Best Time for Photos in Chicago, Illinois, United States
· America/Chicago
Photography forecast for today
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Live sky conditions
Cloud cover and visibility load from the Open-Meteo forecast.
Today at a glance (local time)
0h6h12h18h24h
✨ Golden Hour
Morning
06:50 AM – 07:46 AM
55 min
Evening
05:23 PM – 06:19 PM
55 min
Sun between 4° below and 6° above the horizon.
💙 Blue Hour
Morning
06:40 AM – 06:50 AM
11 min
Evening
06:19 PM – 06:29 PM
11 min
Sun between 6° and 4° below the horizon.
🌕 Moon
🌔
Waxing Gibbous
About 67% illuminated
🌤 Conditions
☁️
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Cloud Cover
👁️
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Visibility
🌈
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Weather
Photography planning for Chicago
Today in Chicago, the evening golden hour runs from 05:23 PM to 06:19 PM
and the evening blue hour from 06:19 PM to 06:29 PM.
Golden hour gives warm, directional light for portraits and landscapes; blue hour gives a cool, even glow for cityscapes and long exposures.
The moon is waxing gibbous, about 67% illuminated.
See today's sunrise and sunset times for Chicago
or check the UV index for Chicago
to plan safe outdoor shoots.
About Chicago
Located in Illinois, Chicago serves as the county seat of Cook County and stands as the largest city in the United States state of Illinois. The municipality has existed since 1837 and occupies an area of 606.4 square kilometers at an elevation of 179 meters. The city’s geography is defined by the Chicago River and its position along Lake Michigan. Notable infrastructure includes O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport. Educational institutions such as the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Chicago operate within its limits. As of 2025, the population is 2,731,585. Twin towns include Kyiv, Vilnius, Lucerne, Accra, and Casablanca.
AI-assisted description based on geographic data and editorial notes.