The Best Time of Day for Photos

You may have heard that sunrise and sunset are the best time for photos, and that’s true. But there’s a bit more to the story!

There is a window shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset that photographers refer to as “golden hour”; the times of day when the light is all warm and glowy, and makes you look incredible in every photo. When scheduling your photo session, consider: 

• Morning: Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to sunrise so you’re ready to capture all that gorgeous light as the sun pops above the horizon

• Evening: Depending on the length of your session, plan to arrive 90 minutes to 2 hours prior to sunset so you can make the most of the evening’s soft light before the sun goes down

I realize it’s not always possible to make those times work with your schedule, so my main advice would be to choose a time as far from noon (in either direction) as you can. When the sun is high in the sky over the noon hour, it creates the least flattering light and harsh shadows. The closer you can get to the beginning or end of the day, the better!

Originally posted August 29, 2022