Golden hour in Chicago
The lakefront gives sunrise photographers a broad eastern horizon, and downtown streets create strong reflected light.
Today's light
- Morning golden
- 5:17 AM – 5:59 AM
- Evening golden
- 7:41 PM – 8:23 PM
- Sunrise
- 5:17 AM
- Sunset
- 8:23 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 and current cloud-based shoot score.
Read the golden-hour field guideSeasonal note
The sun swings noticeably across the skyline through the year, so revisit familiar compositions in different seasons.
How Golden Hour calculates the window