When planning a portrait shoot, I've been asked, “what's the best time to take our portaits?” Some have heard that you should shoot at sunrise or sunset, some have heard that a cloudy day is best, and still some have heard other advice.
The best time of day to take portrait photos is in the couple hours after sunrise and the couple hours before sunset. Within that time, it is better to shoot after the morning golden hour or before the evening golden hour.
What is golden hour?
Golden hour is a time of day when the sun is low in the sky. It happens twice a day, at sunrise and at sunset. Despite the name, it can last longer than an hour depending on where you are on the earth and what time of year it is. Because the sun is low in the sky, shadows are softer, and the angles and length are more flattering. As the name implies, the warm colors are more prominent at this time of day, which gives a flattering look to portraits.
Why is the best time not golden hour itself?
Golden hour is a great time to make portraits, but there are a few reasons why you are probably better off focusing on the time immediately after morning golden hour, or immediately before golden hour.
Golden hour is a time of extreme dynamic range: When the sun is overhead, there isn't usually a big difference between the brightest brights and the darkest darks in the scene (dynamic range). When the sun gets low in the sky, this changes. One of the reasons why photographers love golden hour is because of this very phenomenon. The trouble is that cameras struggle in this dynamic range. Some of them are much better than they used to be, but none are as good as the human eye. Choosing a time where the sun is a little higher in the sky will help give the look of soft light, but without as much trouble with dynamic range.
Fill light can be harder to obtain: With a lower light source, everything will feel much more directional. There is less light just bouncing around to fill in shadows on faces. You can mitigate this by using a reflector, but this is a little easier when the sun is a little higher. Don't underestimate the effect that a low sun can have on your subject as well. Having a low sun means that every time the sun is in their view, they are going to have to work hard not to squint.
Light changes quickly during golden hour: Golden hour is a fleeting moment, especially when doing a portrait shoot, and it is a time of constantly changing light. Shooting during golden hour requires that settings are changed frequently, and it can be easy to spend too much time on the technical details and to not have time for the artistry. Choosing a time where the sun is a little higher in the sky gives a pleasant light, and one that is more consistent and predictable.
It can be very early or very late: This may not always be a problem, but golden hour does come early and late in the day, especially in summer. It is possible that your client may not be up for meeting you at 5:30 A.M. to take those senior portraits. It can also be hard to get access to some of the places you might want to shoot very early or very late in the day.
The color can be too much: Colors at golden hour are beautiful, but they can be overpowering and distracting. In portrait photography, your goal is to focus on the person or people that are your subject. A crazy, explosive sunset in the background is not always a complimentary choice. You want nice color and interesting sky, sure, but if the sunset is more interesting than the subject, you have a problem.
You can run out of time: As mentioned above, golden hour is typically pretty short. If you aren't on your game, you will run out of time. In the morning, you can just continue shooting, but in the evening, you will be out of luck.
Choose the time after morning golden hour or before evening golden hour
Those times that are next to golden hour will give a similar look to golden hour, but without the problems mentioned above.
The times after morning golden hour and before evening golden hour will give you the best combination of soft, direction light, and bouncing, ambient light. The light will be warm, but not distracting. The dynamic range of the scene will be a little bit smaller, meaning that your camera will better capture the brights and the darks in the image. Your subjects won't have the sun in their eyes.
The look you get during these times is still similar to golden hour. The sun is still relatively low in the sky, the light is still pretty soft, but the light is more consistent and the scene is easier to capture.
Another nice feature of shooting near golden hour is that depending on the work you are doing, you can choose to include golden hour as a part of your shoot. You can use the time next to golden hour to get your bread and butter shots, and then do something more bold and stylized as the sun gets low.
back me sub please