My photography friends have been known to call me the ‘Queen of Golden Hour’ and it’s purely down to the passion I have for it – it makes me warm and fuzzy. When I’ve left a wedding after a golden hour shoot I am the happiest I can be! Planning your timeline for Golden Hour Photos is really important as many couples dismiss this and plan First Dance & Cake Cutting right in the middle of the best light of the day. A lot of my couples don’t realise until I ask them about Golden Hour and sometimes it’s hard to alter timings at that point.
Firstly, Golden Hour is the hour before sunset when the sky starts to glow and when it’s most difficult to drive west on the M1 (trust me). I look up the daylight times for my couples often and you can get an idea of the time on many online websites such as: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/uk/london.
I normally shoot for only about 20 minutes during golden hour but sometimes I even shoot bridal party shoots then too (a little less formal) as everyone is relaxed. Even on cloudy days I sometimes get some success with golden hour but it is important to note that the UK weather doesn’t always guarantee a good golden hour. I always try my best to do this though, I will be hanging round outdoors analysing the light and waiting to grab my couples at the most perfect moment.
PLEASE NOTE: Sunset times across the UK vary ALOT. I recently discovered sunset in Northumberland is half an hour later than Essex. Something I still can’t get my head around.
