How to Shoot Stunning Portraits at Golden Hour
Golden hour light — the 30–60 minutes after sunrise or before sunset — is a portrait photographer's best ally. The challenge is working fast: the light shifts constantly, shadows lengthen quickly, and your subject's patience has limits. Nail these settings and you'll never waste this magic window again.
⚙ Recommended settings
Mode
Av / Aperture Priority
ISO
ISO 100–400
Aperture
f/1.8 to f/2.8
Shutter speed
1/500s to 1/1000s
White balance
Cloudy (6000K) or Shade (7500K)
Focus mode
AF-S / One Shot — eye detection if available
◈ Composition tips
Position your subject so the sun hits them from a 45° angle — this sculpts the face and creates that iconic warm rim light without squinting.
Use a large aperture (f/1.8–f/2.0) to separate your subject from the background and let the golden bokeh glow softly behind them.
Look for long shadows to use as leading lines — they add depth and a graphic quality to otherwise simple compositions.
Try backlighting: place the sun directly behind your subject for a glowing halo effect, then expose for the face (use spot metering or fill flash).
Pro tip
Bring a small collapsible reflector (silver/gold). When the sun is behind your subject, use it to bounce fill light back onto their face — this eliminates dark shadows while keeping the warm backlit glow. A 5-in-1 reflector fits in any camera bag.
⚠ Common mistakes to avoid
Waiting too long — golden hour lasts only 20–30 minutes of truly usable light. Scout your location in advance and be ready to shoot the moment it starts.
Using Auto White Balance which will neutralize the warm tones. Set a fixed WB around 6000–7500K to preserve the golden character of the light.
Shooting with the sun directly in front at f/8 — this creates harsh shadows on the face. Open up your aperture and move the light to the side or behind.
◻ Useful equipment
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