#Golden hour time photos how to#

Just know that it’s a great way to enhance many types of photos. So don’t feel like you must work during the golden hour. And many macro photographers prefer to shoot when the sky is overcast that way, they can capture saturated colors and lots of detail. While portrait photographers, wildlife photographers, and landscape photographers love magic-hour light, street photographers generally prefer to shoot around midday, when the hard light of the sun produces lots of crunchy contrast and shadows. That said, the golden hour isn’t great for all types of photography. Plus, the warm color temperature produced by the golden hours can look beautiful and flattering, as shown in this next photo: It doesn’t create harsh shadows and it tends to decrease the dynamic range of a scene, so the resulting images don’t feature dark shadows or bright highlights. Well, generally speaking, soft light is a photographer’s best friend. I’ve already emphasized the low, soft, warm light produced by a magic-hour sun – but what makes it so great for photography? Ask yourself: When does it rise? When does it set? When does the light start to get warm and soft in the evening? And when does the light start to get hard in the morning? While you can calculate exact golden hour times using astronomical charts, it’s often best to simply observe the light pretty soon, you’ll be very attuned to the sun’s changes, and you’ll know when you can (and can’t) expect magic-hour lighting. Really, if you’re serious about taking advantage of beautiful golden hour light, I’d just recommend paying careful attention to the sun for a few days. But if you live closer to the North or South Pole, you’ll notice a massive change in the golden hour timing, and the golden hours often last far longer. If you live near the equator, the golden hour tends to last one or two hours, and the time won’t change too much as you go from winter to summer and back. While the standard definition of the golden hour – see above! – emphasizes the hour or two before sunset and after sunrise, the golden hour actually fluctuates over the year, and its length depends on your geographical location. Notice the beautiful yellow hues and unbelievably flattering light? That’s what golden hour offers for photographers. (Compare this to sunny midday lighting, which beams down from directly overhead to produce hard, generally unflattering illumination.) It’s a time that’s great for photography hence, the golden hour is also referred to as the magic hour.ĭuring the golden hour, the sun hits the world at a lower angle – and because the light must travel a greater distance to reach the earth, it looks softer, more flattering, and redder. The golden hour refers to (roughly) the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. Let’s dive right in! What is the golden hour in photography?

#Golden hour time photos how to#

I’ll answer all your burning questions, and I’ll explain how to improve your golden hour images with a few expert tips and techniques. By combining proper photographic technique with golden hour lighting, you’re practically guaranteed to capture stunning images – which is what this article is all about.īelow, I’m going to share everything you need to know about golden hour photography. The sun is low in the sky, and the light looks soft, warm, and absolutely magical. Golden hour is a special time for photographers. What is the golden hour in photography? When is golden hour? And how can you use it to capture beautiful photos?