The Golden hour is that magic time twice a day when we all look our absolute best in photos. Approximatly one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset when the sun is low in the sky. What makes golden hour light so great?
- Well, first of all its soft. Since it has to travel through more atmosphere the light rays spread out and soften meaning they don't leave harsh shadows like the ones in the photo below. Plus, when the light is soft you can look right into it without squinting.
- . Second, Golden hour light is warm in color. on its way through the atmosphere more of the blue wavelengths are lost and scattered leaving more of a red/yellow tone. Those shades of light are universally flattering, making people look like they have a nice tan.
- Thirdly, Golden hour light is dimensional. Shadows are longer and soften than they are during midday giving photos a more three dimensional effect.
No worries. While the golden hour really is ideal its not always possible to take photos then. But there is something you can do to mitigate those middle of the day issues, find some open shade. Open shade is a large area of uniform shade. You can use shade from a tree but be careful for stippled light coming through the branches like in the photo below.
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