Professional photographers swear by the “Golden Hour,” that brief period of time right after sunrise and right before sunset when the sun is low in the sky and the light is soft and diffused.
Golden Hour the ‘Magic Hour’
The light created at this time of day is naturally diffuse and pinkish, making it an excellent time of day to take portraits and photograph weddings.
From landscapes and street scenes to outdoor portraits and fashion shoots, the golden hour offers the photographer creative control and great lighting. Also, fewer people tend to be out around dawn and dusk, so your image is less likely to be spoiled by distractions from the background.
Here are some tips for using lighting to your advantage:
Shadows create depth: Due to the sun’s lower angle during the golden hour, light is traveling through more of our atmosphere, resulting in a softer and less-intense direct light. The result is a more even exposure and less contrast. Additionally, the angle of the light creates soft shadows and pleasing contrast, enhancing the depth of your photos.
Timing is everything: Arrive early enough to set up and be ready to shoot when the light conditions are right. The light can change minute-to-minute during this time of day, so keep shooting constantly. Take pictures throughout the whole hour to capture all of the effects.
Natural light for beautiful portraits: Portraits and fashion photography benefit most from the golden hour’s warm light. In soft diffused light, skin appears soft and subjects do not need to squint in order to look toward the sun.
Take advantage of this lighting. A striking image can be created during this enchanting time of day by using the following five creative lighting elements:
Front lighting: This approach creates warm, flattering light for your subject by facing them into the sun.
Backlighting: Backlighting involves posing your subject with their backs to the sun, engulfing them in a warm, soft glow. You may want to consider using a reflector or fill flash to prevent your models from appearing too dark.
Rim lighting: This is similar to backlighting but shot against a dark background, achieving a soft glow around the edges of your subject.
Flare: Flare is caused by the sun directly hitting your lens. In general, you want to avoid flare, but during the golden hour, it can add visual interest.
Silhouette: The golden hour and blue hour are ideal times to capture silhouettes since the sun is low in the sky at these times. To achieve this effect, place your subject in front of a brightly lit background.
Planning the Shoot
Plan ahead – the Golden Hour can only be enjoyed when the sky isn’t covered in clouds. If you plan ahead, you won’t end up shooting in overcast weather.
Weather apps can help you predict potential good days for outdoor photography. Dark Sky and WeatherUnderground are my two favorite apps. Weather.com is another app that I occasionally use. Comment below if there are other apps you recommend.
Even though I live in Hawaii, I watch the weather every day. Weather Underground/Wunderground would be my recommendation if I had to choose one over the other. The apps are available in the Apple or Android app stores.
Blue Hour Photography
What if you can’t shoot during golden hour? If you cannot capture the golden hour lighting, don’t worry about your photos being subpar. Other options exist – among photographers, the Blue Hour is a popular choice.
Blue hour refers to the period after the sun has set and just before it rises, i.e. dusk and dawn. Your photos won’t have that same golden hue, but maybe you’d prefer a bluer tint in some photos than a golden one.
Photos taken during the blue hour appear tranquil, peaceful, and relaxing. Although blue hour might not be as popular as the golden hour, sometimes it pays to stand out from the crowd.
If you are someone who enjoys shooting cityscapes, Blue Hour is ideally suited for this style of photography.
Mid-Day’s Harsh Sunlight
Quite a few photographers head home after golden hour and do not return to shooting until evening golden hour.
There are, however, times when you simply cannot time your photographs to coincide with golden hour. When this happens, you have to learn to work with whatever lighting you have.
Add a diffuser to your equipment bag.
Position your body in accordance with the sun. Shooting outdoors, regardless of the time of day, is always a good idea.
Try to avoid tall buildings and find open spaces. These will cause harsh shadows that you want to avoid. You can also take photos around large bodies of water when you want to avoid shadows.
Alternately, if you can’t avoid shadows, go to those places where the light is mostly blocked – either go all out with the light or all out with the shadow; there is no middle ground.
Allow yourself to be embraced by the sun. Sometimes, when it’s unavoidable, the sun can simply make for some beautiful, sunfilled photographs.
You might want to consider shooting in black and white. The style of photography is ideal for taking photos with high contrast. When you shoot mid-day, you get the highest contrast.
By Mark Delong