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An evening session timed to the real sunset on your dates. Cancun's Caribbean beaches face east, so the sun goes down behind the hotels; we show you where it sets over water and when to start. No deposit, and a preview within 24 hours.
Planning a sunset photoshoot in Cancun? The Hotel Zone's Caribbean beaches face east, so the sun rises out of the sea and sets behind the hotels. The last hour is still lovely: the light turns soft, the sea goes pale and the color moves to the sky. To see the sun go down over water, cross to Nichupté Lagoon or take the ferry to Isla Mujeres.
IVAE Studios is based in Cancun and led by Vianey Díaz. The team brings more than 20 years of photography experience, with thousands of families and couples photographed over those years, and IVAE Studios itself, founded in 2023, has delivered more than 500 sessions. On the IVAE Studios Google profile the studio holds 5.0 from 75 reviews.
The sun sets between west-southwest in December and west-northwest in June. What you see depends on which way your shore faces.
From Punta Cancun to Punta Nizuc the beaches face east and southeast. At sunset the sun is behind the hotels, the sea turns soft and the sky takes the color. Buildings can shade the sand before sunset, so we pick the stretch of beach for your date.
Across Kukulcan Boulevard, a few hundred meters to just over a kilometer from the beach, the lagoon faces west, with mangroves and calm water that mirrors the sky; from its eastern shore the sun usually sets across one to several kilometers of water. We meet at your lagoon-side hotel or a public spot nearby. Bring repellent. More in sunset photos at Nichupté Lagoon.
Playa Norte, at the north end of the island, faces west and northwest across the Bahía de Mujeres, with roughly 6 to 7 km of open water toward the sunset all year. It takes a ferry, so we plan the hour around your boat back. See our Isla Mujeres photographer page.
Sources, checked November 14, 2026: OpenStreetMap coastline data (shore directions, distances), Ramsar sheet for Manglares de Nichupté (CONANP), Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres national park program (the bay), Ultramar (ferry routes), NOAA solar calculator method (sun directions).
Cancun Hotel Zone, 15th of each month of 2027, calculated with the NOAA solar algorithm. Quintana Roo stays on UTC-5 all year, with no daylight saving time (time zone law, checked November 14, 2026). Golden hour runs from the sun at 6 degrees to sunset: 29 to 33 minutes.
| Date | Golden hour starts | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 15 | 5:54 pm | 6:26 pm |
| Feb 15 | 6:15 pm | 6:45 pm |
| Mar 15 | 6:27 pm | 6:56 pm |
| Apr 15 | 6:36 pm | 7:06 pm |
| May 15 | 6:47 pm | 7:18 pm |
| Jun 15 | 6:58 pm | 7:30 pm |
| Jul 15 | 7:00 pm | 7:32 pm |
| Aug 15 | 6:47 pm | 7:17 pm |
| Sep 15 | 6:21 pm | 6:50 pm |
| Oct 15 | 5:53 pm | 6:23 pm |
| Nov 15 | 5:34 pm | 6:06 pm |
| Dec 15 | 5:35 pm | 6:08 pm |
Other years shift by a minute or two; sunrise times are in our guide to sunset and golden hour in Cancun by month.
We usually start about an hour before sunset, so the session ends in golden hour. Online booking at ivaestudios.com/book offers 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm, Cancun time; any other time is arranged on WhatsApp.
Sunset falls between 6:04 and 6:37 pm, so the 5:00 and 5:30 pm starts sit 34 to 97 minutes before it. On November 15, 2027, a 35-minute Postcard starting at 5:30 pm ends just as the sun sets at 6:06 pm.
Sunset falls between 6:36 and 7:33 pm, the latest in early July, when a 5:30 pm start comes about two hours before it. Message us on WhatsApp for a later start, about an hour before the sunset on your date.
On these beaches the sun rises out of the sea. From mid-November to mid-January it comes up between 6:58 and 7:27 am, so the 7:00 and 7:30 am starts meet it. Compare both in sunrise vs sunset for couples.
Golden hour lasts 29 to 33 minutes on the 15th of each month, about the length of The Postcard, the 35-minute collection made for couples. For a surprise proposal, the question should come while the light is still warm. More on our couples photography page.
“At no point were we left wondering what to do, where to be, or what was happening next.”
Ben L., sunset session for a birthday and an anniversary, Google review
With children, aim for the hour before dinner. On the 15th of November to January golden hour starts between 5:34 and 5:54 pm; in June and July, around 7:00 pm, so with little ones a morning session is often easier. No group limit, no per-person charge. See our Cancun family photographer page.
“They organized a last minute sunset shoot for our family with great art direction, and made it fun, short and efficient, which is no easy task with a 1 year old and a 4 year old.”
Marouchka G., family with a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old, Google review
Six published collections at fixed prices in USD, and you can upgrade any time by paying only the difference. The Postcard is made for couples and The Chapter is recommended for families; for the beach in the late afternoon and the lagoon at sunset, choose The Story, 75 minutes with two looks.
| Collection | Time | Edited photos | Looks | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Postcard Made for couples | 35 min | 15 | 1 | 295 USD |
| The Keepsake | 45 min | 25 | 1 | 375 USD |
| The Chapter Recommended for families | 60 min | 35 | 1 | 475 USD |
| The Story | 75 min | 50 | 2 | 545 USD |
| The Editorial Best value | 90 min | 70 | 2 | 645 USD |
| The Heirloom | 90 min | Complete edited gallery | 2 | 895 USD |
What you receive: a preview within 24 hours, then the private 4K gallery in 1 to 3 business days, with unlimited downloads and print rights. No deposit: you pay at the end, by card or in cash, and cancellation is free up to one day before. Some hotels charge an outside-photographer fee, paid to the hotel; we confirm your hotel's rule first. Details on our prices page.
Not from the Hotel Zone's Caribbean beaches: they face east, so the sun sets behind the hotels. It sets over water at Nichupté Lagoon, across the boulevard, and at Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, which faces west and northwest across the bay.
In 2027, between 6:04 pm, in late November, and 7:33 pm, in early July. On the 15th it is 6:08 pm in December and 7:30 pm in June. Cancun stays on UTC-5 all year, with no daylight saving time.
About an hour before sunset, so the session ends in golden hour. Online starts are 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm. From October to January the evening starts fit; from February to September, message us on WhatsApp for a later start.
From 295 USD (The Postcard: 35 minutes, 15 edited photos, made for couples) to 895 USD (The Heirloom: 90 minutes, the full edited gallery). For families we recommend The Chapter: 60 minutes, 35 edited photos, 475 USD. No deposit and no per-person charge; some hotels charge an outside-photographer fee, paid to the hotel.
It can be. On the 15th of November to January golden hour starts between 5:34 and 5:54 pm, comfortably before bedtime; in June and July it starts around 7:00 pm, so with little ones a morning session is often easier. There is no limit on the number of people.
A preview within 24 hours and the full private 4K gallery in 1 to 3 business days, with unlimited downloads and print rights. You pay at the end, by card or in cash, and cancellation is free up to one day before.
Send us your dates and your hotel on WhatsApp, and we reply with the sunset for each evening of your stay and the best place to catch it. Or book a collection and a start time online.
