There's a reason why professional photographers set their alarm clocks at ungodly hours. And why the most beautiful drone images on Instagram are never taken in the middle of the day. The secret? Two short moments each day when the light changes everything: golden hour and blue hour.
As a drone pilot, you have a unique advantage: you can combine that magical light with a perspective that no one else has. From the air, shadows become longer, colours richer and landscapes more spectacular. But you do have to be in the air at the right moment.
Golden hour — when everything turns golden
Golden hour is the moment just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon. The light then travels through a thicker layer of atmosphere, making it soft, warm and golden in colour.
This is the perfect moment for drone photography. The low sun creates extremely long shadows that add texture and depth to the landscape. Rivers, roads and fields take on a three-dimensional effect that you never see in the middle of the day.
- Lasts 30–60 minutes on average (depending on the season)
- Light is warm, soft and golden
- Long, dramatic shadows that add texture to the landscape
- Ideal for: landscapes, rivers, polders, coastlines
- In March: morning ±07:00–07:45 / evening ±18:15–19:00
Tips for golden hour with your drone
Do not fly too high. During golden hour, the most beautiful images are often taken from a height of 30–60 metres. This allows you to best capture the long shadows and texture of the landscape. Fly too high and you will lose the effect.
Use the sun as a guide. Fly with the sun diagonally behind your drone for warm, even light. Flying towards the sun will give you dramatic silhouettes and lens flares — also beautiful, but a different look.
Shadows are your friend. Look for landscapes with differences in height, rows of trees, windmills or buildings. During golden hour, these shadows become spectacular compositional elements.
Shoot in RAW. The colours during golden hour are subtle and rich. By shooting in RAW, you retain all those nuances and can later adjust the warmth and contrast to perfection.
Blue hour — the cool magic after sunset
Blue hour is the brief moment just after sunset (or just before sunrise), when the sun has just dipped below the horizon. The sky turns deep shades of blue, lavender and purple — while there is still enough light to take sharp images.
This is perhaps the most underrated moment for drone photography. The cool blue tones give your images a mysterious, cinematic feel. And if there are houses or villages in the frame with warm light coming from the windows, it creates a beautiful contrast between cool and warm.
- Only lasts 15–25 minutes — you have to be quick
- Light is cool, blue and even
- No harsh shadows — everything is soft and smooth
- Ideal for: water reflections, villages, towns, misty landscapes
- In March: morning ±06:15–06:45 / evening ±19:15–19:40
Tips for blue hour with your drone
Be prepared. Blue hour only lasts 15–25 minutes. Make sure your drone is already in the air before it starts. Scout your location in advance and know exactly what image you want to capture.
Look for warm light in your image. The best thing about blue hour is the contrast between the cool blue light and warm light sources: street lights, windows of houses, lighthouses. That contrast makes the image magical.
Pay attention to your ISO. There is less light available, so your drone camera will increase the ISO. Try to stay below ISO 400 for sharp images with minimal noise.
Water reflections are worth their weight in gold. Or rather, blue. Still water reflects the blue sky like a mirror. Canals, lakes and rivers are spectacular from the air during blue hour.
Pro tip: use AEB bracketing
During golden hour and blue hour, the dynamic range of the scene is often greater than your camera can handle. By turning on AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing), your drone will automatically take 3–5 photos with different exposures.
In post-production, you can merge these into an HDR image with perfectly balanced highlights and shadows. Most DJI drones support this as standard via the DJI Fly app.
When is golden hour where you are?
The exact times of golden hour and blue hour change every day, depending on your location and the season. Check below to see when the magical light begins for you today.
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Flying drones in spring