Ahhh, the golden hour. As with every other photographer everywhere that ever held a camera, I love a good golden lit evening. I've experimented with using golden hour and sunset lighting a number of ways over the years, and incorporated it into my professional work whenever time and location allows. I'll have a handful of entries for this theme (probably eight) but I assure you, it was difficult to narrow it down! I feel that I've chosen the best of the best of my portfolio of work.
These are my first four entries: golden hour lighting with real clients, couples and weddings.
The following was taken during a maternity portrait session. We walked up a scenic hill, stopping to take portraits along the way. Our shoot culminated at the top of the hill, where we were blessed with this beautiful combination of sky, clouds, and light, in celebration of their first baby.
The following was taken at a lovely outdoor wedding. The couple was enjoying their reception, and we were getting lovely golden images of their first dance. Suddenly, the light changed, and I noticed in the distance that a shaft of light appeared over near some trees. I got them to quickly follow me over there, and explained that we had very limited time before the sun dipped below the horizon. I took three shots, this one being the third, and then... the light was gone.
The following was taken during a two-day campout wedding in the foothills of the Oregon coastal mountain range. The campsites were positioned around the edge of a natural grassy bowl, perfectly framing the ceremony site down below. We found this lovely golden light just off the pathway on the edge of the surrounding trees. Shooting directly into the bright sunlight without a lens hood gave me this fantastic lens flare, which I feel really ties the photo together :)
The following is an example of subtle golden hour light. The couple chose to have their engagement portraits up in the mountains. Unfortunately, there were a number of forest fires in the surrounding area, causing really thick haze to fill the already overcast skies. I was surprised to note how much it effected the available light! But on the bright side, the haze softened the sky into one big giant softbox, and instead of harsh direct golden light, we got soft, subtle golden light. A unique experience, for sure.
Thank you to @jasonrussell for hosting another week of #portraitcontest, and for improving it to make it even better! This week's sponsors are @crimsonclad & @melodyrussell, and the guest judge is @thatkidsblack. Thank y'all!
Thanks for reading,
Dani Mouser | Dani Photography | New Orleans, Louisiana
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