Every photographer knows about Magic Hour right? Of course you do. It’s that special time of day that photographers of all genres covet for the best lighting that nature provides. Also known as Golden Hour, Magic Hour is defined as the first and last hour of daylight. But why is it so special?
Warm Light
The lighting provided by Magic Hour is warmer due to a milder version of the optical phenomenon known as Alpenglow. Basically, the earth’s own shadow casts a red band of back scattered light across the horizon.
Softer Light
Because the light is actually bending and bouncing all over the horizon it is indirect. As we all know, indirect light is also softer light.
Saturated Color
The warmth of the Magic Hour light also produces colors that are more saturated. I truly wish I could give you a scientific explanation of this, but I don’t have one. I assume it has to do with the settings of the camera not properly reading the temperature of the ambient light. This happens in film as well as in digital photography and it is a welcome effect.
Shadow Play
The angle in which the sunlight hits objects plays a major role in how and where shadows occur. During Magic Hour you can find shadows are elongated and can add to the creativity and dimension of your landscape or street photography. Conversely, portrait photographers can safely leave their flashes at home by facing their subjects towards the setting sun and eliminating harsh shadows under the eyes of their subjects.
So who loves Magic Hour?
Well, just about every photographer should love Magic Hour. Portrait photographers will find Magic Hour flattering to their subjects by eliminating those harsh daylight shadows and producing warm flattering lighting. Those same reasons will find landscape and outdoor photographers waking up at the crack of dawn to create the awe inspiring images full of saturation. Architectural photographers can appreciate the the same warm ambient light while creating dimension and character for their clients’ buildings.
Here are some extra tips for creating beautiful images during Magic Hour.
Show up early! This time of day doesn’t last long and the closer the sun is to rising or setting the warmer and more saturated the colors will appear in your images.
Set your white balance! The easiest way to properly capture the beautiful light is to set your white balance to sunlight. If you have your camera set to auto white balance the camera will adjust for the temperature and you won’t get the warm light you were looking for.
Sunsets and Silhouettes! This is the time to capture sunsets and silhouettes, but not the time to forget the rule of thirds. By placing your focal point (sun/silhouette) on a power point and your horizon on one of the thirds you can bypass the ordinary and enter the extraordinary.
Now, set your alarm clock, wake up early and go create something memorable!
Photographs:
untitled by the_wolf_brigade on flickr or Tomas Webb in real life who besides authoring The mediation of life also happens to have been featured as the photographer of the week over at All Day I Dream About Photography.
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Great info and love the photos, good examples of what you mean.
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It’s tough getting up that early (I had to get up at 4:30am for the shot at the top of the post), but it is the most amazing experience watching the colour shifts in the land and sky.
As Damien said in the post above, the light doesn’t last long, so make sure your gear is all ready to go. It is so easy to get excited by what’s happening and miss the opportunities completely