Turns out that the time of day we shoot, perhaps more than any other variable, makes the biggest impact on how your images will look. It’s more important than the location you choose. It’s more important than how good your outfit looks. It’s more important than whether or not your kids are melting down for half of the shoot. It’s even more important in helping you look your best than skipping that glass of wine the night before and sleeping an extra hour. Why is this? Because the time of day we shoot affects the quality of our light. Good quality light can flatter the heck out of anyone and poor light quality can jeopardize all other best laid preparations.

boy hugs dad and peeks at camera from over his shoulder, with light flare and trees in the background. — *Late afternoon backlight is perfect for making sun flare shots! 😍*

Time of Day Affects Direction of Light

The position of the sun in the sky changes from sunrise to sunset. The sun is low in the sky during the first 1-2 hours after sunrise and again during the 1-2 hours before sunset. Between those sunrise- and sunset-hugging hours, the sun is higher in the sky, and is more-or-less directly overhead at noon.

When the sun is low, the directional light it casts can be used in a variety of flattering ways. A photographer can light subjects using front-lighting, side-lighting, and backlighting.

Smiling dad kneels down to interact with toddler son, with shadows of large palm trees looming behind them. — *Early morning front-lighting at the deYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park.*

When the sun is higher in the sky, you essentially have an overhead light that is difficult to use in the directional ways described above. Overhead light can cause harsh shadows in places you don’t want them - think raccoon eyes and nose shadows. If this is hard to visualize, think about what you look like in a mirror when you have vanity lights hitting you from eye level vs how you look when you’re lit from only an overhead light.

Smiling family of four sits on white couch in living room while sunlight pours in from the side. — *Directional light (side-lighting in this example) is important indoors as well.*

Intensity of Light is Also a Factor

In addition to light direction, the intensity of light tends to increase as we approach mid-morning and that intensity usually lasts until late afternoon. In general, unless we are going for a specific, styled, high-contrast type of shoot, we want to avoid really intense sunlight. When it’s super sunny, we get strong highlights and dark shadows - and that typically happens during midday. Of course there are caveats to this: rain clouds, fog, wildfires. But in general, you’ll have less intense light in the early and late hours of daylight.

The Magic Hour

You’ve likely heard the term “magic hour” which refers to the hour or so before sunset when the light is low on the horizon, relatively soft in intensity, and has a slight orange glow to it. It’s my favorite time of day to shoot and it most definitely lives up to its name.

Why It Works for Photography:

Soft, warm light creates a flattering glow on skin tones.
Directional light creates longer shadows, which add depth and dimension to photos.
Lower intensity light makes it easier for photo subjects to keep their eyes open without squinting.

Smiling family of four stands in front of ocean horizon with setting sun behind them, shot at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. — *Soft, golden-hued light creates a flattering glow on everyone.*

Secret Bonus to Afternoon Magic Hour? Blue Hour!

The twilight hours, just before sunrise and just after sunset, are often referred to as the “blue hour”. It gets this name from the cool, blue hue of the light and it creates so much mood in photos. I’m almost never meeting anyone before the sun rises so using blue hour light is really something I utilize in those first 15-20 minutes after sunset. It’s my favorite time to create dramatic silhouette shots and moody artistic portraits.

Just after sunset, the light is soft, even, and blue-tinged.

Not sure when your magic hour happens? Use this sunrise/sunset website to plug in your coordinates.

Midday Light Challenges (and Solutions!)

As I mentioned above, having your photoshoot happen midday - anytime between mid-morning to mid-afternoon - is not optimal. The light tends to be harsher (more squinting!) and is casting down from above (the least flattering angle of light). Direct, midday light tends to create intense highlights and shadows on faces, which flatters almost no one.

That said, sometimes shooting midday is the only option. So what are some ways to work around the less than optimal lighting? First, I use topography to figure out how I can use natural and artificial land features to filter or block direct light. Think trees, hills, buildings, stairwells, etc. If that isn’t available to me, I just embrace the bright light and try to position my subjects in the best angles possible.

Shot from below, young girl swings her arms and laughs toward the camera while the colorful murals of Balmy Alley in San Francisco are in the background. — *Late-morning light, utilizing nearby mural walls to block some of the bright light and create sun flare.*

There are some really cool tools available to track how sunlight will hit an area at different times of day and during different seasons. I personally use Sun Seeker, but Sun Surveyor is also well-loved.

What Happens When It’s Foggy?

Couple walks holding hands along water's edge at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, with foggy skies overhead. — *Foggy day at Ocean Beach helped this maternity session feel dreamy. ❤️*

One question I often get asked: what happens if the fog comes in? So far, we’ve been talking about clear and direct sunlight but fog does change things a bit. It won’t change the direction of the light or the position of the sun in the sky, but it will diffuse the light in such a way that the rules around when in the day to shoot can be relaxed a bit.

We’ve all seen those big, white soft boxes depicting a studio photo shoot in movies or TV shows. That big white box is called a diffuser and it softens the light coming from the flash. Fog - or any kind of cloud, really - does the same thing to the sun. It softens its harshness and balances out areas of intense brightness and shadow. It also reduces the chance of anyone needing to squint.

Fog can create mood. The soft light and lowered contrast creates a dreamy feel in the images. This dreaminess can feel romantic, nostalgic, sophisticated - you name it. There is some poetic licensing that happens with overcast light that is hard to achieve when you have bright sunlight blasting into your frame. So don’t let a foggy or cloudy forecast dissuade you from having your photoshoot!

Extended family walks, smiling, along trail in Marin Headlands. — *Soft light brought out the richness of the muted palette at this family photo shoot.*

Comfort and Practicality for Families

I can’t mention the importance of timing your photoshoot without mentioning the very real consideration of young children’s schedules. While we want the best light at our outdoor photoshoot, we also don’t want a nap-skipping, undersnacked, hot mess of a toddler. Luckily, most young children are naturally early risers so meeting for early morning outdoor sessions works well. The afternoon magic hour can sometimes be risky for families with babies and young children and I tend to recommend families away from scheduling their outdoor sessions for that time. That said, my afternoon magic hour sessions are ideal for families with older kids and for adults doing portrait sessions.

Another important thing to note, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area, is that it is almost always significantly cooler in the early morning and late afternoon. It’s always important to make sure that everyone is dressed warmly enough to be comfortable outdoors for the full duration of the photoshoot.

The Role of Location in Timing Your Photoshoot

If you know you want to have your session in an open field, at the beach, or anywhere that lacks natural or artificial blockers of sunlight, it’s especially important to shoot during morning or afternoon magic hour. There’s no way around this… unless we have a particular foggy day.

If shooting at magic hour isn’t realistic or possible for you, go with a wooded or urban area. These types of locations will offer various options to block light if it gets too sunny or if the sun is too high in the sky to cast flattering light.

Woman wearing white tank top and orange skirt holds white scarf above her head and looks into the sun while standing on dune grass. — *Magic Hour sunset at Ocean Beach.* 😍

Recap About Light

Hopefully I’ve convinced you of the importance of timing your outdoor photoshoot. If you didn’t read through everything, here are the key takeaways:

The quality of the light is the most important factor of your photo session.
Ideal light is early morning light or late afternoon light.
If you can’t have your photoshoot during times of ideal light, find a location that can block some of the harsh light.
Fog can be a wonderful opportunity to make dreamy, soft contrast images.
Make sure you aren’t sacrificing the mood of your young children to chase the perfect light.

If you’re in the Bay Area and are interested in planning an outdoor photo session for yourself or your family, please do get in touch!

Let's chat!

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