Choosing a time to shoot outdoors

When planning an outdoor photo shoot, novice photographers often ask, what is the best time to shoot? Some have heard that you should photograph during sunrise or sunset, some have heard that cloudy days are best, and others know something completely different. By the way, do not forget to take care of the lens, because the quality of photos directly depends on it. Be sure to read the article about what is a lens hood and when it should be used.

For example, the best time of day for outdoor portrait photography is a couple of hours after sunrise and a couple of hours before sunset. During this time, it’s best to shoot after the morning golden hour or before the beginning of the evening hour.

What is the golden hour?

The golden hour is the time of day when the sun is low above the horizon. It occurs twice a day, during sunrise and sunset. Despite the name, this period can last longer than an hour. It all depends on the location and time of year. The fact that the sun is low makes the shadows softer and their angle and length more pleasing to the eye. Also, as you can tell from the name, this is a time when warm colors are prevalent, making portraits look much better.

What problems can you get into?

The golden hour is a great time to shoot portraits, but there are a few reasons why it’s better to focus on the period right after the morning golden hour or just before the evening hour.

The golden hour is a period of incredibly wide dynamic range. The problem is that it’s hard for cameras to cope with such a variety of tones. Some are doing much better than previous generations, but no camera has yet reached the capabilities of the human eye. If you choose a time when the sun is a little higher, the soft shadows will remain and there will be fewer problems with dynamic range.

When the light source is low enough, everything looks more directional. There is less light around to bounce off objects and fill in the shadows on your face. This can be compensated for with a reflector, but it’s still easier when the sun is a little higher.  Also, the golden hour is a fleeting moment and constantly changing light. This is especially critical for portrait photography. If you’re working during the golden hour, you have to constantly adjust your camera settings, which can make you forget all about the artwork.

The colors in the golden hour are beautiful, but they can be distracting. In outdoor portraiture, your job is to focus on the person or group of people who are the main subject in the shot. A crazy, explosive sunset in the background is not always the right choice. Sure, we want nice colors and interesting sky background, but if the sunset itself is more interesting than the subject, that’s a problem.

How to work during this time

This may seem like an odd question because we use sunlight every day to take pictures, but when working with portraits, it’s important to consider exactly how you will use a light source like the sun. There are a few options that can help when taking pictures:

• Contrast light. You can play around with the angle so that the sun is directly behind the model or positioned behind the back, but still in the frame. You get a completely different effect as a result. This approach very much emphasizes the contours. An important technical detail of this arrangement is that you need to expose the model in mind, not the background.

• The sun is a key light. The positioning in which the sun is behind you or at the side can also work in some situations. Any location where you would put the key light would work in this situation. Most likely, the sun will be low enough and you’ll still end up with a relatively soft light. You may need a reflector to soften the shadows on your face.

• The sun can’t be seen. Another option is to hide the sun behind something, like a tree. Of course, you can photograph in the shade at any time of day, but by placing the sun behind some object, you can get the glow and diffuse light coming from that object. There is no problem with shadows because you can’t see the sun, but it creates interesting lighting.

What if I need to shoot at noon?

At noon, we are surrounded by harsh shadows and they are most noticeable on the subject. To get rid of the biggest problem, use a reflector or fill light flash if you have one.

Editing your shots in a program like Luminar Neo can help get rid of distracting harsh shadows. Even if you have to work in a less-than-ideal situation, you can always emphasize shadows, reduce glare, reduce local contrast, and use tools like a brush or radial filter to draw attention to the main details of the photo.

The right time for an outdoor photoshoot

When it’s cloudy outside, shade is everywhere, and you can shoot at any time of day. Keep in mind that when the sky is monotonous, the photo will also look monotonous, so try not to include a lot of sky in the shot if there is nothing attractive about it. Also keep in mind that the light will have a bluish hue, which is not good for portrait lighting. However, this drawback can be corrected during post-processing. Take advantage of the possibilities of the city at night, and try to make a portrait under the light of a street lamp or near a theater sign. Such photos turn out to be unique and attractive.

As we said above, don’t forget to take care of your equipment to get great shots. Check out information on what is a lens hood on the Skylum developer website.