Ideal Light & the Magic Hour (continued)
The sunrise magic hour generally begins fifteen minute to thirty minutes after sunrise while the sunset magic hour usually ends about fifteen minutes before sunset. In both cases, the "magic hour" only lasts thirty to forty-five minutes. Because of this limited timeframe, it's helpful to stay on schedule to take best advantage of the light. Generally speaking, the farther away you move from the magic hour, the less complementary unobstructed light becomes for portrait photography.
I'm 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" typically appears ten minutes before the published sunrise time and ten minutes after the published sunset time. However, if there are no clouds or dissipating marine layer, sunrise and sunset skies are often brief and unspectacular.
