Tools
Read the light planner's estimates correctly
Product documentation · Reviewed
The light planner calculates approximate solar times for the date, coordinates and regional timezone you enter. It does not use your device location automatically.
Use it
Use the actual venue coordinates and a valid IANA timezone such as America/Los_Angeles or Europe/London. The result shows sunrise, sunset and an evening light window, alongside UTC instants for unambiguous export.
Understand the result
The calculation uses NOAA's published fractional-year approximation. The suggested portrait start works backwards from sunset using your requested portrait and travel minutes. This is a scheduling suggestion, not a promise that the chosen spot will have usable light.
If something is unclear
Terrain, buildings, weather and venue access can shorten the window. At some latitudes and dates there is no relevant solar crossing; the result says so rather than inventing a time. Scout the location and confirm the plan with the photographer.
Open the tool or return to the help index.