Lake Seminole — a lake in Gadsden County, Florida — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Chattahoochee, about 2.8 km (1.7 mi) away (Lake Seminole lies NW of town).
Lake Seminole (, SEM-i-nohl) is a reservoir located in the southwest corner of Georgia along its border with Florida, maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Chattahoochee and Flint rivers join in the lake, before flowing from the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, which impounds the lake, as the Apalachicola River. The lake contains 37,500 acres (152 km2) of water, and has a shoreline of 376 mi (605 km). The fish in Lake Seminole include largemouth bass, crappie, chain pickerel, catfish, striped bass and other species. American alligators, snakes and various waterfowl are also present in the lake, which is known for its goose hunting.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Seminole”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Seminole 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) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:51 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:38 AM | 62° ENE | 8:46 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 117° ESE | 5:43 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 09m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 22m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 07m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:22 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:48 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:32 PM | 12h 55m |
| May | 6:19 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 42m |
| June | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 07m |
| July | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 57m |
| August | 6:41 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 16m |
| September | 7:00 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:11 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 7:18 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 27m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 37m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 10m |
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 Seminole, 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 30° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:58 AM – 5:58 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:08 AM – 6:28 AM | 2.3 | 27° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:11 AM – 5:41 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 12:09 AM – 5:09 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:22 PM – 4:52 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 3:29 AM | 5.2 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 1:30 AM | 3.7 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 11:27 PM | 2.3 | 27° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:29 PM – 9:29 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.73 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
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Seminole, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Eastbank1.8 km (1.1 mi) · reservable
- Chattahoochee Park2.4 km (1.5 mi) · reservable
- Rays Lake Park12.7 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Faceville Landing Park 21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Hales Landing Park25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Seminole?
What time is golden hour at Lake Seminole?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Seminole?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Seminole?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Seminole?
How far is Lake Seminole from Chattahoochee?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.