5 Tips on How to Get the Best Golden Hour Wedding Photos
There’s a good reason that so many photographers suggest taking photos at golden hour – especially for weddings. Lighting at golden hour is unlike lighting at any other time of the day, as photos taken at this time of day are effortlessly romantic and dreamy.
As a wedding photographer, many of my most beloved wedding images were the images I took at golden hour – the lighting is super easy to work with and creates the most beautiful photos that I know you and your partner will cherish forever.
Keep reading to learn more about what golden hour photos are and discover my pro tips on how to capture the best golden hour wedding photos.
What Are Golden Hour Photos?
The golden hour is the time of day when the sun is low on the horizon, and it typically occurs anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes before sunrise or sunset. It’s a favorite time for photographers to plan their sessions, and as a wedding photographer, I always recommend to my couples to add time to their wedding timeline for a golden hour session.
Why? Because golden hour creates truly stunning images that have a warm, soft glow, and your images will have an ethereal aesthetic. Lighting at midday can have harsh lighting and create unflattering shadows, whereas golden hour lighting is pure magic – it softens shadows and brings out the best colors.
Whether you’re having an early morning elopement or a wedding with a reception in the evening, you can include golden hour wedding photos in your day! By the way, if you take your golden hour photos in the morning, you’ll also have what’s called blue hour, and it is also a magical time of the day. Blue hour just before sunrise will add cool tones such as blues, purples, and pinks to your images.
On the other hand, during a sunset golden hour session, you will have a plethora of colors to work with, such as pinks, oranges, yellows, etc. It all depends on the different hues created by the setting sun.
Should You Take Golden Hour Wedding Photos?
My answer? Definitely yes! Golden hour images will add so much depth and beauty to your final wedding gallery. Throughout your wedding day (especially if your ceremony is outdoors), the lighting can be a bit intense, making it difficult to see and creating more shadows, but golden hour is the exact opposite.
Another reason I suggest to my couples to take golden hour photos is that this is a private moment for just the two of you. Throughout your wedding day, there’s going to be so much going on, but this is a quiet, intimate moment to share with your partner where you can slow down and take everything in and just be with each other.
5 Tips on How to Get the Best Golden Hour Wedding Photos
Here are my pro tips on how you can achieve the best golden hour wedding photos possible:
Plan enough time in your wedding timeline
To achieve stunning golden hour photos, we will need enough time to work with the lighting – if we’re too late, we will miss the best lighting during this time frame. Typically, we only need 15-20 minutes to make magic happen, but we will need to time it right.
I work with my couples to fit golden hour photos into their wedding timelines, so I don’t want you to worry about having to figure out how to do it on your own! I’ll also help you with scouting the best location at your wedding venue for these photos because location is super important for golden hour photos and isn’t something that should be overlooked.
Discuss golden hour photos with your wedding photographer beforehand
Make sure that you mention to your wedding photographer that you want to take golden hour wedding photos! If we work together, I’ll ask you about them, but to err on the side of caution (especially if these photos are something you love), ask your photographer about them and how they’ll help fit them into your wedding day.
Plan and communicate what’s happening with your guests
Have you ever been to a wedding and everyone is asking where the couple is and is out looking for them? To avoid this happening, it’s best to plan a break for your guests around the time you want to take the photos. This way, you don’t miss out on anything or have someone who is searching the wedding venue for you and your partner.
You can also communicate with your guests (or have your DJ do it) that you’ll be out for a bit, taking photos too. Speaking of communication, make sure that your other wedding vendors know what is happening as well, so there’s no confusion.
Don’t worry if the weather doesn’t cooperate
Just like you can’t predict in advance when you select your wedding date, you also won’t be able to predict on if you’ll have a perfect golden hour sunrise or sunset. Even if the lighting isn’t ideal during your session, remember you can still get beautiful photos.
Embrace movement
The best golden hour photos are the ones that look natural. These photos don’t have to be stiff or overly posed. Instead, embrace movement – walk hand in hand with your partner, run hand in hand down a hill together, dance together, etc. This will create truly stunning and captivating images.
Ready to Book Your Wedding Photographer?
I hope you found this guide on golden hour wedding photos tips helpful. Golden hour wedding photos are truly something special, and you’ll have a collection of breathtaking, cinematic images because of it.
Now all you need to do is find the perfect photographer to photograph your celebration! If you are still looking for the right fit, I’d love to chat! You can click here to learn more about my wedding photography services or head over here to get in touch!
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