So what’s the best time for an outdoor shoot?

Soft morning light?
Mid-day when the sun is brightest?
Sunset for that golden glow?

Being an outdoor, natural light photographer, your session timing relies heavily on the sun. Most people thing mid day would be correct…. but for me early morning or later in the day is best! (It’s my fav!)

Soft low light is always the goal, so we will either start 15ish minutes before the sunrise, or about 1-2 hour before it sets.

Mid-day sun is very bright and harsh which creates harsh shadows in odd places (think under the eyes, nose and chin) and squinty eyes. It is NOT what we are going for. Plus the colors during the day are more “neon”, where earlier in the day or later in the day the colors are much softer and more natural looking.

But with that being said, sometimes there just isn’t any other time – especially on a wedding day, so I know how to work with harsh light and tips and tricks that will create some beautiful images!

And here’s a secret tip: if the day is overcast, we can shoot pretty much anytime! This is why photographers get so excited when the weather is cloudy for a wedding – we don’t have to worry about harsh lights!

Here is a great example of the three options taken within hours of each other.

For reference this was taken mid June. The left photo was taken around 4 in the afternoon. Notice the more neon colors and harsher shadows. And we had to be very careful not to get the sun on the couples faces because then they would be so squinty! The middle photo was taken during golden hour around 6-8 pm. This is my fav lighting! That pretty glow, soft colors and even shadows. The right photo was taken just after sunset. Super even skin tones and colors with no shadows. But this window is super short before it gets to dark.

So check out below for some more examples of different lighting! I will explain the differences under each group of photos.

Are you more of a morning sunrise shoot person, or an evening sunset shoot? Let me know in the comments below!

Now after seeing these examples can you see why I love golden hour? 🙂 Will you do your next session later in the day?

My favourite time of day to photograph people is in that golden hour light. It’s just so soft and creamy and beautiful! When booking I will let you know about lighting and what times will work the best for the people involved in the session. But the later in the day the better. I know that it doesn’t always work if there are small kids involved, but I will do my best to create some beautiful images whatever time of day it is.

Do you have any questions about lighting? Let me know in the comments below!