What Is Golden Hour?

Photography Terms To Know – What is Golden Hour?

A term that is often used, in photography, is golden hour. I’m not too sure where it started – but I will explain everything you need to know 🙂 So, what is golden hour? Simply put, it is the hour (really, the last 30 minutes) before the sun is scheduled to set. And it is the best time to schedule outdoor portraits. Here are four things you should know about golden hour.

Understanding Color Temperatures

The very first thing to understand is that light has a wide variety of color temperatures. And this goes for both indoor and outdoor light. For example, outdoor shade has a very blue color to the light that is much different than the color of direct sunlight… if you have ever taken a picture on your phone or on a camera, and noticed that the colors do not match up with how it really looks. This is the camera trying to guess the appropriate color temperature. Without getting too much more into it, all lighting situations have a different color. And during golden hour, the color of the light is very bright and vibrant. Which a lot of people really love! The sun often gives off golden and orange colors at this specific time of day. Whenever possible, I like to get these colors shooting into my images 🙂

But There Are Times When Golden Hour Is Not Always Golden

Another important thing to consider, when trying to understand what is golden hour, is that the light at this time is not ALWAYS golden. For example, if your session is at a location where the trees block most of the sun, you may not have many opportunities for the golden light of the sun to shine through the trees. Another example of this is when it is cloudy or overcast out. The colors of the sun are diffused by the clouds. But this is not a bad thing – as I will explain in a second 😉

During Golden Hour, The Light is Soft and Even

One of the best things to consider when trying to understand what is golden hour is that the light is soft and flattering at this time of day. For portraits, soft light makes for really beautiful images. It is the opposite to the light you would see if taking portraits in harsh sunlight. The quality of the light, during golden hour, is MUCH better than the quality of light during the middle of the afternoon. When shooting portraits in the afternoon, there needs to be available shade. But during golden hour, you can take portraits almost anywhere. Because the light is soft and even during this time 😉

The Next Best Thing To Golden Hour is an Overcast Day

Contrary to what most people believe, cloudy days are great for outdoor portraits. In fact, the soft lighting that you see during golden hour is pretty much the same. So if you notice that there are a lot of clouds in the sky, this is a GOOD thing 🙂

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of what is golden hour! Thanks 🙂