Chances are you’ve heard the term “golden hour” but what exactly does it mean and why are photographers always railing on and on about it?
Golden hour is the hour before sunset, and it gives photos gorgeous glow, rich colors, and incredible light. As a family photographer I love it because I’m not battling “harsh light” and shadows.
However….
In Seattle during the height of summer, the sun typically doesn’t set until after 9pm. That can mean a late bedtime for your kids, which is…not always ideal, especially if they are young. While I ALWAYS tell my clients that the lifetime of memories are worth it, I completely understand that some parents may be like…yeah no thanks. Ha!
SO, below are some examples of morning light vs. golden hour light so you can see how different they are! Both are beautiful, but definitely have different styles. I hope that showing the two side by side you can make the decision on what will work best for your family!
Golden Hour
As you can see below, the tones during golden hour are warm and glowey, and you get the delicious sherbet hues in the sky as the sun sets in the background. The setting sun sets everything aglow and to me, makes it so magical.
Morning Session
In contrast, morning sessions have cooler tones and are less saturated. One challenge can be “bright spots” where the sun is shining directly down on the background (or in technical terms, the highlights are “blown out.”) In the morning the sky is typically one shade of blue, as opposed to various hues of sunset colors.
As you can see from these examples, both are beautiful but have a very different vibe! So I hope this visual breakdown helps.
Now that you’ve seen both morning light and golden hour – I’m curious…which would YOU choose for your family session? Tell me in the comments!
XOXO,
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Cassandra Rene Photography | The Blog 
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