Northern IL Photographer – The ‘Golden Hour’. Why to schedule your photography sessions around sunrise and sunset.

Golden hour is a pretty popular time of day for photographers to shoot. Golden hour is that last hour prior to sunset. Depending on the weather and  location I like to go just a little earlier. Not only will it get darker faster if it’s cloudy or overcast, but if we’re in a forest, that blocks a lot of sun, too. Also, some forest preserves lock the gate AT sunset. So, I’ve been known to start 1.5 to 2 hours before. The lighting isn’t necessarily golden yet, but it’s still softer than midday. If that’s late for the little ones, have no fear, sunrise is another option. (Northern IL Photographer)

During this time, the lighting can be absolutely beautiful. Light hovering in the middle, or straight above, is harsh and unflattering. We want soft and dreamy light!

Another fun perk about those times is the option for silhouette portraits. If this is on your list, let me know! There are so many creative options for silhouettes.

The sunset perks:

• You get yummy light flares and beautiful soft light.
• There are no squinty eyes from the blinding sun.
• In the summer the morning and evening hours tend to be cooler when the sun isn’t beating down.
• During Golden Hour, everything looks warm and pretty and gives off a magical feeling.
• We can also get some sweet silhouette shots as the sun is going down on the horizon.

The morning is pretty darn beautiful too! It’s just backwards of sunset. So if you’re looking for silhouettes we’ll have to meet up a little earlier. Otherwise, for traditional portraits we schedule for 1+ hours after sunrise. Another bonus is a cutely dressed family for the remainder of the day. Except, I will note, the morning can come with dew on the grass. The examples above are sunset, below are sunrise. Tell me the difference.

Do you want to know more about sessions and packages? Check out the details here.

If you are interested in booking a session, please call 815-621-7077, e-mail casi@casiannphotography.com, or fill out the inquiry on the contact page here for more information.

FIND CASI ANN PHOTOGRAPHY ON:

#casiannphotography on Facebook

#casiannphotography on Instagram