Lake Ella — a lake in Leon County, Florida — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Tallahassee, about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away (Lake Ella lies N of town).
Lake Ella is a lake in central Tallahassee, Florida on US 27 just south of Tharpe Street, and just north of Downtown. Lake Ella has an area of 12 acres (49,000 m2) and a perimeter 0.6 miles. Once used for cattle, it now has three fountains and is used for recreation, flood protection, and stormwater pollution control.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Ella”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Ella the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:36 AM | 62° ENE | 8:43 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 117° ESE | 5:41 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 11m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:09 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 24m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 07m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:20 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:30 PM | 12h 55m |
| May | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 41m |
| June | 6:08 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 06m |
| July | 6:19 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:09 PM | 13h 56m |
| August | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 16m |
| September | 6:58 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 27m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 11m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Lake Ella, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:57 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:06 AM – 6:26 AM | 2.3 | 27° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 5:39 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 12:06 AM – 5:06 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:19 PM – 4:49 AM | 6.5 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:16 PM – 3:26 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 1:27 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 11:25 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:27 PM – 9:27 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.64 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 40% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (56%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 81 | 86 | 89 | 96 | 103 | 109 | 110 | 107 | 104 | 100 | 89 | 85 |
| Low °F | 18 | 21 | 22 | 35 | 44 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 49 | 32 | 21 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.5 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this lake
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lake Ella, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Ella?
What time is golden hour at Lake Ella?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Ella?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Ella?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Ella?
How far is Lake Ella from Tallahassee?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.