What Time of Day Should You Take Family Photos {On location]?
Lighting Is Everything
Good lighting is everything. Lighting is the most important tool (other than the camera) that a photographer utilizes, to create beautiful imagery. There are many different types of lighting and different lighting situations that I personally consider beautiful. The type of lighting will also depend on the subjects photographed and the intention of the photo session.
Golden Hour Light
I typically like to do family photo sessions the first hour of light in the morning, or the last hour in the evening. This way the lighting is super soft, and glows. It allows light to illuminate the face without causing squinting or shut eyes, due to harsh lighting. It also makes for beautiful back lighting, as seen in the below image (morning light). However, to get this golden light, the time could vary depending on location. For example, at the beach in South Florida, there are no cliffs, tree canopies, or buildings blocking the lighting. So the first hour after sunrise, and last hour before sunset is the best time to shoot at the beach in South Florida. If we are shooting some place else, like a nature preserve, we can shoot a little later in the morning, or a little earlier in the evening, to prevent it from being too dark (light blocked by trees). The image below, which was shot at El Matador beach in Malibu, California, was taken about 3.5 hours after sunrise, due to the location. This particular beach is surrounded by large cliffs in addition to being on the California coast so most mornings are too foggy to start super early. As your photographer, I will always suggest the best time to shoot, depending on location.
Harsh Light
Harsh lighting is a fun way to add some artistic vibes to your gallery, and I can almost always get harsh light as long as the sun is out. The first below image was taken about two hours before sunset. This session was also in an open field, with no shade. I love to utilize the sun to create different effects, and one of my favorites is harsh lighting. The second image below was taken the last hour before sunset. Doesn’t harsh light make for some amazing art?!?!
Overcast
Overcast days can make for some pretty cool moody imagery. The main thing to know about overcast days, is I will typically want to meet earlier if it looks like it will be overcast. I will tell you when you book, that if it is looking overcast, we will need to meet about an hour earlier than the time planned, especially if we are shooting in a preserve or area that has lots of shade. On the day of, It’s good to kind of be on call, in case this happens. If it is overcast, and we wait until the last hour of the day, there may not be enough light to do the session properly.
What If These Times Don’t Work For My Family
I totally get it! Lots of times, when there are little one’s involved, evening shoots are not an option. There are many ways to make different times work, for example, meeting a little earlier, at an outdoor location where we know there is shade. Many preserves or parks offer shade, and make great back up options for earlier photoshoot times!