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PhotoWeather

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

Section titled “Time Window Types”

Absolute Time Windows

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “Astronomical Periods”

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

Golden Hour

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “Day/Night Periods”

is_daylight provides simple day/night period filtering.

Available Periods:

  • day: Daylight period conditions
  • night: Night period conditions
  • any: Any time of day

Photography Tip: For more control than the simple is_day boolean, use this period condition

Moon Conditions

Section titled “Moon Conditions”

Moon Visibility

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “Rule Examples”

Morning Golden Hour with Clouds

Section titled “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

Section titled “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

Section titled “Dark Sky Photography”

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

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”