The Complete Guide to Golden Hour Photography

## What Is Golden Hour?

Golden hour is the brief window after sunrise and before sunset when the light is soft, warm, and flattering to every subject.

## What Makes It Special?

- **Low angle**: The sun at 10–20° from the horizon creates long, gentle shadows - **Warm color**: Hues of orange, yellow, and pink that are hard to replicate manually - **Low intensity**: You can shoot toward the sun without harsh overexposure

## Practical Tips

1. **Arrive 20 minutes early** before your calculated golden hour time 2. **Use spot metering** to balance exposure on the subject, not the background 3. **Shoot RAW** — warm tones can look "blown out" in JPEG