Sun & light planner

Golden hour in Los Angeles

In mid-June golden hour in Los Angeles starts at 19:30 and lasts 37 minutes; in mid-December it starts at 16:08 and lasts 38. The tool is set to Los Angeles — pick your shoot date.

In Los Angeles the evening golden hour starts at 19:30 in mid-June (37 min) and at 16:08 in mid-December (38 min). Pick a date for the exact day.
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Or drag across the day chart.
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A row of buildings or a hill: about 5° for a four-storey block 100 m away.
Exact coordinates

America/Los_Angeles

  • golden (sun 6° to −0.8°)
  • dusk (−0.8° to −4°)
  • blue (−4° to −6°)
  • night
  • sun altitude
Golden hour, evening
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Blue hour, evening
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Golden hour, morning
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Sunrise
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Sunset
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Daylight
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Sun sets toward
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Highest sun
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Sun at chosen time
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Shadow of a 1.80 m person
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© OpenStreetMap · dashed: sunrise · solid: sunset · yellow: sun now · dark: shadow
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Golden hour in Los Angeles, month by month

The evening window in Los Angeles is longest in December (38 minutes) and shortest in March (33 minutes). Values for the 15th of each month, local time, daylight saving included.

Los Angeles, 2026: sun times on the 15th (America/Los_Angeles)
MonthSunriseSunsetGolden hour, eveningLengthBlue hour untilDaylight
January06:5917:0716:30–17:0737 min17:3410 h 08 min
February06:3917:3717:03–17:3735 min18:0310 h 59 min
March07:0419:0118:28–19:0133 min19:2611 h 57 min
April06:2319:2518:51–19:2534 min19:5013 h 02 min
May05:5219:4819:13–19:4835 min20:1613 h 56 min
June05:4220:0719:30–20:0737 min20:3614 h 25 min
July05:5320:0619:30–20:0636 min20:3414 h 12 min
August06:1519:4119:07–19:4134 min20:0813 h 26 min
September06:3719:0118:28–19:0133 min19:2612 h 24 min
October06:5918:2017:46–18:2034 min18:4511 h 21 min
November06:2716:5016:14–16:5036 min17:1710 h 24 min
December06:5216:4616:08–16:4638 min17:149 h 54 min

Where the sun goes down

Around the June solstice the sun sets in Los Angeles at 299° (WNW), around the December solstice at 241° (WSW) — 58° apart. A façade that gets backlight at the end of a summer day is lit from the side in winter, and a street that frames the sunset in July may not see it at all in January.

The highest sun of the year stands at 79° at noon, the lowest at 33°. Below about 15° the light turns warm and the shadows long enough to shape a face; the day chart in the tool shows when the sun crosses that line on your date.

Clock changes

America/Los_Angeles changes the clocks on 8 March and 1 November 2026. On those dates every time in the table jumps by an hour overnight — a schedule copied from the week before the change puts the exterior an hour into the dark (or an hour too early).

Filming in Los Angeles: permits

Shoots on public ground in Los Angeles need a permit from the local authority (listed source: filmla.com). If a golden-hour setup sits on public space, apply for a weather cover day at the same time — the light will not wait for the paperwork.

As of 2026-08

Frequently asked

When does golden hour start in Los Angeles today?

The tool above opens on today’s date for Los Angeles. As a guide: in mid-June it starts at 19:30, in mid-December at 16:08.

How long is golden hour in Los Angeles?

Between 33 minutes (March) and 38 minutes (December) in the evening, measured from 6° sun altitude to sunset.

Does a building to the west change this?

Yes. Set the obstruction slider to its angle: a four-storey building 100 m away is about 5° and ends direct sun noticeably before sunset. The tool shows how many minutes you lose.