Shoot planner
Type a city or ZIP code. You get the forecast for your shoot day, what to wear, how the light will behave and what to be ready for.
Thursday, Nov 5 · Colorado Springs, CO
Right now: 52°, feels like 52°.
Best window: evening golden hour, 4:18 PM to 5:10 PM.
Temperatures swing more than most people plan for. Here's how the day will feel in each stretch, and what that means for your closet. Indoor sessions skip all this.
6:31 AM to 10:00 AM
34°
feels like, 38° on the thermometer
A sweater or jacket over a base layer works. Scarves, boots and knits look great and do real work. Skip the thin dress unless you're happy with a coat in between shots.
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
52°
feels like, 52° on the thermometer
Layers are the move. A light jacket or cardigan you can shed on the spot gives you two looks for the price of one. Long sleeves stay comfortable and photograph well.
2:00 PM to 3:54 PM
54°
feels like, 54° on the thermometer
Still cool, so the midday outfit carries over. Add or drop a layer only if the wind changes the picture.
3:54 PM to 5:24 PM
52°
feels like, 52° on the thermometer
Still cool, so the afternoon outfit carries over. Add or drop a layer only if the wind changes the picture.
It swings about 20° between morning and afternoon. Dress in layers you can add and remove, and keep a bag in the car for whatever you shed.
One more thing: solid colors and simple textures usually photograph better than tiny busy patterns. Bring a backup top in case something doesn't work.
Three things decide how a photo looks: how high the sun is, how much cloud is in the way and what time it is. This timeline puts all three together for your day, and each window below gets honest pros and cons.
5:54 AM to 6:12 AM · 18 min
The sun is below the horizon and the sky carries the whole scene.
46% cloud · 0% precip · wind 8 mph · feels 29°
6:14 AM to 7:08 AM · 54 min
The sun sits low and warm, and everything it touches looks better.
31% cloud · 0% precip · wind 7 mph · feels 29°
7:10 AM to 4:16 PM · 546 min
The sun is high enough to be easy and low enough to be kind.
7% cloud · 0% precip · wind 3 mph · feels 47°
4:18 PM to 5:10 PM · 52 min
The sun sits low and warm, and everything it touches looks better.
10% cloud · 0% precip · wind 4 mph · feels 51°
5:12 PM to 5:32 PM · 20 min
The sun is below the horizon and the sky carries the whole scene.
14% cloud · 0% precip · wind 3 mph · feels 49°
A few things in this forecast are worth knowing before you leave the house.
You're at about 5,997 feet. The air is thin, the sun is stronger and hikes feel harder than they look. Drink more water than you think you need.
Sunrise is 6:31 AM and sunset is 4:54 PM, so about 10 hours 23 minutes of sun. It's a short day, so plan to finish before 5:24 PM, and give yourself extra time to get back from anywhere you hike to.
Questions
Usually the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset, when the sun is low and warm. That's golden hour. It isn't the only good option, though. Under cloud cover, midday light turns soft and flattering, and in winter the sun never climbs high enough to get harsh. This planner checks the sun's actual height and the day's cloud cover for the place you enter.
Not even close. Overcast skies act like a giant softbox, which gives you even, forgiving light with no squinting and no harsh shadows under the eyes. You lose the warm glow of golden hour and the sky turns into a blank gray lid, but colors in clothing and foliage often look richer.
Layers you can add and shed quickly: a long coat, knits, boots and a scarf. Warm your hands between setups, because cold hands show up red and stiff on camera. The planner suggests an outfit direction for each part of the day based on how cold it will actually feel.
As far as the National Weather Service publishes hourly detail, which is about a week. Past that, any forecast is a guess. Check back a few days before your session.
The National Weather Service, the US government's forecast service. Sunrise, sunset and the sun's height are calculated on this page for the exact spot you enter. Forecasts change, so look again closer to your session.
Tell me where you want to shoot and what the photos are for. I'll take it from there.
Forecast: National Weather Service. Place data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sunrise, sunset and sun height are calculated for the exact spot.