Hi Friends!

I get asked - almost daily - about what the best time of day is for photographs. The truth is that every photographer will tell you something different. We all have preferences of when we like to shoot. However, many natural light photogrpaher will choose golden hour over any other time of day.

Why?

That's simple. Golden hour gives us a beautiful golden, not harsh light, that is flattering in almost every stuation. It can create a dreamy, movie like, vibe that can be so romantic. Many wedding/elopement photographers will try to schedule in at least 15 quick minutes of golden hour time as well!

But when is it? One hour before sunset! A lot of people also take advantage of morning golden hours as well - but I personally have a hard time getting people out of bed that early - haha!

Blue hour has recently become popular with photographers, I personally have always loved it. It allows the opportunity to play with available lighting. You may have seen photos with car headlights, lanterns, etc. It is very likely that these photos were taken during blue hour!

I'm going to use some examples from a recent engagement session to show you the difference. I'm curious to know which you prefer and why!

What do you think?

I personally love both so much, but I can totally see why some people would prefer one hour over the other. When I photograph engagement sessions, I typically will start them a few minutes before golden hour and then finish the session during blue hour. This gives my couples a variety of options.

I will write another blog post soon about lighting during other parts of the day. I know summer months are hard for families with young children because golden hour sometimes isn't until 8:30pm during the long summer days. But it might just be worth it if you love that glowy, romantic, timeless vibe!