THE MAJESTIC GOLDEN HOUR

AS THE SUN RISES, A FRESH START BEGINS. NOTHING CAN BE MORE PEACEFUL THAN TO START YOUR DAY WITH A BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE AND END WITH THE SERENE VIEWS OF THE SUNSET. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF CAPTURING THIS IN YOUR FRAME? ‘GOLDEN HOUR’ IS A TIME JUST AFTER A SUNRISE OR BEFORE SUNSET, THROUGH WHICH DAYLIGHT IS REDDER AND SOFTER THAN THE HARSH SUNLIGHT. WHEN THE SUN IS LOW ABOVE THE HORIZON, SUN RAYS MUST PENETRATE THE ATMOSPHERE FOR A GREATER DISTANCE, REDUCING THE INTENSITY OF DIRECT LIGHT. MORE BLUE LIGHT IS SCATTERED, SO IF THE SUN IS PRESENT, ITS LIGHT APPEARS MORE REDDISH AND SUN’S LOW ANGLE ABOVE THE HORIZON PRODUCES LONGER SHADOWS.

- KASTURI PAWAR

The magic hour of photography

Golden hour is considered as a magic hour in the photography world as the light is perfect for photography. Soft and dramatic light creates diverse mood in pictures you take. This is the best interval any photographer could use in photography for fantastic results with minimum effort. It is distinctively vivid than other times of the day. There is no direct light during golden hour.

Rays come in at an angle with diffused light. The soft light is naturally satisfying. Also as the sun is at a low angle, the light is directional, which creates longer shadows and pleasing lighting conditions that can be used in a more creative way. This type of light is warmer, with lots of yellows, oranges and reds. The atmosphere filters out blue light when the sun is closer to the horizon, leaving you with the feeling of happiness and warmth.

Golden hour light variations

You might run out of time during this hour as light changes very quickly. What will happen ten minutes from now is going to be radically different than what happened ten minutes before. You need to plan everything beforehand to get the desired results. Study your location beforehand and envision your compositions so you can maximise your time of shooting when the golden hour starts. Always try to reach your destination before time, so you will save some time for experiments. Cellphone apps comes handy to list sunset times and tell you exactly where the sun will be at any given time or place. The light is changing every minute, quicker than you thought. Try to capture all different moods of light, this will give you more options to work with it afterwards.