Why I Only Shoot During Golden Hour || Family Photographer Boston
Over the years, I've shot with many different camera bodies + lenses and played around with a myriad of different camera configurations and setting to try and capture the sharpest, most vivid, and emotive images. One factor that cannot be accounted for with the best equipment or skills is the magical light produced during golden hour. Golden hour is a photographer's mecca! This is a the sweet spot for shooting that typically occurs one hour before the sun completely escapes down the horizon and the light turns from various shades of orange to grey or blue. Though I still get many families who ask to do their sessions earlier in the day due to their kids' sleep or evening routine schedules, I've learned to strongly advocate for a sunset hour session given the hassle of changing a routine for one day is well worth the high quality images this hour will produce. Here are five main reasons to care about golden hour:
- Directional light greatly reduces the visibility of blemishes, scars, and other facial details
- Soft light creates a colorful bokeh or "glow" to images that give them a natural movie quality feel
- Defuse light amplifies emotions
- Despite golden hour being short compared to afternoon light, the sun moves fast during this window of time and the light changes every few minutes, giving some diversity to the sharpness or color of the sun
- Angled light gives a punch to the color of buildings, trees, and grass surrounding subjects
