What is golden hour?
Golden hour is the hour after sunrise and the hour leading up to sunset when the sun sits at the horizon which causes the light to be warm or red and soft. When the sun sits at the horizon it causes the shadows to be soft and flattering unlike mid-day when the shadows are harsh and dark. The length of golden hour varies throughout the year which means my session times vary also, I typically start my sessions 60 to 90 minutes before sunset.
What if my children go to bed before golden hour?
As spring and summer approach the days get longer and sunset becomes later in the day, which means sessions generally take place later than they do in the winter months. I promise your child will not be affected in the long-term from one day of a late bedtime and it will be absolutely worth it when you have those beautiful memories on your wall. I generally recommend pushing nap time later in the day, having dinner early, packing pajamas to change into when the session is over and letting your little ones go to sleep on the way home. I try to keep our family sessions fun with lots of snuggles so typically they do not even realize it is past bedtime and before we know it or session is complete. If a evening session is absolutely not an option I do offer early morning sessions a few times a year for those of you that cannot make it work.
Are you up for a challenge?
Your challenge this week is to get outside and take a photo of the same object both during midday and golden hour light so you can see the difference. It doesn't matter if you have a camera phone, a entry level DSLR or a pro DSLR any of these will work for this challenge. I encourage you to get out this week, put your subjects back to the sunset and try this out. I would love to see what everybody comes up with, if you share it on Facebook or Instagram please feel free to tag #ambermelotphotographychallenge
Does it get much cuter than this?