Shooting Photos during the Golden Hours

The two hours before sunset are called the

GOLDEN HOURS

for photographers.

The sun is low in the sky and a gorgeous gold tone.

This is the time of day to play with the sun's rays as

in the photo above.

They especially show up against a dark background.

During this time, I usually back light the subject.

With the sun so low, you can get a ton of glare.

Glare can be fun and beautiful, so embrace it.

If your auto focus isn't locking because of the glare,

Use your hand like a baseball cap visor over the top of your lens

to get focus.  You can leave your hand there and get less glare, or

remove your hand and get interesting haze.

 

Take lots of photos in the golden hours to practice.

You can achieve so many different looks during this magical time of day.

If you don't want haze, try shooting down at your subject.

You will still get the warm golden tones,

but other colors will also photograph rich and pure.

Evening back lighting ignites the hair!

Sheer clothing is especially exquisite!

I love the sun shining through this pretty hat!

As the sun sets, grab some silhouette shots.

If you frame your shot with the sun against the edge of 

your subject, you can get a sun flare.

You can get the same results with a sunrise.

Embrace the gorgeous Golden Hours!