There’s nothing I love more than shooting during the golden hour. The buttery light and the way everything just glows pulls me right in. I like to schedule my sessions during that last hour before sunset if possible because it never fails to give beautiful light for my portraits. If you prefer shooting during the golden hour like I do, here are four must-haves to help keep your images looking their best.
A lens hood.
A lens hood is helpful for reducing sun flare in your images. Even if you love the look of sun flare like I do, a lens hood is helpful for keeping the light exactly where you would like it and helpful for removing it from places in your image that you don’t. All of my Canon L lenses came with a hood and they come in varying shapes and sizes depending on the lens. On a wider lens, you can expect to use a petal shaped lens. It won’t obstruct the view when you are shooting at a wide angle. On a telephoto lens, like my 70-200 L, it includes a straight hood. Because that lens does not view anything on the side or shoot very wide, having a straight hood is the best option. If your lens did not come with a hood, make sure to get the hood made specifically for your lens and focal length.
A reflector.
Having a reflector during the golden hour can help combat the shadows often found on your subjects face while shooting with their backs to the sun. Available in many colors, you can use gold, silver or white to reflect back into the shadows or use it as a scrim to block light that you want to soften even more. No matter how you use the reflector, you have several options to shape the reflected light and create the look you are after.
A gray card.
A custom white balance in camera will always give you the most accurate color. It only takes a couple of extra minutes to set it and the results are absolutely worth it! Not only does it take into account the temperature of the light, but the tint as well. The light during the golden hour can be very warm and being able to balance out the extra color in camera will save you a lot of time in post-processing.
A stepladder.
Whether you bring a small stool or keep a little stepladder in your car, it can help change your angle and get a different perspective while you are shooting. I like to keep one in my car so that I have it whenever I need it. Getting above your subject, have your subject sit on it – change things up. I like to use the step stool off center from my subject until I get the look I want in camera. If you have great light, you can get so many ‘poses’ by just changing up your angle.
