What Is the Golden Hour in Photography?

Series Summary

Photography is the art of making pictures by exposing film or another medium to a timed flash of light. The basic equipment used for photography includes a digital or mechanical camera equipped with a flash, film or a memory card. Mastering the art of photography is a technical and challenging experience. One has to learn how to focus the lens, control the aperture of the lens, filter the light and understand the importance of the focal length and duration of the exposure, among other things. In this free video series, a professional photographer provides photo tips, as well as tips on becoming a photographer. Learn how to use available light to take photos. Also find out about tips for taking photos of wildlife, pets, food and models. Interested in becoming a location scout or displaying photos in a gallery? Wondering how to make a cyanotype or put photographic emulsion on watercolor paper? Watch this free video series on photography tips and techniques and become a more well-rounded photographer.

Video Transcript

"My name is Anthony Maddaloni, and I'm going to talk about what is the golden hour in photography. And when I first started out as a photographer, one of the best lessons I learned with that were there were different times of day to photograph that worked the best. And, they were in the morning right when the sun comes up, about twenty minutes after sunrise until about I would say eight or nine o clock in the morning when the sun is really soft. So if I could convince my clients, my subjects, that this was the best time to photograph, and that even though they might have looked kind of sleepy or whatever I have to do to convince them that I really loved photographing at this time of day. In hotter climates this time of day was essential, because it was still cool outside. Now the other time of day that is referred to as a golden hour is sunset. When the light is just incredibly beautiful. I always joke around with myself where I say I can make the most unattractive thing look absolutely beautiful at this time of day. And believe it or not I really do think that. So when you're first starting out with photography, you really - I try to convince my students as best I can to avoid two o' clock in the afternoon, three o' clock in the afternoon. That light on a sunny day is just brutal. So you want to try to use the golden hour photography to your advantage."