Golden hour photography on your phone

Shortly after sunrise and before sunset, the sun sits low and its light turns soft, warm and long. It flatters faces, stretches shadows and makes almost anything look like a still from a film. Here's how to find it and make the most of it.

By the DisCam team · 15 October 2026

Friends sunbathing on the front of a boat in a turquoise cove as one dives into the sea. Developed on Golden.

The sun setting over hills and islands in a calm sea under an orange sky. Developed on Warm 35.

Four friends with drinks on a rooftop in Lisbon at golden hour, one pointing at the view across the river. Developed on Warm 35.

What golden hour is

When the sun is close to the horizon, its light passes through much more of the atmosphere. More of the blue is scattered away, so what reaches you is warmer and softer, and it comes from the side rather than from above.

The name is loose. Depending on the time of year and how far you are from the equator, the warm light might last twenty minutes or well over an hour. The further from the equator, the longer it tends to last.

How to catch it

Check the sunset time in your phone's weather app and be where you want to shoot about an hour before. The best light often comes in the last half hour, but it can vanish early behind clouds or buildings on the horizon.

A clear, open horizon, such as the sea or distant hills, gives you the longest light. After the sun goes down, the light turns cool and blue. That's blue hour, and it's worth staying for.

Put the sun behind people

With the low sun behind someone, their hair and shoulders glow at the edges while their face sits in soft, even shade. No one squints, and skin looks smooth and warm.

Faces can come out a little dark against the bright sky. Move so the sun is just out of the frame, or let a bright wall in front of them bounce some light back.

Or turn them to the side

Facing straight into a low sun makes people squint. Turn them about halfway towards it instead. Side light picks out the shape of a face, the texture of hair and fabric, and the long shadows that give golden hour its depth.

Silhouettes and flare

Shoot towards the sun with someone in front of it and they turn into a silhouette, a clean dark shape against a bright sky. It works best when the shape says something: a jump, a wave, two people facing each other.

Let the sun peek around the edge of a person or a tree and you'll get flare: haze, streaks and a softer, warmer picture. Real film lenses flared easily, so a little flare looks right. DisCam's films also add a soft glow around very bright light, as film does.

Don't over-warm it

Golden-hour light is already warm. Add a very warm look on top and skin can turn orange. In strong evening light, Original or Soft keeps it natural. On a hazy or overcast evening, Warm 35 or Golden brings back the warmth the clouds took away. After sunset, try Dusk, with its cool blue shadows and rosy highlights.

The sun setting over hills and islands in a calm sea under an orange sky. Developed on Original. — The sun setting over hills and islands in a calm sea under an orange sky. The same photo developed on 4 films.

The sun setting over hills and islands in a calm sea under an orange sky. Developed on Soft. — The sun setting over hills and islands in a calm sea under an orange sky. The same photo developed on 4 films.

Doing it in DisCam

Put it together like this:

Pick a film for the evening, and lower its Intensity if the light is already very warm.
Turn the flash off, unless the sun is behind someone and their face needs lifting.
Try the light leak on one or two frames. It suits summer evenings.
Keep a few shots on the roll for the minutes just before the sun disappears.