Golden Hour Calculator
Golden Hour Calculator is a free golden hour calculator for photographers — it works out today's morning and evening golden hour times for your exact location, then counts down live to whichever one is next. No app to install, no account, and no data leaves your device — it runs entirely online in your browser, using your location only to run the calculation.
How this golden hour calculator works
Above, the tool reads your device's GPS coordinates (with your permission) and feeds them, along with today's date, into an astronomical calculation that finds the sun's angle throughout the day. From that, it derives the exact start and end of morning and evening golden hour — no lookup table, no approximation. If location access is denied or unavailable, enter a latitude and longitude manually and the same calculation runs for those coordinates instead.
Today's golden hour times, wherever you are
Once your coordinates are set, today's morning and evening windows appear immediately in your device's local time. Because golden hour is a golden hour calculator by location rather than a generic chart, the times are specific to where you are standing — golden hour in Paris on a given date can be an hour different, and a different length, than golden hour the same date somewhere near the equator or near the poles.
Morning golden hour vs. evening golden hour
Morning golden hour runs from just after sunrise to roughly an hour later, as the low sun rakes across the landscape at a shallow angle. Evening golden hour is its mirror: it begins roughly an hour before sunset and ends when the sun dips below the horizon. Both windows are shown side by side above, so it's easy to see at a glance whether an early start or a late finish suits a given shoot.
Reading the live countdown
The large timer above always points at the next relevant moment: if golden hour hasn't started yet, it counts down to its start; if it's currently active, it counts down to when it ends. That distinction is labeled right above the timer, so there's no need to do the mental math between "starts in" and "ends in" while packing gear.
Planning a future shoot ahead of time
Golden hour drifts earlier or later by a few minutes each day, so scheduling more than a day out means it isn't enough to reuse today's times. Open Plan ahead above, pick a date, and the same calculation runs for that day at the same location — useful for locking in a call time for a shoot next week without having to come back and check again closer to the date.
Frequently asked questions
What time is golden hour today?
Your morning and evening golden hour times for today are calculated the moment this page loads, using your device's GPS (or the coordinates you enter manually). Both windows are shown above, in your device's local time, with a live countdown to whichever one comes next.
What time does golden hour start?
Golden hour has no fixed clock time — it starts when the sun reaches a specific low angle above the horizon, which shifts by location and by season. In the morning it begins right after sunrise; in the evening it begins roughly an hour before sunset. This calculator works out the exact start and end for your coordinates and today's date.
What is the golden hour in photography?
Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset when sunlight travels through more atmosphere, scattering the blue light and leaving a warm, soft, directional glow. Photographers favor it because shadows are long and gentle rather than harsh, and skin tones and landscapes both pick up a warm color cast that's hard to replicate with artificial light or editing.
Is golden hour an hour before sunset?
Roughly, but not exactly — "an hour" is a rule of thumb, not a fixed rule. The real window is defined by the sun's angle, so its length varies with latitude and time of year: it can run under 30 minutes near the equator and well over an hour at high latitudes in summer. The times above are calculated for your exact location rather than assumed.
Does golden hour change depending on my location?
Yes — significantly. Golden hour in Paris on a given date can start and end at very different clock times, and last a different length, than golden hour the same date in a city near the equator or near the poles. That's why this calculator works from your actual coordinates (GPS or manually entered) rather than a generic table.
Is golden hour the same as blue hour?
No. Golden hour is the warm, sun-visible window right after sunrise or before sunset; blue hour is the cooler, sun-below-the-horizon period that follows sunset or precedes sunrise, when the sky takes on a deep blue tone. This calculator computes golden hour only — it does not currently calculate blue hour.
