Best time of Day to take Photos.

I get this question all the time, “Morgan, when is the best time to have our session?”

First let me start by saying that I almost always shoot outside. I love being outside and I love getting that perfect sunshine glow in my images. I love having God’s beautiful nature as the background. It is peaceful, relaxing and a breath of fresh air is so good for us!

That being said, although the sun is amazing and beautiful and warm, the light it produces during the middle of the day can get pretty harsh. It produces a lot of shadows and bright glares, not to mention all of the squinting in that bright sun. Also depending on the season it can be pretty hot under that afternoon sun.

That is why I prefer to shoot either 1-2 hours before the sun sets or 1-3 hours after the sun rises. During those hours is when the sunlight is soft and glowy. It makes the images look warm and buttery instead of harsh and shadowy. It is typically cooler during those parts of the day as well. And for those families who have small children they normally aren’t napping right away in the morning or in the evening.

The photos you see here were taken 1.5 hours after sunrise and you can see the light was just gorgeous. It was glowing the whole time and creating that beautiful backlight that everyone loves!

Now it is possible to shoot in the afternoon. There are certain things we can do like find lots of shade with open sky and angle certain ways but overall it is a much more pleasant experience to shoot near sunrise or sunset. They are my favorite times of day and give such life to my soul! It is such a blessing to be able to do my job outside where I am happiest.

I hope this gives you insight as to the best times to either book a session or take pictures outside even when you are the one taking them!

With love,

Morgan