When is the Best Time of Day for Your Photo Session?
Jan 11, 2021
One of the most important considerations in scheduling your photo session is the time of day. There are certainly other factors that play a role, but photography is, in essence, about light.
The quality of natural light will vary throughout the day, which has a direct impact on the final images you receive and we want them to be the very best, so it’s important that we consider this question we’re so often asked: When is the best time of day for my photo session?
So, what’s the answer?
We’ll get straight to the point and tell you that we strongly prefer to take photos during the last hour before sunset or the first hour after sunrise - what’s commonly referred to as ‘Golden Hour’.
What makes ‘Golden Hour’ better?
There’s good reason for these times of day to be favored by professional photographers. The angle of the setting or rising sun makes for a warmer, softer light that has an almost magical effect on photos.
Without getting too technical: the sun’s rays have to travel a further distance during Golden Hour, penetrating more of the atmosphere and resulting in a more diffused and indirect light. Shadows also appear longer and much softer during this time of day. Translation: your photos look SO much better!
Since Golden Hour only lasts for roughly one hour (this actually depends on the season and latitude), the quality of light for your session will decrease the closer you get to midday. A session scheduled in late morning or afternoon means harsher lighting and shadows. With the sun directly overhead, shadows form underneath our eyes and noses and have a harder appearance, giving an unflattering look that nobody wants. Bright sun also means that it’s more difficult to pose for photos without squinting.
Here’s the proof:
In order to demonstrate these differences and the importance of light quality, we set up a little experiment. These photos were taken in the same location, the first set during mid afternoon and the second during Golden Hour.
Notice the hard lines formed by the shadows taken during the afternoon. This is especially visible in the photo of the building. Now compare those with the softer and less dramatic shadows in the Golden Hour photos. The separation between very bright areas and dark areas on our faces is what’s really important here. Isn’t that softer look so much more flattering?
What if I have to schedule my session in the afternoon?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, we recognize that perfect lighting isn’t the only factor that plays into scheduling your photo session. The kids’ bedtime, that dreaded ‘witching hour’ for babies, personal work schedules and other concerns might cause you to question a sunrise/sunset session. But, let us just emphasize that your photos are an investment that you will cherish for many, many years. Waking up early, when the baby is in a pleasant mood and the rest of us are dragging our feet and slurping down coffee is definitely going to be worth it every time you see those beautiful photos hanging on the wall.
If you absolutely have to schedule your session outside Golden Hour, then don’t worry. We’re experts at finding the most flattering lighting to put you in. We have done sessions in the middle of the day and still delivered beautiful images.
Talk to us about an indoor studio session if you’re concerned about getting that soft quality of light, but just can’t make an early or late session work. We can work with natural light in a studio space without the harsh sunlight overhead or even take complete control over the lighting by setting up our studio lights.
Let's wrap it up.
We hope this gives good insight into why we think it’s so important to schedule your photo session around the best lighting of the day. We know this isn’t always the first factor that comes to mind when you’re thinking about having your photos taken. We’ve had so many friends who aren’t photographers ask us about session times and once we’ve explained some of the information above, it suddenly ‘clicks’.
Since our biggest concern is you being completely satisfied with your photos we always recommend a sunrise or sunset session. We know you’ll love the quality of the images you receive!
Interested in getting that Golden Hour look during your next photo session? Get in touch with us through our contact page and let’s start a conversation!
