Just like surfers waiting for the perfect tide, photographers need to wait for the "golden hours." The golden hours are two hours in the day- one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset. Whether you are shooting a portrait or a landscape, the golden hours are the ideal time to capture those stunning images you've always wanted!
Golden Hour- One Hour After Sunrise
This is the perfect time to shoot a beautiful landscape. Depending on the weather, the clouds could still have that ominous look they have early in the morning that would make for a great, gloomy picture. Or the sky may be crystal clear and you can see for miles. Doesn't matter what Mother Nature decides for us that day- you'll always have some nice element included in your images when shooting after the sunrise!
Golden Hour- One Hour After Sunrise
This is the perfect time to shoot a beautiful landscape. Depending on the weather, the clouds could still have that ominous look they have early in the morning that would make for a great, gloomy picture. Or the sky may be crystal clear and you can see for miles. Doesn't matter what Mother Nature decides for us that day- you'll always have some nice element included in your images when shooting after the sunrise!
Photo by Patrick Goossens
Golden Hour- One Hour Before Sunset
Shooting an hour before sunset is the best time to have a photoshoot! The light is very flattering at this time of day. Rather than having the bright sun directly above, as you would if you had a shoot during the middle of the day, you now have a flattering light casting a glow across your subject. You do not want to schedule a portrait session in the middle of the day unless you use a light modifier. Having the sun directly above your subject creates shadows on parts of your subject's face, causing them to look unflattering and in some cases they can appear to look older.
Shooting an hour before sunset is the best time to have a photoshoot! The light is very flattering at this time of day. Rather than having the bright sun directly above, as you would if you had a shoot during the middle of the day, you now have a flattering light casting a glow across your subject. You do not want to schedule a portrait session in the middle of the day unless you use a light modifier. Having the sun directly above your subject creates shadows on parts of your subject's face, causing them to look unflattering and in some cases they can appear to look older.
Portrait in Botanic Garden By Cluj-Napoca
Another fun style of photography you can play around with before sunset is silhouette photography! If you need a refresher on how to capture great silhouette images, click here to read one of our previous blog posts that discusses 3 types of silhouettes- Partial, Perfect, and Contrasting!
Twilight Fun By Damian Gadal
Want to capture even better photos at night? Take our Night Photography course online and start seeing an improvement in your skills today! Click here to learn more about this informative course!