Let us guess, you are planning your wedding down to every minute and wondering where you can squeeze in your photographer without sacrificing time with your guests? We get it! Weddings are expensive at best, so making sure you enjoy as much of it as possible is also our goal as wedding photographers.
But let us tell you why you’re not going to want to miss golden hour. It's probably one of the most important parts of the day for stunning photographs and video and one that is often overlooked by wedding couples. Golden hour is that magical time of day, one hour to thirty minutes before the sun sets below the horizon, where you notice the colours and light begin to change. On a typical Portuguese wedding days this could be right before you sit down to dinner or sometimes between courses depending on your timeline. Needless to say, its prime time for us as photographers as it offers some amazing photo opportunities and it's where we thrive as creatives! Here are some top reasons why you should utilise time with your photographer and videographer at golden hour on your wedding day.
1. The Lighting
At this time of the day, the lighting is always a bit more special. Expect romantic hues of light setting the scene for some gorgeous shots. As the sun drops below the horizon, we will be able to capture the most beautiful portraits on a back drop of oranges, reds and pinks.
Images by JJMT Photography
2. 1-on-1 time
We’ve seen it, wedding days can be chaotic from making sure everything goes smoothly to trying to get around to every aunty, cousin, relative and friend. Taking the time out with your new husband or wife for photographs at golden hour offers you a well-deserved breather from the mayhem of the day. Allowing your photographer to take photos, gives you time to decompress and spend your first moments of alone time together as husband and wife. In addition, this time of the day can also be super romantic, so we say take the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere, take the time with your photographer to enjoy sunset and go back to the party feeling much more relaxed.
3. They are THE favourite wedding photos
We’ve done our research, and golden hour photos have been voted our couples’ favourite shots. When our couples receive their final edit, they always comment on how their photos turned out but they are especially in awe of their golden hour shots… and with good reason! They are our favourite too!
Images by JJMT Photography
4. They are your first portraits as a married couple
Once the stress of getting ready, rounding up your bridal party and the ceremony is over, the evening time is a chance to really celebrate, let the hair down and enjoy the remainder of your special day. We always find by the time golden hour comes around couples are much more relaxed, and easygoing than earlier in the day which lends to much more natural portraits. To be honest we cannot think of a better time of day for your first photos together.
5. Photos in harsh light are not as flattering or romantic
Most of your wedding portraits throughout the day are shot in harsh sunlight. The sunshine and the glorious Portuguese weather are some of the reason you chose Portugal in the first place, we get it! But it's difficult for any photographer to get flattering, romantic images during high sun. It's just a matter of fact. The constant battle to find shade, make sure there's zero sun spots or dark shadows under the eyes or bounce light in shaded areas to capture a great shot, it a challenge. Golden hour acts as a giant diffuser for the lens and casts beautiful natural light over couples. We find that simply the ambience of this light makes the scene much more romantic and helps to set the tone for the couple session.
Images by JJMT Photography
We hope we have now convinced you to go for it and get those gold hour shots on your wedding day. Revel in that romantic time while we work our magic to capture your first portraits as a married couple. The final photos are a firm favourite amongst our couples and no doubt they will be yours too. Not to mention memories of a sunset you'll never forget!
For some more inspiration, check our Instagram @jjmtphotography for more of our previous golden hour portraits.