Top tips for better pics during the magic hours

The last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise are often referred to as the golden, or magic, hours by photographers because of the soft natural light.

Unlike the middle of the day when the harsh sunlight shines from almost directly above, the light during the golden hours is at a low angle, which is generally much nicer and easier to work with.

During the golden hours, the lower angle of the sun creates long shadows and a soft warm light with saturated colours which are much more visually appealing in photographs.

It is great for portraits and landscapes because you can use it creatively to enhance your shots immensely.

You can experiment with side lighting, backlighting, lens flares or silhouettes, and by carefully exposing for the key elements in the frame, you can dramatically alter the look and feel of your pictures.

While there is no argument among photographers the golden hours at sunrise and sunset are magic, which is best?

Well, there are several pros and cons to both time slots so it really depends on what you’re trying to achieve. For example, here in Western Australia, with a few exceptions, you’ll struggle to find a spot to capture the sun rising over the Indian Ocean — whereas a sunset in the same spot is a piece of cake.

A con for photographers wanting to capture a scene at sunrise is that they’ll need to arrive in the dark, so setting up and framing the shot for the moment may be more difficult compared to a sunset pic. But being an early bird can be a big pro because there’s generally fewer people around so you can go about your business without encountering too many photobombers.

Tips for shooting during the golden hours

At sunrise and sunset, the light changes more quickly than at any other time of the day. Consequently, the window to get the perfect shot may only be open for a few minutes. So plan your shot.

Scout your location and think about your composition and camera settings. If you want to shoot long-exposure stuff, bring a tripod.

Get there early and bring a torch so you can find your way to or from the location in the dark — and see your camera settings.

Think carefully about your exposure. The dynamic range (the difference between the highlights and shadows) can be huge at first or last light, so expose for whatever is the key element in the shot. If your camera has a high dynamic range (HDR) shooting option, think about using that. The camera will shoot several frames with slightly different exposures and blend them together to create a more even tonal range.

Shoot lots of shots as the light changes.

If you are shooting portraits, a flash or a reflector may be useful to illuminate the person’s face when shooting against the light.

At sunset, wait around for the blue hour just after sunset, it is equally spectacular and can be a good time to experiment with long exposures.

Finally, if you like to do some post-processing to your shots, shoot RAW to maintain the maximum of detail. When you shoot JPEG files, the camera does some processing and compression of the information captured, and that can result in certain details in the file being lost.