The difference between a flat photo and a glowing one in Billings is usually forty-five minutes. The calculator below shows exactly which forty-five minutes — today's sunset, sunrise, golden and blue hour, live.
The month-by-month table below is in this city's own local time. The live times above follow your device's timezone. Mountains, ridgelines and buildings can shorten the usable window — scout your horizon.
Local tip: Overcast day? A thin cloud layer at golden hour acts like a giant softbox — some of the best portrait light happens on days everyone else stays home.
In Billings, sunset ranges from 4:29 PM in December to 9:08 PM in June. All times local to Billings (America/Denver).
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour (evening) | Length | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:51 AM | 4:56 PM | 4:08 PM – 4:56 PM | 48 min | 9h 05m |
| February | 7:15 AM | 5:40 PM | 4:58 PM – 5:40 PM | 42 min | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 7:20 PM | 6:40 PM – 7:20 PM | 40 min | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 8:00 PM | 7:20 PM – 8:00 PM | 40 min | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 8:39 PM | 7:55 PM – 8:39 PM | 44 min | 14h 57m |
| June | 5:23 AM | 9:05 PM | 8:19 PM – 9:05 PM | 46 min | 15h 42m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 9:00 PM | 8:15 PM – 9:00 PM | 45 min | 15h 22m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 8:21 PM | 7:40 PM – 8:21 PM | 41 min | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:24 PM | 6:45 PM – 7:24 PM | 39 min | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:30 AM | 6:27 PM | 5:47 PM – 6:27 PM | 40 min | 10h 57m |
| November | 7:14 AM | 4:42 PM | 3:57 PM – 4:42 PM | 45 min | 9h 29m |
| December | 7:48 AM | 4:30 PM | 3:40 PM – 4:30 PM | 50 min | 8h 42m |
Golden hour is the stretch just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the low sun turns hard daylight into soft, warm, directional light — the most flattering natural light for portraits, real estate, product and landscape photography. Blue hour follows sunset (and precedes sunrise): a short window of deep, even blue that's ideal for twilight real estate shots and skylines. Both windows change with latitude and season, which is why this page computes them live instead of guessing.
Kanyon Studio is a San Diego photography and video studio — golden hour is our home field. Brand shoots, products, real estate and portraits, planned around exactly this light.
