Film production in New Orleans
Between June and December, usable daylight in New Orleans moves by 3h 50min — from 14h 04min down to 10h 14min. An exterior day in December is a different day from one in June. This page carries sunrise, sunset and golden-hour times for all twelve months, the climate profile.
Light and shooting hours
On 15 June, the sun in New Orleans rises at 06:00 and sets at 20:03; the evening golden hour starts at 19:28 and runs for 35 minutes. By December that shifts to 06:49–17:03, with a 36-minute golden-hour window from 16:27.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 32 and 36 minutes across the year. Put it last in the day and the first overrun takes it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:57 | 17:23 | 10h 26min | 16:48 |
| February | 06:41 | 17:50 | 11h 09min | 17:17 |
| March | 07:11 | 19:09 | 11h 58min | 18:37 |
| April | 06:34 | 19:28 | 12h 54min | 18:56 |
| May | 06:08 | 19:47 | 13h 39min | 19:14 |
| June | 06:00 | 20:03 | 14h 04min | 19:28 |
| July | 06:10 | 20:04 | 13h 54min | 19:29 |
| August | 06:29 | 19:43 | 13h 14min | 19:10 |
| September | 06:46 | 19:07 | 12h 22min | 18:36 |
| October | 07:03 | 18:31 | 11h 28min | 17:59 |
| November | 06:26 | 17:05 | 10h 39min | 16:31 |
| December | 06:49 | 17:03 | 10h 14min | 16:27 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in New Orleans starts at 20:20 in June and ends at 20:31 — a window of 11 minutes. In December it is 10 minutes from 17:19. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (19:09) and September (19:07) there are 2 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
New Orleans averages 22 rain days in July and 9 in October. A three-day exterior shoot in July statistically loses 2.2 days — not a forecast, but the basis for deciding whether a cover set belongs in the budget.
| Month | Mean temperature | Rain days | Sunshine hours/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12.4 °C | 11 | 7.5 |
| February | 15.0 °C | 12 | 8.0 |
| March | 18.2 °C | 11 | 9.0 |
| April | 20.8 °C | 12 | 9.8 |
| May | 24.6 °C | 13 | 11.1 |
| June | 27.1 °C | 19 | 11.3 |
| July | 27.9 °C | 22 | 10.7 |
| August | 28.0 °C | 20 | 10.0 |
| September | 26.3 °C | 15 | 10.2 |
| October | 22.5 °C | 9 | 9.6 |
| November | 17.5 °C | 9 | 8.1 |
| December | 14.7 °C | 12 | 7.1 |
Planning a shoot here
A schedule that ignores these numbers looks fine on paper and falls over on the day. TillyGen folds sun position, travel and crew availability straight into the schedule — if the exterior no longer fits before sunset in December, the plan says so, not the wrap report.
Frequently asked
When is golden hour in New Orleans?
In June it starts at 19:28 and lasts 35 minutes; in December it starts at 16:27 and lasts 36 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in New Orleans get?
Between 10h 14min in December and 14h 04min in June. The 3h 50min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in New Orleans?
Combining daylight and rain days, May comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. June has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.