Golden Hour vs. Blue Hour: When and Why to Use Each for Stunning Shots
The time of day you choose to capture photos matters, as lighting can greatly affect your images. When natural lighting is ideal, it reduces the need for editing. Two well-known times of day for photography are blue hour and golden hour.
What is Golden Hour?
Golden hour occurs just after sunset and before sunrise, creating a warm, yellow-orange light with a soft, natural sepia tone. This lighting can enhance natural skin tones, while also reducing blemishes.
Many photographers capture sunrise golden hour in highly populated areas, as these locations tend to be less crowded than during sunset.
Golden Hour Photography Styles
Gear for Golden Hour
Golden hour is ideal for capturing portraits, as the warm tones enhance facial features and soften imperfections. The 58mm telephoto lens offers a 2x optical zoom with natural bokeh, making it perfect for close-up portraits. Meanwhile, the wide lens is suited for expansive landscape shots, allowing photographers to capture every detail of the scene.
Telephoto Lens
Wide Lens
What is Blue Hour?
Blue hour occurs just before sunrise and after sunset, creating rich blue and purple tones. While it's shorter than golden hour, it offers ideal lighting for moody, atmospheric shots.
Blue Hour Photography Styles
Gear for Blue Hour
Using a wide lens and a tripod will enable you to take sharper photos during blue hour. The darker conditions at this time can result in blurry images due to the slower shutter speeds required for capturing the available light.
To resolve this issue, the SANDMARC wide lens is ideal for shooting in low-light situations like blue hour.
To resolve this issue, the SANDMARC wide lens is ideal for shooting in low-light situations like blue hour.
Wide Lens
Tripod
Golden hour and blue hour are nature’s best filters. While we recommend different ways to make the most of these tones, photography is an art—you have the freedom to mix and match!
Author's Bio
SANDMARC offers photography gear for mobile creators, including top-tier lenses, filters, and accessories that elevate iPhone photography. Trusted worldwide, our products help users capture stunning visuals in any setting. Our blog provides tips, guides, and inspiration to enhance your creative journey, with advice and industry updates from our passionate team.
