| OK, you've picked the date. And you've decided you | | | | definition is when the sun is 6° above the horizon |
| want it to be outdoors. Now you need to set the | | | | to when it's 6° below. The name comes from the |
| schedule for your big day. And while you may not | | | | yellowish color of the sunlight that's been filtered |
| realize it yet, the time of day for the various events | | | | through more of the Earth's atmosphere because of |
| has a huge impact on the quality of your wedding | | | | the angle of the sun. But it's also "golden" because that |
| photographs. | | | | slice of time has a completely different quality of light |
| The word "photograph" literally translates as "light | | | | that makes beautiful photos. It has none of the |
| painting" or "painting with light". The angle of the sun, the | | | | harshness and deep shadows of ordinary daylight |
| color of the light, and type of shade available all | | | | photography. During the golden hour, the sunlight has |
| combine to make your wedding photographer's job a | | | | been heavily filtered, so it's also far less intense than |
| dream job or a nightmare. | | | | other times of day and you also get light scattering off |
| Even a wedding with an indoor ceremony and | | | | the other parts of the sky, filling in shadows. It gives a |
| reception will often have photos done outdoors, either | | | | soft, romantic look that perfect for wedding |
| family portraits, casual bride/groom portraits after the | | | | photography. I've found that even in the downtown |
| ceremony, or some bridal party shots before. So a bit | | | | Jacksonville area, with all the office buildings and other |
| of careful thought in planning your schedule, so that | | | | urban backdrop, the light of the golden hour makes |
| those events take place during the best time of day, | | | | everything prettier! |
| will pay big dividends. | | | | For me, I find that my "golden hour" is actually a |
| The absolute worst time you could possibly have | | | | two-hour zone that lasts from 2½ hours before |
| outdoor wedding photographs is when the sun is | | | | sunset until about 30 minutes before sunset. Keep in |
| directly or almost directly overhead, i.e. about 10am to | | | | mind that I'm talking about official "sunset" which is |
| 2pm. The light is very harsh and bluish. The eye | | | | often after the sun had gone down behind the trees |
| sockets become deeply shaded, giving the "raccoon | | | | and buildings. You can check various web sites to get |
| eyes" effect. Nose shadows are sharply defined and | | | | the official sunset times on your wedding day. |
| dark. Overall, a very hard, unpleasant look. While it's | | | | To get this in line, let's look at a fairly typical outdoor |
| possible for wedding photographers use a flash to | | | | Jacksonville wedding day. Sunset is 7:30, so my golden |
| lighten the shadows, this contributes to the hard-edged | | | | zone is 5-7. Assuming the wedding and reception are |
| look that just runs counter to the romantic mood of the | | | | in the same place, I'd like to see the wedding |
| day. | | | | ceremony start at 5:30 so the guest arrivals are at the |
| Running a close second for bad wedding photography | | | | beginning of the zone. By the time the ceremony |
| light are the hours surrounding the midday zone. The | | | | starts, we're well into the best light of the day. |
| exact time and length varies depending on the time of | | | | Assuming a typical wedding ceremony of 20 minutes, |
| the year and whether your area observes Daylight | | | | we'll have 30 minutes to shoot family formals and 30 |
| Savings Time. If at all possible avoid any outdoor | | | | minutes to get some nice shots of the bride and |
| wedding photography more than three hours before | | | | groom in the late afternoon sunlight. Then fire up the |
| sunset. While the sun's angle lessens the shadow | | | | reception at 7! |
| problems, the sunlight is still very intense and causes | | | | The wedding photography, especially the wedding |
| harsh highlights on the skin even if the photographer | | | | album, are the best and often the only tangible |
| uses special lens filters to counteract it. | | | | memories of your wedding day. With a little careful |
| The best time for any type of outdoor photography | | | | planning, you can craft a schedule that gives you the |
| has long been called the "Golden Hour". Traditionally, | | | | best chance for those soft, romantic wedding |
| the golden hour is defined as the last hour before | | | | photographs you've always dreamed of. |
| sunset or the first hour after sunrise. A more technical | | | | |