Golden hour is the hour before sunset or the hour after sunrise. The light at this time is like bottled gold and is so flattering and ethereal (without the harsh shadows of the daytime sun). My golden hour family photography sessions are intensely artistic, requiring families to be present at a certain time of day in order to catch the gorgeous light. Golden hour times vary as the seasons change. In summer golden hour can be around 9.00 and in winter as early as 3.30. Sunrise in summer is at 5.00am and in the winter around 7.30. As these sessions rely heavily on the elements, you’ll need to be flexible as we’ll arrange a back-up date in case of rain.
A typical session starts with some whole family pictures together while everyone is fresh and naturally a little hesitant. Staying together initially lets everyone ease into the session. After that, it is time to explore. If your child runs off to explore or each child goes in a different direction, worry not! Get down to your child’s level and play with them or simply pretend I’m not there and I will flit back and forth capturing genuine moments in the incredible golden light, weaving the threads of your family story through emotive storytelling imagery. I might occasionally get you to shift what you’re doing into the line of a beautiful sunbeam but otherwise I will be capturing you and your children just as you are with a sunkiss being the only embellishment to your narrative. I truly adore how this time in the session allows me to showcase the unique personalities of each member of the family. I love to get individual photographs. family photos. photographs of parents on their own (you probably haven’t had one of these since your last couple holiday or your wedding day…), sibling photos and then photographs of parents with your babies separately so you get lots of variety and you remember the idiosyncrasies of your relationship with each person.
Throughout the session I will take the opportunity to get some tender whole family shots framed by carefully chosen natural locations. These are gently posed to showcase you in your collective, unique glory. I choose epic locations with gorgeous light to get you the precious family memories you deserve. As the sun goes down and sets we’ll get some beautiful snuggles as you keep each other warm.
My golden hour family photography sessions are your cup of tea if you love sandy toes, dusty hands, splashing in puddles and streams, picking flowers, tossing leaves, building dams, throwing sticks, finding pebbles or climbing trees. These sessions are for you if you’re up for one evening where the routine flies out the window and the children stay up beyond sunset. It is for you if you value artistic and timeless with a complementary colour palette which doesn’t distract from the compelling emotion in your photographs.
When you see your gallery you will be able to purchase a wonderful array of art for your home. You may be guilty of storing hundreds of photos in the depths of your phone or computer when they should hang proudly on my walls. There is always another priority in life so it is hard to set time aside for preserving memories unless you entrust it to someone else. I would love to take care of displaying your story within your home. When you invest in a photography session it is so important that these then become wonderful keepsakes for you and that you delight in the tangible power of your images. The moments you cannot capture yourself because you’re wholly and deeply immersed in them.
Click here to find out more about my golden hour family photography package.
This is a great blog for clients to have a feel of what to expect during one of the golden hour sessions. I would definitely book a session after reading how magical your sessions are! 🙂