Project365 - The Golden Hour

Introduction

Photographers will try to explain that their craft is light. Without light, human beings cannot "see". So in order to best show off their work, photographers will work with and manipulate light to show off their subject in a flattering way. Sometimes that's easier said than done. During the winter, for example, the sun is low & the days are short. Our skies are grey and overcast.

It is a long-preserved tenet in photography that the hour immediately after daybreak, and immediately before sunset are the so-called "golden hours" of photography. The sun is typically bright, while being low on the horizon. This helps with creating dramatic effects such as silhouettes and romantic, softly-lit scenes. To say the least, the light can be very flattering.

The Setup

I travel with my trusty Canon 60D, and it is almost always equipped with the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L series lens. This is effectively my default setup.

These photos were shot handheld, which implied that I needed to balance shutter speed with ISO. If the ISO is too high, the photos appear grainy - what photographers call "noise". If the shutter is open for too long, I ran the risk of camera shake causing blurry photos. And I had the aperture set fairly closed, as I wanted the entire field in focus. Finally, the white-balance was set to "shady" in the beginning, and later to "flash".

The Photos

In this example, the photo seems flat, almost monochromatic. While I tried to use perspective to make the photo visually interesting, the lighting wasn't really so great.

We see approximately the same effect in this photo. The photo seems boring, almost lifeless. These images were taken around 4PM, about two hours before the sun started to set.

This photo is better, as the lights on the tower are starting to glow, creating a little bit more contrast & therefore a bit of drama. However the hotel behind still seems drab. I do like the warm glow of the streetlamps in the foreground.

The same can be seen in this photo of the Belaggio hotel. The building lighting is starting to show up. These photos were taken around 6:15 PM, as the sun was beginning to set.

 

This photo, a shameless "I was there" tourist shot, really shows off the tower. The lights create a beautiful, dramatic effect, while the sky is still light enough to provide a beautiful background.

Note: in order to get my girlfriend to not be a silhouette, I was forced to use my on-board flash. Hence the lighting appears harsh, and badly reflected off her glasses. :-(

 

Here is a great example of the "golden hour". The sky creates a beautiful blue backdrop, while the external lighting of the building creates accent-points and contrast on the building itself. It is light enough to make out the details at the base of the hotel, and dark enough to allow the accent lighting to glow beautifully.

Lessons Learned

I have said previously that I love shooting in Las Vegas. Both the sunrise & sunset create opportunities to take advantage of the Golden Hour of photography. Couple that with clear skies and bright lights, and it becomes a fantastic place to shoot dramatic skyline photos.