What exactly is Golden Hour?

If you’ve ever tried to book a session with a photographer, or followed one on Instagram, odds are you have heard them throw around the term “Golden Hour”. Photographers love shooting at Golden Hour and praise what it does for skin tones and mood in photography. But what exactly is it?

The term Golden Hour can be deceptive because it is not exactly an hour. It refers to the time before sunset or after sunrise when the sun is very low on the horizon, creating soft warm light that produces long shadows.

So what is all the hype about?

Golden Hour light results in beautiful, even skin tones for subjects when they are front lit. It also creates glowing halos when the subjects are backlit and the sunlight glows through their hairs, and soft pastel colors reflected on city or waterscapes. All of this makes for very dreamy images that look almost like watercolor paintings. 

For me, another reason why I like it, is that I find Golden Hour light has a calming effect on my families while creating a cozy, and romantic mood that I find people react well to. And, my clients always adore their photos when they are shot at this time of day.

How do I identify Golden Hour?

One aspect of living at Chicago’s latitude (and dealing with daylight savings) is that the sunrise and sunset change drastically through the year–and therefore so does the Golden Hour. 

The easiest way to determine the timing of Golden Hour is to check local sunrise and sunset times–which I do with the help of some aps. 

For my Golden Hour sessions, I always make sure to schedule the start 1:15 to 1:30 minutes before the sunset time (or immediately after sunrise). This is because Golden Hour is fleeting, and the sun moves very fast with the light disappearing quickly (in the case of sunset) or turning very harsh (in the case of sunrise). Since I have such a short window to take the photos, I always make sure I am fully ready with my camera setup and settings, and also that the “ice has broken” and my families are relaxed, having fun, and ready to follow my posing prompts. 

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Do you always photograph at Golden Hour?

Some photographers do. For me, while I love Golden Hour, I recognize that it is not always practical for my clients to have a session at this time of day. For one, family schedules – like parent’s working days and (most importantly) children’s naps - need to be considered. Sometimes, I also photograph events that have already been scheduled. Finally, Golden Hour can get challenging for some families because we have very (VERY!) early summer sunrises in Chicago, and very early winter sunsets that may not work for some during weekdays.

So, in summary, whether you like Golden Hour or want to have a session at a different time of day, I can work with you! Lets figure out together what makes sense for your family and create a session that delivers on your vision and produces images you can’t stop looking at.