What is Golden Hour?
Golden hour in photography is the time frame right after sunrise or right before sunset, characterized by soft, directional light with orange or “golden” tones. Golden hour, also referred to as “magic hour,” is a preferred time to take outdoor portraits for many photographers because of the beautiful aesthetic of the directional, soft light. The golden hour picture timeframe is not a full hour, but actually only lasts about twenty or thirty minutes before the sun is completely set.
In this article, we feature some of the best Golden Hour Pictures from the Visual Flow Facebook community group. Be sure to join for more inspiration and to participate in future challenges such as this one. This article will provide beautiful examples of golden hour in the following scenes:
Gold Hour with Greenery
Parks, forests, and nature scenes with greenery offer incredible opportunities for golden hour portraiture. The sunlight streaming through the leaves and branches create interesting light patterns, and the oranges intermingle with the greens to create a magical, peaceful feel to the images. See some of our favorites below:
Golden Hour in the Desert
Golden hour and the desert are a perfect match, as the tones from the rocks and natural landscape absorb and compliment the oranges and reds in the sky. The right time and the right scene can create truly impactful imagery.
Golden Hour Beach Photos
Without any trees or buildings to provide shaded light, golden hour is the absolute best time to photograph at the beach. Whether you’re photographing couples or landscapes, this time frame gives photographers the opportunity to create images that captivate the viewer. See some of our favorites below.
Golden Hour in the City
Urban city environments can also work well with golden hour. While many cities have tall buildings that block direct, harsh sun at almost any time of day, photographers will still find advantages of shooting at golden hour. Subtle golden reflections on office windows and golden hair light on the couples are all present during golden hour in the city.
Conclusion
From the images above, you can see why photographers are so obsessed with Golden Hour. Hopefully the examples above inspire your Golden Hour creativity. If you’d like to submit to be considered for future features, be sure to join our Facebook Group and participate in the feature challenges!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.