Time Windows

Time windows control when your PhotoWeather rules are active. You can use absolute times, relative times from sunrise/sunset, and astronomical periods to precisely schedule your photography rules.

Time Window Types

Absolute Time Windows

Fixed clock times that remain constant regardless of season or astronomical events.

Example: Daily time window from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM in your location’s timezone.

Relative Time Windows

Time ranges calculated relative to sunrise or sunset with minute-based offsets.

Example: Window from 30 minutes before sunrise to 60 minutes after sunrise, automatically calculated daily for your location.

Astronomical Periods

PhotoWeather calculates precise astronomical times for your exact location coordinates with minute-level accuracy.

Golden Hour

The golden hour occurs when the sun is between 0° and 6° above the horizon, providing warm, soft light ideal for photography.

Usage: Choose morning only, evening only, or both periods.

Available Periods:

• morning: Morning golden hour after sunrise
• evening: Evening golden hour before sunset
• any: Both morning and evening periods

Photography Tip: Perfect for portraits with warm, directional light

Blue Hour

The blue hour occurs when the sun is between 4° and 8° below the horizon, creating deep blue sky conditions.

Usage: Choose evening only, morning only, or both periods.

Available Periods:

• morning: Morning blue hour before sunrise
• evening: Evening blue hour after sunset
• any: Both morning and evening periods

Photography Tip: Ideal for cityscapes with balanced ambient/artificial light

Twilight Periods

PhotoWeather calculates three distinct twilight phases:

Civil Twilight: Sun 0-6° below horizon

• Available Periods: dawn, dusk
• Photography Tip: Soft, even lighting without harsh shadows

Nautical Twilight: Sun 6-12° below horizon

• Available Periods: dawn, dusk
• Photography Tip: Horizon visible, first stars appearing

Astronomical Twilight: Sun 12-18° below horizon

• Available Periods: dawn, dusk
• Photography Tip: Dark enough for deep-sky astrophotography

Usage: Choose dawn, dusk, or both twilight periods for each type.

Astronomical Night

Complete darkness when the sun is more than 18° below the horizon - the darkest period between astronomical dusk and dawn.

Usage: Automatically detects the darkest hours of the night.

Available Periods:

• any: The entire astronomical night period

Photography Tip: Best for Milky Way and deep-sky. Combine with low clouds and high visibility.

Day/Night Periods

The is_daylight astronomical field provides precise day/night period filtering based on sunrise and sunset times for your exact location.

How it Works:

• Day Period: Starts at sunrise, ends at sunset
• Night Period: Starts at sunset, ends at sunrise (spans midnight)
• Automatic Calculation: Adjusts daily based on your location’s astronomical data

Period Selection Modes:

Mode: “any” - Match conditions at any time (day or night)

{
  "is_daylight": { "mode": "any" }
}

Note: This effectively applies no time filtering since every hour is either day or night.

Mode: “specific” - Match only during specified periods

// Daytime only (sunrise to sunset)
{
  "is_daylight": {
    "mode": "specific",
    "periods": ["day"]
  }
}

// Nighttime only (sunset to sunrise)
{
  "is_daylight": {
    "mode": "specific",
    "periods": ["night"]
  }
}

Common Use Cases:

1. Daytime Landscape Photography

   • Use periods: ["day"] to ensure rules only trigger during daylight hours
   • Perfect for combining with weather conditions like cloud cover for dramatic landscapes

2. Night Sky Photography

   • Use periods: ["night"] for astrophotography rules
   • Combine with moon visibility and astronomical night for darkest skies

3. Flexible Scheduling

   • Use mode: "any" when time of day doesn’t matter
   • Useful for weather-driven rules like fog or storm conditions

Example Rules:

Daytime Fog Photography

{
  "and": [
    { "is_daylight": { "mode": "specific", "periods": ["day"] } },
    { "visibility": { "max": 5000 } },
    { "temperature_2m": { "min": 0 } }
  ]
}

Night Storm Watching

{
  "and": [
    { "is_daylight": { "mode": "specific", "periods": ["night"] } },
    { "lightning_potential": { "min": 60 } },
    { "cloud_cover": { "min": 70 } }
  ]
}

Photography Tips:

• For sunrise/sunset, use relative time windows or golden/blue hour periods for more precision
• For general day/night filtering, is_daylight is simpler and more maintainable than absolute time windows
• Combine with astronomical periods (e.g., astronomical night + night period) for very specific conditions

Moon Conditions

Moon Visibility

Rules can specify when the moon is above or below the horizon.

Usage: Choose when moon is visible or not visible.

Available Periods:

• visible: Moon is above the horizon
• not_visible: Moon is below the horizon

Moon Phase

Rules can target specific moon phases for optimal lighting conditions.

Available Phases:

• new_moon: New moon for darkest skies
• full_moon: Full moon for bright night illumination
• quarter: Quarter moon phases

Photography Tip: Full moon for bright illumination, new moon for darkest skies (Milky Way)

Moon Position Conditions

Moon Illumination: Percentage of moon disc illuminated

• Range: 0 to 100%
• Photography Tip: High illumination for landscapes. Low illumination for astrophotography.

Moon Altitude: Moon’s elevation angle above horizon

• Range: -90° to 90°
• Photography Tip: Higher moon provides more light and avoids atmospheric interference

Moon Azimuth: Moon’s compass direction

• Range: 0° to 360° (0° = North, 180° = South)
• Photography Tip: Control moon position relative to your subject for optimal lighting

Time Zone Handling

• All times use the location’s local timezone
• Automatic daylight saving time adjustments
• Midnight-crossing windows are considered a continuous period

Rule Examples

Morning Golden Hour with Clouds

Rule that triggers during morning golden hour when there’s partial cloud cover (25-60%) for dramatic lighting.

Sunrise Photography Window

Rule active from 15 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after, requiring moderate to heavy cloud cover (40-80%) for colorful skies.

Dark Sky Photography

Rule for astrophotography that requires astronomical night conditions when the moon is not visible, ensuring the darkest skies.

Next Steps

• Weather Rules - Learn about weather conditions in rules
• Notifications - Configure notification timing and quiet hours
• Calendar Integration - Sync opportunities to your calendar