Time Of Day
The time of the day can impact your photos and make each gallery look a little different from the rest.
When choosing a time of day for your photoshoot, the most important factor is ensuring it works for both your schedule and your photographer’s.
Once that’s settled, here’s what you can expect at different times of day:
🌅 Morning (6am – 11am) Mornings are often calm and peaceful, not just in terms of fewer people around, but also with gentler weather. From my experience, the morning light tends to be soft and calming, sometimes even offering a beautiful sunrise with colours similar to a sunset.
☀️ Midday (12pm – 2/3pm) This is typically the harshest light of the day. Shooting at this time can be challenging, as we often need to photograph away from the sun to avoid squinting and strong shadows on the skin. That said, I’ve made this work many times, by finding shade or using creative angles, we can still achieve stunning results.
🌇 Evening (4pm onwards) A crowd favourite for a reason. The light becomes softer, more golden, and more flattering. There are three stages:
Golden Pre-Sunset — Around 4pm to 5pm (or 5pm to 7pm in summer), when the light is warm and gentle leading up to sunset.
Sunset Hour — Around 5pm to 6pm (or 7pm to 8/9pm in summer), expect dramatic skies and rich, warm tones.
Blue Hour — About 15 minutes after the sun dips below the horizon. This short window gives the most beautiful, soft colours for dreamy, romantic shots.
Examples:
