A guide to golden hour for your family photoshoot in Cornwall

In Cornwall we have such an abundance of beautiful spots to visit - it’s a great opportunity to get some lovely new photos of your children and family. As a family photographer in Cornwall, it’s amazing to have access to so many beautiful outdoor locations - cliff tops, beaches and woodlands.

Over the years have developed a few practices to ensure I can get great images for my clients in their family photoshoot.

If you want to take better photos of your own loved ones, here are some tips to keep in mind before you take out the camera, particularly in terms of available natural light.

Attention to light

In the world of photography, light is the most fundamental and important factor. The quality of light will directly affect the quality of the shot.

During family photoshoots in Cornwall, I have to get the best possible results for my clients, so I hold all of my outdoor photoshoots during the golden hour.

What is the Golden Hour?

Golden hour is the hallowed time when the sun is low, casting a gorgeous golden glow over everything. This can be just after sunrise, or in the hour or two before sunset.

This is when the bright heat of the day is replaced by something calmer and cooler. The vibe gets dreamy and it’s chill out time.

I love this time of day - it feels so good to be alive when the sun is out on a summer evening in the countryside, or breathing in the fresh sea air and standing on a pristine washed beach first thing in the morning!

It is so worth starting out earlier than usual, or staying on for a bit after a day at the beach.

Why time of day makes such a big difference…

Quality of light

The side light of a low sun is softer and golden. This casts a romantic hue over the setting, creates beautiful rim light, and is soft enough to be able to get some gorgeous shots from all angles. How the long lightwaves hit the landscape, objects, clothing, faces at this time of day enhances colours, is very warm and intimate. It sparkles on water and is perfect for the emotive and evocative images I love to make.

When the sun is higher, you are more likely to be battling against harsh, dark shadows on faces. Bright highlights are ‘blown’ which means that where the bright sun hits are overexposed and appear white.

Examples of photos in Golden hour light

All taken within 1-2 hours of sunset or sunrise (7am/8pm in summer).

Too Bright

To show the contrast, look at the photos below, taken at slightly brighter times of day. Even though none of them were taken even close to midday hopefully they give an idea of the difference just an hour or two outside of ‘golden hour’ can make.

Notice the shadows and bright highlights, and how they’re quite harsh. In my opinion the image would be better with a softer light.

Note that these were all taken during the first few years in my photography career - it is very rare now that my camera is out after 9 am or before 6pm.

Quality of shadows

When the sun is low, the shadows grow long. The longer the shadows, the better. As the sun’s rays are hitting faces from the side, the long shadows fall gently off the other side, so there is no harsh contrast between shadow and light. This creates flattering contours and a more natural graduation between shadow and light.

All through the day, the shadows on your face are changing, like on a sundial. As the sun gets higher and more ‘overhead’ the shadows get shorter and darker, or ‘harder’ - there is a sharp edge to them, and they move under the nose and eyebrows to blacken those areas. The camera cannot see the same tonal range as the human eye, so those shorter shadows can appear really black, and it’s hard to make that look very flattering.

To avoid the ‘panda eyes’ effect, you can try and shoot in the shade, but this can be impossible on the beach when the sun is high.

It’s a magical time

What is more beautiful than the way the late afternoon/evening sun catches the long wild grass, or the gently rolling waves. There is something magical, nostalgic, timeless and calming about being outdoors during golden hour. Water sparkles, hair shines, everything takes on a peaceful mood. Laughter seems to echo melodically, the intensity of the middle of the day is no more. Whether early in the morning or in the evening, it’s a wonderful time to be alive.

The other advantage is that there are less people about, getting in your shots!

The spirit of adventure

Letting the kids stay out a bit later than usual can feel like a family adventure! Drop the rules a bit and try and capture them having fun.

“Time of day really does make a very big difference. Not only to how your photos are going to look, but also in how the memories captured will feel for you”.

If it’s cloudy

Of course we all want the golden sun and I wish it could be guaranteed for every outdoor photoshoot, but this is Cornwall and often we have to shoot when it’s cloudy.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing - light diffused by clouds can be really beautiful and soft too and in many ways makes it easier to shoot as the light is so even. If I have an outdoor family photoshoot scheduled for a less-than-ideal time, I usually cross fingers we get a bit of cloud cover to make getting good shots easier!

Wait for Autumn

If you want the look of golden hour but can’t manage something at 6am or 8pm then I recommend waiting for Autumn for your outdoor photoshoot.

I do outdoor family photoshoots all year round, and my favourite time of year has to be Autumn. The deeper in winter we get, the easier it is to schedule outdoor sessions during the day without having to worry about the light - the light is low throughout the day.

So if you thought that Summer is the only time you can get lovely photos, think again! The cooler months are actually far easier to shoot in, when it comes to quality of light. And Cornwall has particularly beautiful light, so embrace wellies and chunky jumpers and get out there!

If you would prefer to leave it to a professional, or want to be included in some photos with your family for a change, get in touch to find out about my family photoshoots in Cornwall. I work mainly on the Roseland Peninsula, but it’s always a wonderful memory.

To book or enquire about a session with me, get in touch - I’d love to hear from you.