Golden Hour in Photography: All you need to know

April 13, 2025

Every photographer knows that great light can make or break a photo. Among all lighting conditions, golden hour stands out as the most loved by photographers everywhere. This special time turns ordinary scenes into stunning photo opportunities, giving photographers of all types incredible creative possibilities.

What Is Golden Hour?

Golden hour is the time shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the sun is low in the sky, creating soft, gentle light with a warm, golden color. This usually happens during the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset, though the exact timing changes based on where you are and the season.

The reason golden hour light looks so special is simple science. When the sun is low, its light has to travel through more of our atmosphere before reaching what you’re photographing. This longer journey filters out blue light while letting red and orange light pass through, creating that beautiful warm glow that makes golden hour photos so special.

Golden Hour in Photography: All you need to know -

Why Photographers Love Golden Hour Light

Golden hour light has several qualities that make it perfect for photography:

Soft, Directional Light: Unlike the harsh overhead light at midday, golden hour gives you soft light coming from a low angle. This creates gentle shadows and highlights that add depth to your images without the harsh contrast that often ruins midday photos.

Warm Color: The amber glow covers everything in rich, golden tones, instantly making ordinary scenes look extraordinary. This warm light is especially flattering for skin tones, which is why portrait photographers love it.

Better Light Range: Your camera can capture both bright and dark areas better during golden hour because the contrast isn’t as extreme. This means less editing work later and more natural-looking photos.

Long Shadows: The low sun creates stretched-out shadows that add depth and interest to your compositions. These dramatic shadows can become powerful elements in your photos.

Planning for Golden Hour Success

Good preparation is key to making the most of golden hour:

Get Your Timing Right: Look up the exact sunrise and sunset times for your location. Many apps and websites can tell you exactly when golden hour will happen where you are. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early so you’re ready when the beautiful light begins.

Note: Don’t forget morning golden hour. Morning golden hour often has clearer air and fewer crowds at popular locations.

Scout Your Location: Visit your shooting spots ahead of time if possible. Think about how the light will fall on your subject at your chosen time. Watch for things like buildings or hills that might block the light sooner than you expect.

Prepare Your Gear: While you don’t need special equipment for golden hour, certain items are helpful. Bring a sturdy tripod for the dimmer light when you might need slower shutter speeds. Consider gradient filters to balance bright skies with darker foregrounds. And always pack extra batteries—golden hour shoots often run longer than planned as you chase the perfect light.

Check the Weather: Keep an eye on the forecast. Partly cloudy skies can make golden hour even more dramatic, while heavy clouds might reduce the golden effect. That said, even cloudy days during this time give you softer light than midday.

Photography Techniques you can try

Golden hour works well for almost any type of photography. Here are the most effective techniques that apply across different styles:

Backlighting: Position your subject with the sun behind them to create a beautiful rim light or “halo effect.” This separates your subject from the background and creates a magical glow. Remember to expose for your subject, not the bright background.

Silhouettes: The strong backlighting during golden hour creates perfect conditions for silhouettes. Expose for the bright sky and let your subject appear as a dark shape against the colorful background.

Side Lighting: Place the sun to one side of your subject to create gentle shadows that add depth and dimension. This works for both landscapes and portraits, bringing out textures and contours without harsh contrast.

Reflections: Golden hour intensifies reflections in water, creating opportunities for striking compositions with colorful skies mirrored in lakes, rivers, or even small puddles.

Long Shadows: Use the stretched-out shadows created by the low sun angle as compositional elements. These shadows can add leading lines, patterns, and visual interest to both natural and urban environments.

Catch Flare: While lens flare is often avoided, deliberate flare during golden hour can add warmth and a dreamy quality to images. Try partially shielding the sun with your subject to create controlled flare effects.

Technical Tips for Golden Hour Photography

Getting the most from golden hour requires understanding a few technical aspects:

Managing Exposure: Golden hour’s softer contrast makes exposure easier than midday photography, but the quickly changing light means you’ll need to adjust your settings regularly. You can try exposure bracketing (taking multiple shots at different exposures) for important images to ensure you get the perfect exposure.

Keep ISO low (100-400) when possible for cleaner images. When shooting landscapes, consider using aperture priority mode (A or Av) with f/8 to f/11 for sharp images from front to back and use aperture priority mode with f/2.8 to f/4 to blur the background for portraits.

White Balance Choices: While automatic white balance usually works fine during golden hour, it might reduce the warm glow. Try the “Daylight” or “Cloudy” preset on your camera to enhance the golden colors.

Working Efficiently: Golden hour light changes minute by minute. Work quickly, shooting your most important compositions first, and be ready to adjust your plans as the light changes. Having a shot list helps you make the most of this short time.

Creating Golden Hour Effects Without Golden Hour

While nothing truly replaces natural golden hour light, photographers sometimes need alternatives:

Studio Setups: Professional studios can recreate many golden hour qualities using carefully positioned continuous lighting with orange-colored gels. Place your main light low and to the side while keeping it relatively soft to mimic the directional yet gentle quality of golden hour.

Editing Techniques: When shooting during less ideal times, certain editing approaches can add golden hour qualities. Selectively warming the highlights, adding subtle orange color grading, and applying graduated warming filters from the direction of your “virtual sun” can approximate some golden hour characteristics.

Golden Hour vs. Studio Control: While photographers universally appreciate golden hour light, studios offer something golden hour cannot: complete control and consistency. Studio settings allow photographers to maintain precise lighting regardless of weather or time constraints. Many professional photographers use both approaches, working with natural golden hour light when appropriate while using controlled studio environments when consistency matters most.

Conclusion

Golden hour photography is more than just capturing pretty light—it gives photographers of all types a chance to create images with depth, dimension, and emotional impact. The technical and visual advantages of this light are huge, but mastering golden hour photography takes both technical know-how and artistic vision.

Remember that while good equipment and technical knowledge matter, nothing replaces a photographer’s eye for composition and timing. The most expensive camera can’t make up for poor positioning or missed opportunities. Successful golden hour photography comes from the right mix of preparation, technical skill, artistic vision, and the willingness to return repeatedly until conditions align perfectly.

FD Photo Studio offers affordable, professional photography spaces in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Our flexible booking options and affordable rates make high-quality studios accessible to photographers and content creators at every level.

Feel free to head over to our website, check our online calendars for availability, and fill out our reservation form. That’s it! Our streamlined booking process makes it very easy to book your creative session in under a minute.

Call us at +1 (323) 454-2323, or email us at info@fdphotostudio.com. We also have a live support chat on our website where you can get directions, request help, or ask questions.

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Golden Hour in Photography: All you need to know

What Is Golden Hour?

Why Photographers Love Golden Hour Light

Planning for Golden Hour Success

Photography Techniques you can try

Technical Tips for Golden Hour Photography

Creating Golden Hour Effects Without Golden Hour

Conclusion

Find a Photo Studio near you

L.A. Studios

N.Y.C Studios

Chicago Studios

Rent Studio

Clients Review

Events

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