PORTFOLIO RESEARCH LIGHTING MEGAN SQUIRES

NATURAL LIGHTING RESEARCH INFORMATION  FOR MY PORTFOLIO

                                                                                                    

Megan Squires, California

CM Mentor
website | facebook | twitter | pinterest | ask a proAlthough Megan started dabbling in photography when she purchased her first DSLR in 2005 it wasn’t until 3 years later that her journey took a deeper meaning and has defined who she is as a photographer. In Folsom, California, where she lives with her husband and two children, Megan uses her Nikon D4 and an assortment of lenses to photograph in her bright, clean, and classic style. On her days off she loves to sip a can of diet Coke after a morning of sleeping in. Follow that with a little antiquing and you’ve got quite the day for Megan. She is also the author of Making Your Images Say More Than Cheese and Natural Light With Atmosphere

In my portfolio collection I have morning and evening images .  I am glad to have read a good time for photography is in the mornings.

Who doesn’t love that beautiful time of day when the suns slants over the horizon, washing the landscape in rich, fiery hues? For photographers, golden hour often becomes the hour: the time to schedule our sessions, the opportunity to create dreamy and angelic portraits, the hour to count on for its consistency and beauty. Golden hour is commonly our “go-to,” but there are several aspects of this shooting time that may not be so commonly known.

. Sunrise Golden Hour

While we often wait until those very last dregs of daylight to capture our perfect image, golden hour should actually be called golden hours because the first hour after sunrise is technically considered a golden hour, too. The sun is equally as low as it is in the evening prior to setting, and its intensity is similarly diffused through the atmosphere, offering that same magical illumination. Backlighting, rim lighting and even silhouetting can all be achieved in this early morning time as the sun rises into the sky. Even that bokeh we so characteristically attribute to the setting sun can be captured in the morning hours as well.

. Golden Hour Doesn’t Have to be Golden

While many photographers focus on the warm tones and hues captured during the golden, or magic hour, the angle of light itself lends beautifully to black and white photography. Flares and bursts of light become more visible, and backlighting more pronounced. Monochromatic images created in this hour can really showcase these elements of light within your images that can be captured during this time of day.

. Golden Hour Indoors

When you think of the golden hour, your mind most likely goes to an outdoor scene, but shooting during this time of day can be just as effective indoors. The positioning of the sun and the diffused softness it creates translates beautifully to indoor work. Backlighting, side lighting, and rim lighting – anything you attribute to outdoor golden hour shooting – can all be achieved with this low angle of light when the sun is nearly parallel to your subject. Use windows that allow that horizontal light to stream through and utilize nature’s giant softbox within your own home.

Golden Hour has a Sister

Once the sun sets, it’s not completely lights out. Right after golden hour comes its sister, blue hour, the time of early night at twilight. Here the hues turn, as you may have guessed, bluer and cooler in tones. And just like golden hour, blue hour takes place in the morning as well. During the blue hour the skies range from a gradient of blue to orange at the horizon. It transitions to a cooler, calmer time of day and the sky reflects this transition perfectly.