Why You Should Plan For Golden Hour Wedding Photos

WHAT TIME IS GOLDEN HOUR?

Golden hour is 1 hour after sunrise and 1 hour before sunset.

IT IS THE BEST TIME TO TAKE PICTURES OUTSIDE …

You will often hear photographers talking about this time because it is hands down the best time of day to take photos.

Let’s take a look at why.  

1. GOLDEN HOUR ALLOWS FOR FLATTERING SKIN TONES

The warm light casting from the sun produces flattering skin tones that creates a sense of happiness, intimacy, and cheerfulness.

2. THE LOW SUNLIGHT TRANSFORMS THE LANDSCAPE

What may look like a boring or everyday landscape can quickly turn into something out of a dream. During Golden Hour the sun is lower on the horizon which creates eye catching shadows, paints the sky in various colors, and allows us to “play” with the sun in your photos to capture those dreamy sunset shots that showcase your love for each other

3. SOFT LIGHT & NATURAL LOOK

If we took photos during high noon we would need to chase down shade and may even use a little flash to combat the sun. It is VERY difficult to capture photos of you AND the background when it is super bright and typically requires heavy editing. The background is usually washed out or has very little detail which takes away from the amazing scenery which is part of the experience and your story. 

4. NO LIMITATIONS ON LOCATION

Now let’s go back to finding shade. When you are forced to find shade it limits the opportunities on where you can take photos. If it were Golden Hour you can virtually go anywhere, with bright sun thats not an option. So if you booked a breathtaking venue and you want photos outside and you want free rien as to where you take those photos then my friend you should plan accordingly for Golden Hour.

5. NO NEED TO SQUINT

Believe it or not squinting or closed eyes is the #1 photo killer. If you are taking group photos or photos of more than one person (Bride & Groom) it’s very common that we catch someone with their eyes closed. During the middle of the day when the sun is bright it is understandably very hard to avoid this. Golden hour solves that because the soft light is easy on the eyes!

Now does everyone plan for Golden Hour? No not all the time as this is completely personal choice but what we have found is time and time again the most desired photos are Bride & Groom photos during Golden Hour for the reasons above.

PLANNING FOR WEDDING DAY GOLDEN HOUR PHOTOS

Golden hour photos DOES take some PLANNING. Wedding days are dynamic, meaning things can unfold not as planned, so ensuring you keep enough buffer in your schedule is KEY to saving enough time for photos during Golden Hour. That’s where we usually come in and help keep everything on track using our agree upon timeline. Now if you are like “timeline”, what’s that? Then take a look at our Custom Timeline planning blog post where you can grab a custom wedding day timeline that has worked flawlessly time and time again.