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Peak Design Travel Tripod (Carbon)
Photographers who hike or travel and want full height in a pack-friendly form.
$599 - $699
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Golden hour calculator · plan around the light
Golden Hour Calculator
Find the warm window, the blue-hour edges, and the exact moment to be standing in place with a framed shot.
Morning goldEvening goldBlue hour
Light planner
Find the window before the light is gone.
Timezone
America/New_York
Day length
14h 29m
Morning gold
5:48 AM to 6:27 AM
39 min
Evening gold
7:37 PM to 8:17 PM
39 min
Day arc
Blue, gold, hard light, gold, blue.
The blocks show when the sun crosses the useful bands. Terrain and buildings can steal a few minutes.
Blue starts 5:16 AMSunrise 5:48 AMNoon 1:02 PMSunset 8:17 PMBlue ends 8:48 PM
Shoot plan
Arrive
Find the frame before the color turns on.
7:07 PM
Warm light
Work fast, the angle and color keep changing.
7:37 PM to 8:17 PM
Afterglow
Stay for silhouettes, skyline color, and long exposures.
8:17 PM to 8:48 PM
Exact crossings
Dawn (blue hour begins)5:16 AM
Sunrise5:48 AM
Morning golden hour ends6:27 AM
Solar noon1:02 PM
Evening golden hour begins7:37 PM
Sunset8:17 PM
Dusk (blue hour ends)8:48 PM
Morning blue lasts 31 min. Evening blue lasts 31 min. Times are calculated from the sun's altitude and shown in America/New_York.
How to use it
Step 1
Pick the place
Choose a city, enter latitude and longitude, or tap Use my location. The light times depend on where you are on the planet.
Step 2
Pick the date
Set the day you plan to shoot. Golden and blue hour shift through the year, and they get long near the poles in summer.
Step 3
Plan around the windows
Arrive before golden hour starts, scout in blue hour, and shoot the warm light while it lasts. The light moves the whole time, so be set up early.
Next move
Turn the light window into a shoot plan
Knowing the time helps. The next step is choosing the settings, checking the place, and carrying a kit you will actually bring.
SettingsGolden hour photographyUse the time window with practical exposure, white balance, and direction-of-light choices.OpenPlace rulesCheck where you can shootBefore you arrive with a tripod, check permits, park rules, and commercial-use limits for the location.OpenBuying pathTravel-light gearBuild a small kit that is easy to carry when the best light is a hike or a city walk away.Open
Gear path
Carry the kit that lets you stay for the light
Golden hour is short. A compact tripod and a capable hybrid body solve more real field problems than a bag full of maybes.
9.0
Editor's Choice
Fujifilm X-S20
Hybrid shooters who want one capable, portable body for photo and video.
$1,199 - $1,349
Skip if: APS-C, not full-frame
Product links may earn a commission at no cost to you. Use the calculator first, buy only if the gear solves the actual problem.
Make the most of the window
Once you know when the light lands, the craft is in being ready for it. Start with golden hour settings, learn how the exposure triangle shifts as the light drops, and if you are heading somewhere specific, check the rules for where you can legally shoot.
Frequently asked questions
What is golden hour?
Golden hour is the stretch when the sun is low, roughly from the horizon up to about six degrees of altitude. The light is soft, warm, and directional, which flatters almost any subject. This tool marks it for both morning and evening.
What is blue hour?
Blue hour is the twilight before sunrise and after sunset, when the sun is between about six degrees and just below the horizon. The sky holds a deep, even blue that is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures.
How accurate are these times?
They are calculated from the sun's altitude using the standard solar equations, accurate to about a minute. Local terrain like mountains or tall buildings can shift when the light actually reaches you, so treat the times as a plan, not a stopwatch.
Why does it ask for my time zone or location?
The underlying times are absolute moments. To show them as clock times we render them in the chosen city's time zone, or in your browser's time zone when you use your own location or coordinates. That keeps daylight saving correct.
Why do some times show a dash?
Near the poles in summer or winter the sun may never cross a given altitude, so there is no sunrise, sunset, or golden hour that day. The tool shows a dash and a short note when that happens.