Next usable light
Tampa
7:25 PM – 8:11 PM
Solar noonDaytime71.7° · 181° S
Light windows
Fri, Aug 28 · America · New YorkMorning
- Golden hour
- 6:53 AM – 7:39 AM46 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 6:43 AM – 6:53 AM9 min of deep blue twilight
Evening
- Golden hour
- 7:25 PM – 8:11 PM46 min of warm light
- Blue hour
- 8:11 PM – 8:21 PM9 min of deep blue twilight
- Sunrise
- 7:07 AM
- Sunset
- 7:57 PM
- Day length
- 12 hr 49 min
- Solar noon
- 1:32 PM
Where to point the camera
Solar path and bearing
On this selected date, the sun reaches 72° at its highest point and the evening light approaches from 281° WNW.
Pick the month before the day
Light through 2026 in Tampa
Tampa's sampled golden window runs from about 45 min in March to 51 min in December. Where to stand changes with the calendar: 244° WSW in December swings to 297° WNW by June, 53° of horizon between them. June days run 13 hr 54 min; by December they shrink to 10 hr 23 min.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Golden window sample | Sunset bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:23 AM | 5:57 PM | 10 hr 34 min | 5:22 PM · 50 min | 247° WSW |
| February | 7:08 AM | 6:21 PM | 11 hr 13 min | 5:49 PM · 47 min | 256° WSW |
| March | 7:40 AM | 7:39 PM | 11 hr 59 min | 7:08 PM · 45 min | 268° W |
| April | 7:06 AM | 7:55 PM | 12 hr 50 min | 7:24 PM · 46 min | 282° WNW |
| May | 6:41 AM | 8:13 PM | 13 hr 32 min | 7:40 PM · 49 min | 292° WNW |
| June | 6:34 AM | 8:28 PM | 13 hr 54 min | 7:54 PM · 50 min | 297° WNW |
| July | 6:44 AM | 8:29 PM | 13 hr 45 min | 7:55 PM · 50 min | 295° WNW |
| August | 7:01 AM | 8:10 PM | 13 hr 9 min | 7:38 PM · 47 min | 286° WNW |
| September | 7:16 AM | 7:36 PM | 12 hr 20 min | 7:05 PM · 45 min | 274° W |
| October | 7:31 AM | 7:02 PM | 11 hr 31 min | 6:30 PM · 46 min | 261° W |
| November | 6:52 AM | 5:38 PM | 10 hr 46 min | 5:05 PM · 49 min | 249° WSW |
| December | 7:14 AM | 5:37 PM | 10 hr 23 min | 5:02 PM · 51 min | 244° WSW |
Find the months when sunset faces your spot
Pick the direction your subject faces the sky. Months whose sunset lands within ±10° light up in the table above. Disabled shortcuts have no matching row in this visible mid-month sample.
Each row samples the 15th of the month at these coordinates, so dates near a month boundary can differ from the printed row — around here day length moves up to ~2 min per day in the fastest season. Clock times follow America · New York, including any daylight-saving change.
Full light and twilight schedule
Midnight to midnight
| Phase | Time |
|---|---|
| Astronomical dawn | 5:46 AM |
| Nautical dawn | 6:15 AM |
| Blue hour (morning) | 6:43 AM |
| Golden hour (morning) | 6:53 AM |
| Sunrise | 7:07 AM |
| Solar noon | 1:32 PM |
| Sunset | 7:57 PM |
| Golden hour (evening) | 7:25 PM |
| Blue hour (evening) | 8:11 PM |
| Nautical dusk | 8:49 PM |
| Astronomical dusk | 9:18 PM |
Seven local days in Tampa
The week ahead
| Date | Morning golden | Sunrise | Sunset | Evening golden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 28 | 6:53 AM – 7:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:57 PM | 7:25 PM – 8:11 PM |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 6:53 AM – 7:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:56 PM | 7:24 PM – 8:10 PM |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 6:54 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:55 PM | 7:23 PM – 8:09 PM |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 6:54 AM – 7:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:53 PM | 7:22 PM – 8:08 PM |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 6:55 AM – 7:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:52 PM | 7:21 PM – 8:07 PM |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 6:55 AM – 7:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 PM | 7:20 PM – 8:06 PM |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 6:56 AM – 7:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 PM | 7:19 PM – 8:05 PM |
Moon and candidate vantage points
Context to verify
Moon on the selected date
The moon over Tampa is a Full Moon, 100% lit. Treat this as lighting context, not a visibility forecast.
Candidate vantage points
They are map-search starting points, not ranked recommendations; current access, closures, permits, safety, and unobstructed views have not been verified. The selected-date sunset bearing is 281° WNW; if a composition faces elsewhere, use the bearing planner in the month table above to find sampled months that align. This mathematical bearing is a planning aid and does not prove visibility.
Plan and calculation notes
Assumptions and limits
Plan this specific light
In Tampa, the evening golden hour window runs 46 min on the selected date and approaches from 281° WNW. Arrive 15 minutes before its start when that window occurs, then choose a position with an open view toward that bearing. Don't rely on the generic “one hour before sunset” rule here — the real window shifts with the season, so check the computed times for your date.
See the calculation method and limits before relying on the estimate in terrain-sensitive or safety-critical conditions.
Common questions
Golden hour FAQ for Tampa
- When is golden hour in Tampa?
- Twice a day on most dates: a morning window that contains sunrise and an evening window that contains sunset, defined by the sun sitting between +6° and −4° of the horizon. In Tampa the representative monthly window is 45 minutes in March and 51 minutes in December. The light-windows panel above gives the exact start and end for any date.
- Which direction does the sun set in Tampa?
- In Tampa it depends on the month: 244° WSW in December, moving to 297° WNW by June — a 53° annual swing. Use the sun-path panel above to read the exact bearing for your shoot date.
- How much does day length change in Tampa?
- Enough to reshape a shoot plan in Tampa: 10 hr 23 min of daylight in December versus 13 hr 54 min in June. See the table above for the month you're planning.
- Does Tampa get blue hour right after golden hour?
- Yes — they are adjacent bands of the same descent: golden hour spans +6° to −4° of solar altitude and blue hour continues from −4° to −6°. In Tampa, the representative December golden window lasts 51 min; on ordinary dates evening blue begins when its evening side ends, while polar dates can merge or wrap overnight. The light-windows panel above computes both for any date.