Golden hour in Los Angeles
West-facing beaches and elevated overlooks make the evening window especially practical for planning.
Today's light
- Morning golden
- 5:42 AM – 6:19 AM
- Evening golden
- 7:27 PM – 8:03 PM
- Sunrise
- 5:42 AM
- Sunset
- 8:03 PM
How to use these times
Arrive before the listed start. The best frame may happen before direct light reaches your subject, especially around buildings, hills, or haze. Use the live app for the countdown, best upcoming window, and current cloud-based shoot score.
Read the golden-hour field guideToday's direction
Sunrise is toward ENE; sunset is toward WNW. Morning is strongest for east-facing streets, hillside texture, and subjects away from the marine layer.
Evening favors west-facing coast, ridgelines, and overlooks with a clean horizon break.
Seasonal note
Marine cloud can soften coastal mornings, while clear inland evenings often produce a cleaner, warmer edge.
How Golden Hour calculates the windowPlanning ideas
Coastal backlight
Use the ocean side for silhouettes, flare, and color if low cloud is not blocking the horizon.
Hillside side light
Elevated neighborhoods can hold warm side light after lower streets fall into shade.
Inland fallback
When the coast is gray, check inland clearings before writing off the evening.
Reviewed 2026-06-07