It’s all about the light!
One of the biggest things I have learned in my photography journey is that light isn't just a tool; it's the very essence that sculpts emotions, highlights features, and tells stories through the faces of our subjects. While studio setups offer control, there's an unmatched authenticity in harnessing the nuances of natural light, especially in the mountains and the beautiful landscape of Colorado. Read on to see my favorite times of the day to shoot, especially here in Colorado!
Sunset Golden Hour
That lovely time shortly before sunset brings a warm, flattering glow upon our subjects. The soft, directional light enhances skin tones, adds depth to eyes, and imbues portraits with a romantic allure, and while used as backlight can give the “halo” effect of that beautiful light around the rim of the subject. In Colorado, the best time for this light is about the 20 minutes before the sun goes down behind the mountains.
Sunrise Golden Hour
Although it’s sometimes difficult to get up before dawn to get photos taken (especially in the summer!) it’s soooo worth it. The golden light cascading on the mountains and lighting up the subjects face can’t be beat. This perfect light only lasts about 10-15 minutes before the sun is too harsh for people to face it directly. But oh does it produce beautiful results!
Blue Hour
As daylight fades into dusk, the blue hour casts an airy and serene light to portraits. In Colorado, blue hour also can produce an amazing sky behind the mountains if we’re lucky!! I often schedule sunset shoots to go into blue hour so we will get both kinds of light in one shoot.
