When is the Best Time of Day For Family Photos?
This lovely photo session was at West Medicine Lake Park in Plymouth, Minnesota. Notice the sun is setting behind my subject allowing for soft light on her!
When planning your family photography session in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, there are so many options for locations as we discussed in my last blogpost: Where are the Best Family Photo Locations in the Twin cities? However, it is important to note that a location will only be good if the quality of light at the time of your session is ideal. So, when you are planning your family photos, you need to consider both your location choice and the timing of your session in order to get amazing photos because light and location go hand-in-hand! So, how does one know what time is going to be ideal for photography at your location of choice? Being a professional photographer in Minnesota the past 10 years has given me the experience and tools to determine ideal locations and the perfect time for each and every client session. There many things you need to consider in making this decision! The time of year, the location setting, and the needs of your family all need to be taken into account when choosing the perfect time for photos with the best quality of light.
The Golden Hour light provides a beautiful glow to my subject and to their surroundings.
The Golden Hour is Ideal for Family Photos
The golden hour is considered the quintessential time for taking portraits outside. When is the golden hour you may ask? The golden hour is the hour before the sun sets or the hour right after the sun rises. During this hour, the sun is closer to the horizon allowing for it’s light be diffused and causing soft shadows and beautiful, soft light. It is during this time that the light of the sun actually produces a glow as it touches a subject. I will often place my subjects in an area where the light is directly in back of them so that the rays of the sun literally bathe them with light. There is nothing better than soft hazy light shining between a mom and her children as they cuddle in for pictures or when a couple is caught in an embrace. This is also ideal for family maternity pictures as you highlight mom’s beautiful baby bump with light.
Because the sun sets at different times throughout the year, golden hour fluctuates too. In the summer, my golden hour sessions begin at 7:30 or sometimes 8:00. In the Fall, golden hour begins at about 4:30 in the afternoon and golden hour comes very quickly and often fades quickly. It is important to time your sessions appropriately so that you are able to capture your very best shots at the right time. In the summer, the light seems to hang on longer and allows you a bit more time.
Why do I prefer golden hour for my photography sessions? There are two reasons. One is an artistic choice, and the other is because of the quality of golden hour light on skin tone. It is easiest during the golden hour to capture beautiful sun flares allowing for more drama in your image. Compared to a cloudy day or mid-day light, this allows you more opportunities for artistry in your images. The softness of the light also coincides with how I edit my images. Light impacts color. The higher the sun, the brighter the light. Bright light is reflected off of the objects in your image such as grass, trees, and the subjects themselves. At high noon, light is harsh, full of strong contrast, and dramatic shadows. This type of light may be ideal for some scenarios where the photographer wants to capture their subject in a more dramatic fashion or with harsher tones. However, I do not find this ideal for intimate family or maternity photo sessions. The bright, mid-day sun causes the green of the grass to look almost florescent yellow in the summer and skin tones will be overshadowed by shadows or hot spots from the sun. Plus, your subject’s eyes will be prone to having shadows under them making them look dark and lifeless. During the golden hour, the light falls softly across your subject’s face allowing for soft and creamy skin tones, colors become more subdued and less overpowering, and it allows the story of your subject to be one which is quieter and more intimate or even ethereal and magical! All of this matches the style of my images and how I like to edit my photos.
The Location Will Only Be Pretty if the Light is Right
You can have the most beautiful field or prettiest garden picked out, but unless the light is coming from the right direction at that spot, the location will not be successful. If you have a particular backdrop in mind at a specific location, make sure that the light during golden hour is falling upon it in just the right spot. This means if you have selected a field that has trees in the background and a roadway on the other, you will want the light from the sun to be behind the pretty background, not behind the road. This is because you will want the setting sun highlighting the beautiful trees, or lake, or tall grasses that are behind your subject or to the side of your subject. If the flight is coming from the direction of the road, your subject will be facing the light and we don’t want them to squint! Or, if you turn your subjects with their back to the light, then the busy roadway will be in the background! For example, when I shoot at a little field at West Medicine Lake Park, I only shoot during the evening golden hour because the sun is setting behind a beautiful pond with trees which is behind my subjects. If the sun were setting the opposite direction, my subjects would have a road in the background. As a result, this location only works well for sunsets, not for sunrises. This is why it is important for photographers to always scout out a location before a shoot! You need to know where the sun will be during the time of your shoot, so that you can know where to place your subjects! Some of my favorite locations for photography sessions are the Noerenberg Gardens, parks throughout the Three Rivers Park District, as well as Lebanon Hills Park in Eagan, MN.
The Needs of Your Family Will Determine When You Have Your Family Photos
The pretty glow around the boy and girl is called rim light and happens when the sunlight hits the side of your subject.
As I mentioned above, golden hour in the summer is much later than golden hour in the fall. As a photographer of families with young children and babies, I try to inform my clients about the importance of shooting during this time frame and to use this as a means to determine when they want family photos. I even provide them with strategies for helping younger kiddos do well during an evening shoot that may run into bedtime. For example, taking a later nap on session day or bringing snacks, bottles and a comforting lovey for session time. If a family still isn’t comfortable having a session during a summer golden hour timeframe, then I encourage them to schedule their family photos for the fall. A 4:30 session time is so much easier for a family with a toddler than an 8:00 session in July! Photographers, communicate your session times clearly to your clients and provide them with information as to why you shoot when you do. Most people do not understand the importance of timing, light, and location and it is our job to be the experts and to educate! Families, use the information your photographer provides you in order to make the wisest decision for when to have your family pictures taken. When you are both on the same page, you will have a successful family photo shoot filled with beautiful light and beautiful memories!
