-location histories in the current production system. The current serverless geocoding and weather functions do not contain application logic that writes place searches or selected coordinates to a GoldenHourNow user-history database.

• Planner state: Active location and date values are primarily held in page memory. Recent place-search results may remain there for up to five minutes, and recent weather responses for up to ten minutes.
• URLs and browser history: Coordinates and other planner values can remain in URLs, browser history, bookmarks, shared links, or copies made by the visitor.
• Hosting, security, and caches: Netlify, browsers, content-delivery systems, and serverless infrastructure may retain request records, security logs, and cached responses for periods determined by their settings and operational needs.
• Analytics: Google Analytics user-level and event-level retention is governed by the GoldenHourNow Analytics property settings and Google’s retention controls. Aggregate reports may be retained differently.
• Advertising and consent: Google AdSense, consent systems, and participating advertising providers retain cookies, identifiers, consent or opt-out signals, and advertising records according to their settings, policies, and legal obligations.
• Contact messages: Messages received through FormSubmit and email may be retained for as long as reasonably needed to respond, maintain correspondence records, investigate abuse, address disputes, protect the site, or comply with legal obligations.

GoldenHourNow does not control the retention periods applied independently by a visitor’s browser, Netlify, OpenStreetMap/Nominatim, Google Weather, Open-Meteo, Google Analytics, Google AdSense, FormSubmit, email providers, or other service providers.

10. International Use & Processing

GoldenHourNow is operated from the United States and is available to visitors in multiple countries. Information may be processed in the United States or in other countries where GoldenHourNow’s service providers, infrastructure, or subprocessors operate. Those countries may have privacy and data-protection laws that differ from the laws where a visitor lives.

Where required, a consent management platform, contractual terms, provider safeguards, restricted processing, or another lawful mechanism may be used for cookies, advertising, analytics, and international processing. Google requires publishers serving personalized ads in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland to use a Google-certified consent management platform integrated with the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework.

Visitors outside the United States should review the choices available through browser controls, regional consent or opt-out messages, Google Ads Settings, and the privacy policies of the service providers listed above.

11. Children’s Privacy

GoldenHourNow is a general-audience photography-planning site and is not directed to children under 13 or to anyone below the minimum age required to consent to online data processing in their jurisdiction. GoldenHourNow does not knowingly ask children to create an account, because the site has no account system, and does not knowingly request personal information from children.

If a parent or guardian believes that a child submitted personal information through the contact form or another site feature, contact customerservice@goldenhournow.com. We will review the request and delete information directly controlled by GoldenHourNow when appropriate and legally required. Information controlled by a service provider may also require a request to that provider.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when the site, its service providers, or applicable requirements change. The effective date at the top of the page will be updated when a revised policy is published. Material changes may also be identified through an additional notice when appropriate.

13. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy, GoldenHourNow’s data practices, or a privacy request, email customerservice@goldenhournow.com or use the Contact page.