Why You Should Take Photos During Golden Hour

Mar 26

Although it’s totally possible to create beautiful photos at any time of day, it’s always worth planning portraits for golden hour. Golden hour provides the most dynamic lighting for landscapes while also providing the most flattering lighting for portraiture.

Who wouldn’t want that combo for their own photos!?

What is golden hour?

Golden hour is a short window of time right after the sunrises and again right before it sets. This “magic hour” is when the sun is low in the sky and is often casts soft pink or orange alpenglow on the landscape.

Below are examples of golden hour vs midday portraits from Shae and Jordan’s wedding. They snuck away from their reception for ten minutes to capture these golden hour memories at sunset, which proves you can take advantage of golden hour no matter the situation!

Why is golden hour great for landscapes?

The lighting at golden hour gives landscapes dimension that isn’t there any other time of day. For example, take a look at this photo of Joran dipping Shae. It was taken around 3:00 pm, while the photo of them walking was taken at sunset.

Compare the backgrounds. Notice that the shot from the afternoon has a background that looks flat and the shot taken at sunset has much more depth and dimension.

What difference does golden hour make for portraits?

Soft light

Golden hour provides soft, flattering light for portraits. Look at the difference between these two sets of photos.

The first two photos were taken at sunset and were lit with soft and even lighting. The next two photos were taken in the afternoon. Notice the harsh shadows and bright patches of sun on Shae and Jordan’s faces.

Directional Light

Since the sun is close to the horizon during golden hour, it provides beautiful directional light as well. This gives photographers the best chance to capture lens flare and silhouettes.