Film production in San Diego
Between June and December, usable daylight in San Diego moves by 4h 17min — from 14h 18min down to 10h 01min. 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 San Diego rises at 05:41 and sets at 19:59; the evening golden hour starts at 19:23 and runs for 36 minutes. By December that shifts to 06:44–16:45, with a 38-minute golden-hour window from 16:07.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 33 and 38 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 | 06:52 | 17:06 | 10h 14min | 16:29 |
| February | 06:33 | 17:35 | 11h 02min | 17:01 |
| March | 07:00 | 18:57 | 11h 57min | 18:24 |
| April | 06:20 | 19:19 | 12h 59min | 18:46 |
| May | 05:51 | 19:41 | 13h 50min | 19:06 |
| June | 05:41 | 19:59 | 14h 18min | 19:23 |
| July | 05:52 | 19:58 | 14h 06min | 19:23 |
| August | 06:13 | 19:35 | 13h 22min | 19:01 |
| September | 06:33 | 18:56 | 12h 23min | 18:24 |
| October | 06:53 | 18:17 | 11h 24min | 17:44 |
| November | 06:20 | 16:49 | 10h 29min | 16:13 |
| December | 06:44 | 16:45 | 10h 01min | 16:07 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in San Diego starts at 20:16 in June and ends at 20:27 — a window of 11 minutes. In December it is 10 minutes from 17:02. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (18:57) and September (18:56) there are 1 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
San Diego averages 8 rain days in March and 0 in June. A three-day exterior shoot in March statistically loses 0.8 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 | 12.9 °C | 7 | 8.6 |
| February | 13.4 °C | 6 | 9.2 |
| March | 14.3 °C | 8 | 10.2 |
| April | 16.0 °C | 3 | 10.9 |
| May | 16.6 °C | 4 | 11.0 |
| June | 18.8 °C | 0 | 11.9 |
| July | 21.0 °C | 0 | 12.4 |
| August | 21.9 °C | 1 | 11.7 |
| September | 21.5 °C | 2 | 10.7 |
| October | 19.5 °C | 2 | 9.9 |
| November | 16.1 °C | 3 | 9.4 |
| December | 13.3 °C | 5 | 8.3 |
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 San Diego?
In June it starts at 19:23 and lasts 36 minutes; in December it starts at 16:07 and lasts 38 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in San Diego get?
Between 10h 01min in December and 14h 18min in June. The 4h 17min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in San Diego?
Combining daylight and rain days, June comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. June has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.