Film production in Sacramento
Between June and December, usable daylight in Sacramento moves by 5h 22min — from 14h 51min down to 9h 29min. 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 Sacramento rises at 05:42 and sets at 20:33; the evening golden hour starts at 19:53 and runs for 40 minutes. By December that shifts to 07:17–16:47, with a 42-minute golden-hour window from 16:05.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 35 and 42 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 | 07:23 | 17:09 | 9h 46min | 16:29 |
| February | 06:58 | 17:44 | 10h 47min | 17:07 |
| March | 07:18 | 19:13 | 11h 55min | 18:38 |
| April | 06:30 | 19:43 | 13h 12min | 19:07 |
| May | 05:55 | 20:11 | 14h 16min | 19:34 |
| June | 05:42 | 20:33 | 14h 51min | 19:53 |
| July | 05:54 | 20:31 | 14h 36min | 19:52 |
| August | 06:21 | 20:02 | 13h 41min | 19:25 |
| September | 06:48 | 19:16 | 12h 27min | 18:41 |
| October | 07:16 | 18:29 | 11h 13min | 17:53 |
| November | 06:49 | 16:54 | 10h 05min | 16:15 |
| December | 07:17 | 16:47 | 9h 29min | 16:05 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in Sacramento starts at 20:52 in June and ends at 21:05 — a window of 13 minutes. In December it is 11 minutes from 17:05. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (19:13) and September (19:16) there are 3 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
Sacramento averages 11 rain days in March and 0 in July. A three-day exterior shoot in March statistically loses 1.1 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 | 8.7 °C | 10 | 6.2 |
| February | 10.1 °C | 7 | 8.5 |
| March | 12.1 °C | 11 | 9.2 |
| April | 15.7 °C | 5 | 11.2 |
| May | 19.5 °C | 4 | 13.0 |
| June | 24.0 °C | 1 | 13.6 |
| July | 25.6 °C | 0 | 13.9 |
| August | 25.1 °C | 0 | 13.1 |
| September | 23.3 °C | 1 | 11.7 |
| October | 18.9 °C | 3 | 10.0 |
| November | 11.7 °C | 7 | 8.1 |
| December | 8.3 °C | 10 | 6.2 |
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 Sacramento?
In June it starts at 19:53 and lasts 40 minutes; in December it starts at 16:05 and lasts 42 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in Sacramento get?
Between 9h 29min in December and 14h 51min in June. The 5h 22min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in Sacramento?
Combining daylight and rain days, July comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. June has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.