Ideal Photoshoot Times For Different Weather
Sunny Days - Golden Hour
You might've heard photographers bring up the term "golden hour", but what does that mean? I go over this term in detail in another blog post here, but for now I'll give a brief summary:
Golden hour is the time shortly before sunset — and shortly after sunrise. It is when the sun is low in the sky. When the sun is close to the horizon, the light is much less harsh during this time than earlier in the day, and the lighting is more warm toned.
I always like to start shooting during golden hour on sunny days to get this warm and soft light. Plus it's the most flattering light for skin tones.
Sunny Days - Sunset
Sunsets can provide gorgeous lighting and/or backgrounds for photos. I usually like to plan my sessions on sunny days to start at golden hour, so we can still be taking photos during sunset and blue hour as well.
Sunny Days - Blue Hour
Blue hour is the time shortly after the sun has set, when we get "cotton candy skies" or a blue sky before it gets dark. This is usually the "last call" for photos during my sessions.
Cloudy Days - Late Afternoon
On cloudy days we can usually wait for golden hour, but we have a little more flexibility with timing since we won't have bright sun the whole day.
Overcast Days - Morning or Afternoon
On overcast days the lighting won't be as golden, but we'll have more options for time. This is because overcast skies create a "softbox" effect, so it spreads out the sun's light that would otherwise be too harsh if the clouds weren't there. On these days we can shoot a little earlier in the day, like early afternoon. During this time we won't want to shoot too late in the day though, since it'll get darker earlier.
When NOT To Shoot - Noon
Whether it's sunny or overcast, having the sun be directly above in the sky around noon can create unflattering shadows.
If you're unsure, let the photographer handle it!
Timing for photography can be so fickle (especially in Oregon, where the weather likes to be indecisive day by day 🙃)
When determining the time for your session, just let me know what you're looking for and I can let you know when's the best time to schedule your session depending on what you want and my availability! If the weather changes the day of, we'll adjust our session time to accommodate for the best lighting for your session.
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