Golden hour in London, United Kingdom

There are two golden hours: one just after sunrise and one just before sunset, when the sun is low (roughly from the horizon up to 6° above it). Search your location and the calculator shows the exact start and end times for both, for any date you choose.

Despite the name it is rarely a full 60 minutes. Near the equator golden hour can be as short as 30–40 minutes because the sun climbs steeply; at higher latitudes, and especially around the summer solstice, it can stretch well beyond an hour as the sun grazes the horizon. The tool gives you the precise duration for your spot and date.

Golden hour is the warm, directional light while the sun is just above the horizon — great for portraits, long shadows and backlight. Blue hour comes before sunrise and after sunset, when the sun is 4–8° below the horizon and the sky turns a deep, even blue — ideal for cityscapes, skylines and reflections. This page shows both.

For soft, flattering light most photographers shoot the golden hours around sunrise and sunset, and the blue hour for moody, cool tones. Harsh midday sun gives short, hard shadows and high contrast — better for graphic, high-key work. Plan around the times here, then arrive early to scout your composition.

Light direction matters as much as timing — it decides where shadows fall and whether your subject is front-, side- or back-lit. This page gives you the times; to see the sun’s exact compass direction over a map of your location, open the Sun Calculator. In the field, the SunCast app overlays the sun’s path on your real surroundings in AR.

Yes. Pick any date — a week or months ahead — and any location, and the calculator shows that day’s golden and blue hours. For alerts before every shoot and a live AR view of the light on location, the SunCast app does this on the go.