Photographers talk about golden hour like a secret, but it is simply the stretch of the day when the sun sits low and the light travels through more atmosphere. It is warmer, softer and kinder to every landscape.

Scout in the daytime

Walk the location when the light is flat and boring. Decide where you will stand and which direction the sun will move so you are ready when it arrives.

Photo: Paul Jarvis via Unsplash
Photo: Paul Jarvis via Unsplash

Expose for the highlights

Let the shadows fall dark and protect the sky. A slightly underexposed frame is easy to rescue; a blown-out sunrise is gone for good.

  • Arrive forty minutes before sunrise.
  • Use a tripod and a two-second timer.
  • Shoot a few frames in the blue hour that follows.

Wait for the third minute

The first colour is rarely the best. Stay ten minutes longer than feels reasonable and watch the sky change.

Light does not need to be chased. It only needs you to show up early and stay a little longer.

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