Outdoor Portraits – The Best Time to Schedule Them
No doubt, the most important aspect of outdoor portraits is going to be the lighting. One of the most common misconceptions on outdoor portraits is that you should take them in the afternoon – when the sun is the brightest. In a lot of ways, this is not correct 🙂 Here are my top three recommendations on when to take outdoor portraits..jpg)
Golden Hour
The hour before the sun is scheduled to set is often referred to as “golden hour.” To be honest, I’m not 100 percent sure where this term originated and am assuming that they were referring to the color temperature of the light at this time! At this time of day, the sun gives of colors that are vibrant and golden 🙂 The lighting is very even and creates very soft and flattering light. Because the lighting is very soft and even, you can shoot pretty much anywhere within a given location. Time and Date is a great resource, to figure out what time “golden hour,” is on the day of your session. .jpg)
Cloudy Days Are A Good Thing
Believe it or not, cloudy days are some of the best days to take portraits. Similar to the light during golden hour, the light on cloudy days is very soft and flattering. Because the clouds will be diffusing the harsh lighting of the sun, clouds are your best friend 🙂 Just as long as it does not start raining during your session, cloudy days make for an almost perfect lighting scenario..jpg)
Shade, Shade, Shade
If you cannot schedule your session during golden hour and it is not a cloudy day, your next best option is to schedule the session where there is a lot of open shade. A good Photographer will ALWAYS place you in the shade – because shade creates soft lighting on subjects. If shade is not an option, placing people with their backs to the sun will also create decent light on everyone. .jpg)
Hopefully these three pointers give you a little to think about for your next photography session 🙂 If you would like to schedule a session, I’d LOVE to hear from you! The best way to reach out to me is through the contact form on my website. Thanks!
