Is Golden Hour longer or short in Winter (Southern California USA)

BlossomLily777

TPF Noob!
Joined
Jan 28, 2023
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Can others edit my Photos
Photos NOT OK to edit
I saw this was posted in the beginners thread back in 2013. But I don’t feel like i got my question answered from reading that thread.
does the Duration of golden hour change every season? Or is it still like 40min-1hour before the sun sets?

Will i have to change how I perform my outdoor portrait photography?

Bonus: what are some budget friendly beginner’s equipment for outdoor lighting?

TIA
 
Not sure if G-hour is longer during winter but when I shoot during the G-hour I get in place 1 hour before G-hour starts and stay at least 30-40 mins after the sun has set.
 
That may depend on your latitude. Near the arctic circle, i dont think it exists in the winter.
 
I don't think it exists where I live which is not at the arctic circle! this winter at least... it's been so cloudy and gloomy I'm not sure there's been a golden minute much less an hour.

But serioursly it seems like there's not much golden time this time of year. I like fall for photos that time of day. Not sure what you mean about changing how you do your portrait photography; as far as lighting you might want to post in the equipment section of the board.
 
The sun is lower in the sky all day during the winter compared to during the summer. So while it might not be golden, you could get better light generally during the winter more often than in summer. This is just a feeling I have.

I looked at a couple of dates where I live in central New Jersey.

Summer: On July 28, 2022, Sun sets at 20:16. At 19:16 one hour before sunset, the angle of the sun is +9.9 degrees above the horizon. At 18:16, it;s 22.1 degrees above the horizon.
Maximum mid-day is 68.6 degrees.

Winter: On Jan 28, 2023 Sun sets at 17:10. At 16:10 one hour before sunset, the angle of the sun is +9.5 degrees above the horizon. At 15:10, it's 18.3 degrees above the horizon.
Maximum mid-day is 31.6 degrees.

Spring: On April 5, 2023, Sun sets at 19:25. At 18:25 one hour before sunset, the angle of the sun is +10.8 degrees above the horizon. At 17:25, it;s 22.1 degrees above the horizon.
Maximum mid-day is 55.8 degrees.

So it seems that in winter, you get slightly more "golden hour" time. What do you think?
 
To answer the question, first we need to cover a couple of points. The "Golden Hour" isn't actually an hour. And it's not just one time of day either. It describes a period where the angle of the sun to the atmosphere results in light rays that tend to make things look "golden." And this happens after sunrise and before sunset. So the "Golden Hour" is actually two times during the day. Also, I've always taken it to mean 30 minutes from sunrise in the morning and then about 30 minutes before the sun hits the horizon for sunset..

A variety of things can affect the "Golden Hour." For instance, in the morning the air is colder (it hasn't spent 8-14 hours being heated by the sun). That means that if you go to 20 sunrises and 20 sunsets, you're more likely to get great color in the golden hour in the sunrises (because the air hasn't been warmed on the part of the earth just seeing the sunrise). Particulate matter (smoke from fires, auto pollution, volcanic ash) will add color or change the degree of "gold" you see.

Okay, those comments said--no, you don't get a longer or shorter "golden hour" in winter--sort of. Here's why I say "sort of." For instance, if I'm in Southern California in June and we have a typical "June Gloom" with overcast skies then my golden hour is nonexistent. Or maybe just 10 minutes. And in most parts of the world, it is more likely to be overcast during winter or late fall so the golden hour may be nonexistent or shorter. But except for atmospheric stuff (like, it's overcast. Or clouds blocking the horizon), the golden hour is the same amount of time in summer or in winter. That's because the golden hour isn't created by the season, it's created by the angle of the sun's rays hitting the atmosphere. And unless you want to argue that in winter the rotation of the earth speeds up, that angle (and the amount of time at that angle) is constant.
 
Joe, We can quibble whether it starts 30 minutes or an hour before sunset and after sunrise. But I've found the light gets much better even at an hour.

Second, the light isn;t only more "golden". It's superior in lighting because it comes from the side making objects appear more contrasty and interesting even without the warmer glow. That also means that during winter, while the glow isn;t warm more towards the middle of the day, the greater angle of the sun during winter brings out this contrast better than the flat midday sun during summer which is higher in the sky.

Finally, the length of times do vary because the angle of the sun is at different angles one hour or 30 minutes relative to sunrise and sunset. My last post shows the differences. Also, the times and angles of degrees will vary depending on the latitude of the earth you're located at.
 
The sun is lower in the sky all day during the winter compared to during the summer. So while it might not be golden, you could get better light generally during the winter more often than in summer. This is just a feeling I have.

I looked at a couple of dates where I live in central New Jersey.

Summer: On July 28, 2022, Sun sets at 20:16. At 19:16 one hour before sunset, the angle of the sun is +9.9 degrees above the horizon. At 18:16, it;s 22.1 degrees above the horizon.
Maximum mid-day is 68.6 degrees.

Winter: On Jan 28, 2023 Sun sets at 17:10. At 16:10 one hour before sunset, the angle of the sun is +9.5 degrees above the horizon. At 15:10, it's 18.3 degrees above the horizon.
Maximum mid-day is 31.6 degrees.

Spring: On April 5, 2023, Sun sets at 19:25. At 18:25 one hour before sunset, the angle of the sun is +10.8 degrees above the horizon. At 17:25, it;s 22.1 degrees above the horizon.
Maximum mid-day is 55.8 degrees.

So it seems that in winter, you g more "golden hour" time. What do you think?
Impressive research. I don't think e few more mins makes that much of a diff. Some might. I guess as long as your already mindful of where your light is coming from, your already winning.
 
How long it lasts is more of atmospheric conditions at sunrise and set than anything else.
 
I saw this was posted in the beginners thread back in 2013. But I don’t feel like i got my question answered from reading that thread.
does the Duration of golden hour change every season? Or is it still like 40min-1hour before the sun sets?

Will i have to change how I perform my outdoor portrait photography?

Bonus: what are some budget friendly beginner’s equipment for outdoor lighting?

TIA
I just experienced this on a project where I was working at a much more northern latitude than I usually do.

It was this past summer and the sun was low on the horizon by 7-8 PM but stayed up and didn't fully set until 10PM. It was like the sun was setting diagonally and traced the horizon as it went down slowly - so it lasted a long time.

Several years ago I had to Maine in December one year. The sun was on the horizon at 2-3PM, but seemed to just hang there for hours as it tracked along the horizone from south to west and going down slowly, so it didn't set until around 4-5PM. So I think "when" golden hour occurs varies with the season, but the duration seemed to me that it had less to do with time of year and more to do with how far north I was in the northern hemisphere.

I grew up in Florida where the sun just seemed to got straight down, plunk, set and done! My Dad (who had grown up in Pennsylvania) used to comment how there was no "twilight" in Florida (compared to where he grew up). When it was sunset, it just got dark. Was only after the above experiences I really began to appreciate what he was talking about.
 
Impressive research. I don't think e few more mins makes that much of a diff. Some might. I guess as long as your already mindful of where your light is coming from, your already winning.

How long it lasts is more of atmospheric conditions at sunrise and set than anything else.

I just experienced this on a project where I was working at a much more northern latitude than I usually do.

It was this past summer and the sun was low on the horizon by 7-8 PM but stayed up and didn't fully set until 10PM. It was like the sun was setting diagonally and traced the horizon as it went down slowly - so it lasted a long time.

Several years ago I had to Maine in December one year. The sun was on the horizon at 2-3PM, but seemed to just hang there for hours as it tracked along the horizone from south to west and going down slowly, so it didn't set until around 4-5PM. So I think "when" golden hour occurs varies with the season, but the duration seemed to me that it had less to do with time of year and more to do with how far north I was in the northern hemisphere.

I grew up in Florida where the sun just seemed to got straight down, plunk, set and done! My Dad (who had grown up in Pennsylvania) used to comment how there was no "twilight" in Florida (compared to where he grew up). When it was sunset, it just got dark. Was only after the above experiences I really began to appreciate what he was talking about.
I agree with everyone. Latitude, atmospheric conditions, and season all have influences. I notice that Autumn is often much nicer because the air is clearer unlike the summer which carries a lot of water vapor (relative humidity). In the end, you know when the light is good or isn't.
 
Too many formulas. Sunrise to 30 minutes after for gold, sunset until about 30 minutes after, blue hour. Works for me.
 

Most reactions

Back
Top