Ideal Light and the Magic Hour

One common characteristic seen in great photos is great lighting. For portraits, the warmth, depth, texture, form, contrast, and color in photographs are dramatically affected by angle of sunlight as the sun crosses the sky. When the sun is low on the horizon in the early morning or late afternoon, photographers are gifted with a diffused light that's often gold or orange in hue and is ideal for portraits. Since the sun is in this position for a relatively short period of time, photographers call these two times of day--near sunrise and sunset--the "magic hour."

In the morning hours, as the sun begins to climb across the sky, the sun gradually becomes a harsh light source. And harsh light sources aren't generally very complementary for portrait photography. This "hard" light causes deep, dark, and distinct shadows to appear both near facial features and underneath the eyes. Although problems with harsh light can be addressed using open shade or flash photography, these techniques don't create the visually pleasing effects you'll see when I'm using the natural warm sunlight found during and near the magic hour.

The sunrise magic hour generally begins fifteen minutes after sunrise while the sunset magic hour usually ends about fifteen minutes before sunset. In both cases, the magic hour ironically only lasts thirty to forty-five minutes. Because of this limited time window, it's helpful to schedule important portraits near or during these key times in order to take best advantage of the light. Generally speaking, the farther away you move from the magic hour, the less complementary the light becomes for portrait photography.

I'm also often asked about two other timing and weather related conditions in terms of light and photography. If you're interested in spectacular sunset skies in your photos, you'll find that the sunrise / sunset effect appears in the ten minutes before and after both sunrise and sunset. However, if there are no clouds or dissipating marine layer, sunrise and sunset skies can often be brief and unspectacular. The other weather-related condition that affects photography is found on days with overcast conditions. With overcast skies, sunlight is highly diffused. And of course diffused light is excellent for portrait and wedding photographers. Although the sky may not be of particular interest in the photos, the evenly diffused light is extremely complementary to most subjects.

As a final note, I do want to mention that I realize not all important events can be scheduled around the availability of the "magic hour." As a professional photographer, I'm expert in the various techniques needed to mitigate problems related to harsh lighting conditions. However, when possible, I strongly recommend that you take this lighting information into consideration when scheduling the time frame for your events or portraits.

If you're interested in a more detailed explanation of this phenomena, please read The Magic Hour Times Two by Ron Bigelow.