Ok so if you have booked with Finding Light Photography before you will see that I always suggest a later afternoon appointment if we are shooting outdoors, during the Magic Hour or sunset/sunrise. Here are 5 reasons why:)
1. Unwanted Shadows
When shooting outdoor portraits the last thing we want is nasty shadows on your gorgeous faces. To avoid this I want to avoid vertical lighting so we shoot during sunset by ensuring the light is behind you and horizontal during our session. An especially unflattering effect in portrait photography is “raccoon eyes” where the eyebrows are casting a shadow over the eyes, making them look like dark circles, we definitely don't want that. The suns ray during sunset or sunrise are much longer creating softer more gentle shadows on the face.
2. Warmer Colours
I am sure we have all has sat down on a warm summer afternoon with a glass of wine to enjoy the sunset, ever notice how much richer and warmer the colours are? Well that is what I want to capture during your session. Warm colours evoke positive feelings such as happiness, excitement and optimism. For that reason, images taken during the golden hour have a positive energy associated with them.
3. Backlit Photography
During our session I will place you in front of the setting sun, this will give you a glowing effect. The sunlight behind you will create a beautiful rim light around your hair like an angel:)
4. Long Shadows
Long shadows create a sense of depth to your photographs. Shadows add texture and detail to the image. We could also have fun with the shadows bringing attention to you and your family in a different way. Shadows can balance the warm reds and yellows from the sun with their darker colours.
5. Silhouettes
The golden hour is a great opportunity to create silhouettes. A silhouette is when you are totally or almost totally blacked out and the background is well exposed. This is done beautifully during sunset adding a different element to your gallery.
Conclusion
Shooting during the golden hour has a lot of advantages. We can emphasise textures and get creative with long shadows, using backlight to make you glow or have some fun creating silhouettes. I only want to offer the absolute best results and this is done during sunset. So next time you book with Finding Light Photography take advantage of the "Magic Hour".