Golden Hour
If you’ve ever seen a photograph where the light looks soft, warm, and almost magical, there’s a good chance it was taken during golden hour.
Golden hour is the period of time shortly before sunset or shortly after sunrise when the sun is lower in the sky. During this time, sunlight travels through more of the atmosphere, which softens the light and creates warm golden tones.
For portrait photography, this type of light is incredibly flattering and helps create the dreamy, timeless look that many people love in professional photographs. Most of my portrait sessions are scheduled during this window of time because the quality of light can make such a dramatic difference in the final images.
Golden hour creates several qualities of light that are ideal for portraits.
During the middle of the day, the sun is high overhead and creates harsh shadows under the eyes and nose. This type of light can be difficult to work with and is rarely flattering for portraits. During golden hour, the sunlight becomes soft and directional, which wraps around the subject more gently and creates beautiful natural highlights. This softer light helps produce portraits that feel natural and relaxed.
Another reason photographers love golden hour is the color of the light itself. As the sun gets closer to the horizon, the light becomes warmer and takes on golden and amber tones. These colors add warmth to skin tones and create the soft coastal glow that many people associate with beach portraits. This is one of the reasons sunset sessions often feel more emotional and cinematic.
Golden hour also creates incredible background light. When the sun sits low in the sky, it can illuminate the environment behind your subject, creating glowing edges of light and soft highlights in the background. This effect adds depth and dimension to the image. When paired with longer focal length lenses such as 85mm or 135mm, golden hour light can create the dreamy background blur that many portrait photographers love.
Because golden hour light is so important, many professional photographers schedule portrait sessions about one hour before sunset. This timing allows enough time to capture: soft directional light, glowing backlight, the final moments of sunset color. The last 20–30 minutes before sunset are often when the most beautiful light appears.
This is why you’ll often hear photographers refer to “chasing the light.”
Golden hour is especially beautiful for beach sessions. The lower sun reflects off the water and sand, creating soft natural light that fills the entire scene. The sky also tends to produce beautiful color during this time, adding pastel blues, golds, and soft pink tones to the background. Along the southern Maine coastline, this light can transform familiar locations into something that feels almost cinematic.
Because golden hour happens at a specific time each day, portrait sessions are usually planned around the sunset schedule for the season. In the summer months, sunset happens later in the evening, while in the fall and winter the sun sets earlier. When planning your session, I help guide clients through choosing the best timing so we can take full advantage of the most beautiful light available.
Light is one of the most important elements in photography. While location, clothing, and posing all contribute to a successful portrait session, the quality of light often makes the biggest difference in the final image. Golden hour provides the soft, warm, and natural light that helps create portraits that feel timeless and full of emotion.
If you’re thinking about scheduling family portraits, senior photos, or engagement photos along the southern Maine coast, golden hour is often the best time to create beautiful, natural images.
Portrait sessions are carefully timed to capture the best light of the day while keeping the experience relaxed and enjoyable.
