News

Golden hour is every photographer’s dream window. That moment just after sunrise or before sunset is when the sun creates the most magical soft light, casting a golden glow that transforms everyday scenes into ethereal landscapes. And knowing how to take golden hour photos is a must-know skill to master. In this blog, we’ll dive into the art of capturing breathtaking golden hour portraits by covering some tips and techniques that can help you make the most of this beautiful time of day. 

What Is Golden Hour And Why Is It So Special?

Golden hour or “magic hour” is the time just after sunrise or before sunset when the sun is low in the sky. The light during this period is softer, warmer, and more diffused compared to the harsh midday sunlight. The natural light during golden hour creates a beautiful, flattering glow that’s ideal for portraits. Shadows are longer, and the light wraps gently around the subject, making their skin tone appear warm and glowing.

For portrait photographers, this time of day offers endless creative possibilities. The warmth of the sun creates a natural radiance that’s hard to replicate at any other time of day. Plus, the golden tones and elongated shadows make for a stunning backdrop, even if you’re shooting in an otherwise plain location.

Related Read: Golden Hour Wedding Photos: Inspiration From ShootDotEdit Customers

Tips For Capturing The Best Golden Hour Portraits

1. Mastering Your Golden Hour Portrait Photography Settings

The first step to capturing amazing golden hour portraits is nailing your camera settings. While golden hour provides ideal light, it also means you need to adjust your settings to maximize its potential.

• Aperture: To create the beautiful, blurred background (bokeh) effect, shoot with a wide aperture, around f/1.8 to f/4. A wide aperture allows you to isolate your subject by creating a shallow depth of field, which draws attention to your subject and softens the background. This is especially helpful when you want your subject to pop against a stunning golden hour landscape.
  
  
• Shutter Speed: Golden hour light changes quickly as the sun sets or rises, so you’ll need to adjust your shutter speed as the light fades. Start with a faster shutter speed, like 1/200 or 1/400, to freeze motion, especially if you’re photographing movement or candid moments. As the light dims, you’ll need to lower your shutter speed to avoid underexposing your image.
  
  
• ISO: Keep your ISO as low as possible to avoid introducing grain into your images. However, as the light diminishes, you may need to raise your ISO slightly, but be careful not to overdo it, as this can lead to noise.
  
  
• White Balance: Consider adjusting your white balance to emphasize the warmth of the golden hour light. This enhances the natural warmth of the light, giving your portraits that signature golden glow.

If you’re not sure where to start, create a cheat sheet with these basic settings as a reference.

2. Positioning Your Subject For The Best Results

The beauty of golden hour photos lies in how you position your subject relative to the sun. There are a few different techniques you can use, depending on the look you’re going for.

• Backlighting: One of the most popular techniques in golden hour portrait photography is backlighting. Position your subject with their back to the sun, allowing the golden light to shine through their hair or create a halo effect around their silhouette. This creates a dreamy, ethereal vibe in your portraits. You’ll want to use spot metering on your subject’s face to ensure it’s properly exposed, while the background will have that glowing warmth.
  
  
• Side Lighting: For a more dramatic look, try positioning the sun to the side of your subject. This creates interesting shadows and depth, enhancing the texture of your subject’s features. Side lighting works especially well when you want to add mood and contrast to your portrait photography.
  
  
• Frontal Lighting: If you prefer a more evenly lit portrait, position your subject facing the sun. This technique highlights the warmth of the soft light and creates a beautiful catchlight in your subject’s eyes. Be careful, though, as direct sunlight can sometimes cause your subject to squint—so you may want to have them look slightly away from the sun or wear sunglasses in between shots to avoid eye strain.

Read More: The Ultimate Guide To Wedding Photography Lighting Techniques

3. Using Bokeh For Your Golden Hour Portraits

Bokeh refers to the aesthetic quality of the blur in the out-of-focus areas of your image. Bokeh photography is especially enhanced during golden hour because of the warm, soft light and the long shadows. To get that background blur, use a wide aperture and ensure that there’s enough distance between your subject and the background. The farther your subject is from the background, the more pronounced the bokeh will be.

Additionally, using a telephoto lens (around 85mm to 135mm) can help compress the background and create a more dramatic bokeh effect. If you’re shooting near trees, water, or other reflective surfaces, the golden light can create stunning bokeh highlights in the background, adding an extra layer of magic to your photos.

4. Embracing The Landscape for Context And Emotion

Golden hour is not just about lighting; it’s also about using your surroundings to tell a story. The landscape, whether it’s an open field, a beach, or an urban setting, can enhance the emotion and mood of your golden hour portraits.

• Wide Shots: Don’t be afraid to step back and capture wide shots that incorporate the entire landscape. The long shadows and glowing light can add a cinematic quality to your portraits, and the combination of a beautiful backdrop with your subject can create a sense of place and emotion. These wide shots often work well for storytelling, giving context to your subject’s surroundings.
  
  
• Foreground Elements: Incorporating foreground elements like grass, flowers, or other natural objects into your portraits can add texture and depth. The golden hour light softly illuminates these elements, making them stand out without overpowering your subject.
  
  
• Silhouettes: Golden hour is also perfect for creating silhouette portraits. Position your subject against the sunset or sunrise, and expose it for the bright sky rather than your subject. This technique adds drama and can result in striking, graphic images that capture the essence of the moment.

Read More: 8 Wedding Photography Landscape Images To Inspire You

5. Post-Processing To Enhance Golden Hour Photos

Post-processing plays an important role in perfecting your golden hour photos. While the light during golden hour is beautiful on its own, a little editing can help bring out the best in your images. Since the light is softer during golden hour, you may need to adjust the exposure slightly to bring out the details in your subject’s face. Use the highlights slider in Lightroom or your preferred editing software to recover any blown-out areas caused by the setting sun.

To emphasize the golden tones, you can increase the temperature slider slightly to enhance the warmth of the image. This will give your portraits that signature golden glow, making them appear even more radiant. Adjust the contrast and shadows to create more depth and drama in your portraits. Darkening the shadows can make the light appear even softer, while adding contrast can help your subject stand out against the glowing background.

Finally, use the sharpening tools to bring out the details in your subject’s eyes, hair, and clothing. At the same time, you can use a softening effect on the background to enhance the bokeh and make the portrait feel more dreamy and ethereal.

Creating Magical Photos Using Natural Light

The natural light is unparalleled, and with the right techniques, you can capture some of the most beautiful, glowing images. By mastering your camera settings, understanding how to position your subject, using bokeh effectively, embracing the landscape, and fine-tuning your post-processing, you’ll be able to create stunning golden hour portraits that stand out.

Remember, the key to great golden hour photos is preparation and adaptability. The light changes quickly, so be ready to experiment and adjust your settings as needed. With practice, you’ll develop an intuitive feel for how to capture that perfect moment when the light, your subject, and the environment all come together.

Suggested Read: 5 Creative Ways To Work With Dappled Light In Wedding Photography

At ShootDotEdit, we are passionate about helping you grow as a wedding photographer. However, if you find that endless editing tasks are blocking your way and sapping your energy, let us help! To learn more about how our professional photo editing services could give you your time back, check out our pricing plans.