Photography
Golden hour is the soft, warm light just after sunrise and before sunset. Blue hour is the cool twilight beyond it. Here are today's times for any address, and which way the evening light comes from.
See the shade at your home
Type an address for its golden and blue hours today.
When the sun is low, between about 6° above the horizon and 4° below it, its light travels through more air: it's warmer, softer, and casts long shadows. That's golden hour. Its length depends on where you are and the time of year: shorter near the equator, longer further north and in winter.
Once the sun is between about 4° and 6° below the horizon, the sky turns deep blue and lights in windows and streets balance with it. It's short, often 20 minutes or less, so be set up before it starts.
For exteriors, shoot the front of a house in the golden hour when the light falls on it, and twilight shots in the blue hour with the interior lights on. Shade Map shows which side of a house the sun is on at any hour, and where the shadows of its trees will fall.
It depends on where you are. Type an address above for today's morning and evening golden hours. Roughly, it's the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.
Usually between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on your latitude and the season. It's longer in winter and further from the equator.
Golden hour is the warm light while the sun is low, just above or below the horizon. Blue hour is the cooler twilight after it sets or before it rises, when the sun is 4° to 6° below the horizon.
