Bridal Tips Series – Photographing at Sunset

Gorgeous, dreamy light is what every photographer covets. That time of the day right after the sun rises and and about an hour before the sun sets- when the air gets a little cooler, and the colors in the sky really pop; this is what we call the Golden Hour. Whenever I’m shooting a wedding or a portrait session, I’m always trying to find the best light possible to make people look their best. We are so lucky because Hawaii truly has the most gorgeous sunsets! Here are my reasons why this Golden Hour is my favorite time of day for your photos!

Luminous skin tones- During this magic hour, the warm glow of the sun is very flattering for all skin tones. It really gives off that golden, sunkissed look.
Soft colors and no harsh lighting. The colors in the sky become softer and warmer and there are no harsh shadows, which lessens the the need to squint in the sunlight. With no harsh shadows, everything is evenly lighted and beautiful.
Lovely silhouettes – one of my favorite parts of the golden hour are silhouettes! When the sun is lower, it allows me to capture epic silhouettes against the sky, with beautiful rays of sunshine coming out. This is especially great for maternity portraits and families. Check out this gorgeous mama to be!
The Golden hour is great for beautiful backlight for that glowing look. I love that romantic, hazy look for engagement photos. It makes everything look magical and sweet, perfect for couples.
Lovely front lighting. Besides backlight, front lighting gives a beautiful, dimensional look to photos that really brings out the colors in everything around. There are so many more opportunities to utilize the light during the golden hour for many different looks.

So when you’re wondering if there’s enough light in that hour (yes there is) or why we aren’t shooting earlier in the day, these are why 🙂 That sunrise light is gorgeous too, but I live about an hour away from it and am always afraid to miss it if there’s traffic.